By Peter M. De Lorenzo
Detroit. Juan Pablo Montoya would not be denied on Sunday, coming back from as low as 30th position to win the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Montoya wheeled his No. 2 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet through the field and charged to the front when it counted over the last 25 laps, holding off teammate and reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Will Power (No. 1 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet) by 0.1046 of a second, making it the fourth-closest finish in race history.
The last 15 laps were everything a great race at The Speedway should be, with Montoya, Power, Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Target Chevrolet) and a very racy Charlie Kimball (No. 83 Chip Ganassi Racing Novo Nordisk Chevrolet) all wanting the lead. Five of the race's 37 lead changes occurred in the last 15 laps following a restart. Montoya overtook Dixon in Turn 1 for second place, and then blew by Power in Turn 4 to capture the lead on Lap 197. Montoya then held the lead for the remainder of the 200-lap event. Montoya and Power's heart-stopping duel at the front of the field made the race memorable, with the two Team Penske drivers giving no quarter as they raced each other hard over the last few laps on the classic 2.5-mile oval. It was riveting stuff.
The victory was Montoya's second Indianapolis 500 win in three attempts, fifteen years after the Colombian won "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" in 2000. "It was awesome," Montoya said. "This is what racing in IndyCar is all about, racing down to the wire. These guys, Team Penske, did an amazing job. I had the feeling that I had a really good car, but that fight at the end was really, really hard. All the way down to the wire. This is pretty awesome." The fifteen-year gap between Indy 500 wins for Montoya is the longest stretch for a driver.
With Montoya's win, Roger Penske extends his record of Indy 500 victories to 16, an incredible level of success that may never be equaled. "You give that guy the bit and put it in his mouth, and he doesn't give up," said Penske, the race strategist for Helio Castroneves during the race. "It's a great day for Team Penske. I knew we had two up there, but the worry was Dixon and the 83 (Charlie Kimball). At the end of the day, they played fair. Good passing and we won the race."
Chevrolet was the other big story of the race, as the manufacturer dominated the month of May at The Speedway with its turbocharged V6 IndyCar engines, sweeping the top four positions on Sunday. (See more coverage from Indianapolis in "The Line" -WG)
As for Power, he was two-tenths of a second behind Montoya entering the white-flag lap, but couldn't make a dramatic last-turn pass. "I just had too much push when he got by," Power said. "I had to lift on that last lap. He was definitely better when he got behind me. That's why he got the run. Anywhere else I'd be happy with second, but (not) here."
Kimball finished 0.7950 of a second back in third - a career best in five Indy 500 starts - after starting 14th in the No. 83 Chip Ganassi Racing Novo Nordisk Chevrolet. Dixon, who led 84 laps, was 1.0292 seconds back in fourth place in the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Target Chevrolet. Graham Rahal had an excellent run up to fifth after starting 17th in the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Steak 'n Shake Honda, making him the top Honda-powered finisher.
Montoya has always been one of my personal favorites because he can get into anything and drive the wheels off of it. He has won in Formula 1, NASCAR, and in Indy cars. And his second win in the Indianapolis 500, fifteen years after his win as a rookie when he flat dominated the race back in 2000, was truly impressive. Montoya loves to go fast and enjoys every moment of it. Let me emphasize that point again. He loves it. And it shows.
He came back to IndyCar when everyone whispered that he'd lost a step, that he couldn't get it done anymore because of his less than stellar journey through NASCAR, that he was just going through the motions. But he never stopped believing in himself and his will to win still burned white hot. And Roger Penske, who can spot that intangible will to win better than anyone, gave Montoya a ride befitting of his talent.
Montoya is a racer's racer to the core, a man who savors his racing with a passion and exuberant spirit that is simply wonderful to behold in this cynical era.
Congratulations to Juan Pablo Montoya, Roger Penske and the entire Team Penske organization on a superb triumph in the Indianapolis 500, still the greatest single motor race in the world.
(Photo by Eric Anderson/IMS)
Juan Pablo Montoya's expression of elation says it all after winning "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" and the single most important race in the world.
(Photo by Scott R. LePage/LAT for GM/Chevrolet Racing)
Juan Pablo Montoya celebrates his victory in the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Sunday. It was Montoya's second win at The Speedway in three attempts.
(Photo by Phillip Abbott/LAT for Chevy Racing)
Juan Pablo Montoya drinks the traditional bottle of winner's milk while celebrating his second Indy 500 victory with his Team Penske crew.
(Photo by Bret Kelley/IMS)
Roger Penske, Tim Cindric and Juan Pablo Montoya Monday morning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after their big win in 99th running of the Indianapolis 500.
(Photo by Joe Skibinski/IMS)
The Montoya family on Monday morning - picture day - at The Speedway.
(Photo by Shawn Gritzmacher/IMS)
Juan Pablo Montoya: The Racer's Racer... and winner of the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD
(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Indianapolis, Indiana, Tuesday, June 1, 1965. Jim Clark, Colin Chapman and the Team Lotus crew the morning after winning the 1965 Indianapolis 500. Clark dominated the race, leading 190 of the 200 laps. Clark also won the 1965 Formula One World Championship. He remains the only driver in history to have won the Indianapolis 500 and the F1 World Championship in the same year.
Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD