Power takes his first Indy 500 win

As Will Power was about to finish off the biggest win of his racing career at the 102nd Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, he couldn't resist letting his emotions flow.

"On the white flag lap, I started screaming because I just knew I was going to win it," Power said of the final 2.5-mile trip around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. "Unbelievable! Never been so excited."

Power won "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" by 3.1589 seconds to etch his name into Indianapolis 500 history. It made him the first Australian winner of the race and the first driver to sweep both Verizon IndyCar Series races at IMS in the same year. He also piloted the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet to victory lane in the INDYCAR Grand Prix on the IMS road course on May 12.

"This month was one of the best months I've had," said Power, the 2014 series champion. "Very relaxed, in tune with my engineer, just working really well. It just came together."

Power led 59 of the 200 laps Sunday and outlasted a trio of competitors - Oriol Servia, Stefan Wilson and Jack Harvey - who unsuccessfully tried to stretch fuel loads to the finish. Running fourth on the final restart from a caution period with seven laps to go, Power quickly passed Servia and then delighted in watching as Wilson and Harvey both had to stop for splashes of ethanol with four laps remaining.

"They both pit; it's like the gates opened," Power said. "It was amazing."

Power's first Indy 500 win was also the 34th victory of his 14-year Indy car career, tying the 37-year-old with Al Unser Jr. for eighth place on the all-time list. It also marked the 17th Indy 500 win for Team Penske and 201st Indy car triumph for the storied team - both records.

"He won this race today because he was the best," team owner Roger Penske said.

"This closes the book for what he wanted to accomplish in INDYCAR: win a championship (2014), now is tied for winning the most races as an Indy driver for the team (31) and the Indy 500 is something that he wanted to do from the very beginning. ... He's in a different world right now, which is important."

Pole sitter Ed Carpenter led a race-high 65 laps before finishing second in the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolet. It's Carpenter's best Indy 500 result in 15 starts.

"I'll feel pretty good about this in a couple days, I think," said Carpenter, the only current owner/driver in the series.

"It's been a few years since I had a top-10 finish, so this feels good. All in all, I thought Will won the race and we ended up second, and we'll be happy with that. Come back stronger next year."

Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon led a trio of past Indy 500 winners who finished third through fifth, followed by Andretti Autosport teammates Alexander Rossi (fourth place) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (fifth place). The race tied the record established a year ago for most drivers to lead the event: 15.

Seven cautions slowed the pace for 41 laps. All but the first resulted from single-car incidents.

Defending Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato ran into the back of a slower James Davison to bring out the first yellow on Lap 48. Several veterans found conditions treacherous in a race that was nearly the hottest Indy 500 on record. The official high temperature at nearby Indianapolis International Airport, 91 degrees Fahrenheit, was a single degree shy of the record set in 1937.

Ed Jones crashed into the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier on Lap 58 in the No. 10 NTT DATA Honda. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver, complaining of head and neck pain, was transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital, where he was examined and released. Jones will be re-examined by INDYCAR medical officials before being cleared to race.

Danica Patrick, in the last race of her groundbreaking career, spun and crashed in the No. 13 GoDaddy Chevrolet exiting Turn 2 on Lap 68.

"The car was a little bit positive today and turning more than I wanted it to," said Patrick, 36. "I was just having to chase it a lot. Turn 2 did seem a little bit more edgy than the other corners, but I can't say that in that point in time that I was on edge or felt like I was. It just swung around as soon as I recommitted back to the throttle again.

"I've had a lot of good fortune here and still had some this month. It just didn't come on race day."

Four-time Indy car champion Sebastien Bourdais had his race come to an end when he crashed in Turn 4 on Lap 139. The same happened to three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves on Lap 146.

"I guess when I went to pass Hunter-Reay on the outside, maybe got a little debris on the tire," Castroneves said. "I don't know, that was obviously the first time. ... But this time, unfortunately, the rear just over-rotated."

Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indy 500 winner, crashed in Turn 2 on Lap 189, bringing out the final caution to set up Power's drive to victory. With the Indy 500 paying double race points, Power vaulted into the championship lead after six of 17 races in 2018. He leads Rossi by two points, reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden by 10 and Dixon by 25.

The Verizon IndyCar Series is back in action June 1-3 at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, the only doubleheader weekend on the schedule. Races are scheduled for Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3, with each airing at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.  

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana - Results Sunday of the 102nd Running of Indianapolis 500-Mile Race presented by PennGrade Motor Oil Verizon IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (3) Will Power, Chevrolet, 200, Running
2. (1) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 200, Running 
3. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 200, Running
4. (32) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 200, Running
5. (14) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 200, Running
6. (2) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 200, Running
7. (21) Carlos Munoz, Honda, 200, Running
8. (4) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 200, Running
9. (18) Robert Wickens, Honda, 200, Running
10. (30) Graham Rahal, Honda, 200, Running
11. (27) JR Hildebrand, Chevrolet, 200, Running
12. (12) Marco Andretti, Honda, 200, Running
13. (11) Matheus Leist, Chevrolet, 200, Running
14. (22) Gabby Chaves, Chevrolet, 200, Running
15. (23) Stefan Wilson, Honda, 200, Running
16. (31) Jack Harvey, Honda, 200, Running 
17. (26) Oriol Servia, Honda, 200, Running
18. (15) Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, 200, Running
19. (13) Zachary Claman De Melo, Honda, 199, Running
20. (6) Spencer Pigot, Chevrolet, 199, Running
21. (33) Conor Daly, Honda, 199, Running
22. (20) Max Chilton, Chevrolet, 198, Running
23. (25) Zach Veach, Honda, 198, Running
24. (28) Jay Howard, Honda, 193, Running
25. (10) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 187, Contact 
26. (24) Sage Karam, Chevrolet, 154, Contact   
27. (8) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, 145, Contact
28. (5) Sebastien Bourdais, Honda, 137, Contact
29. (17) Kyle Kaiser, Chevrolet, 110, Mechanical 
30. (7) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 67, Contact
31. (29) Ed Jones, Honda, 57, Contact    
32. (16) Takuma Sato, Honda, 46, Contact 
33. (19) James Davison, Chevrolet, 45, Contact  

Race Statistics
Winner's average speed: 166.935 mph
Time of Race: 2:59:42.6365
Margin of victory: 3.1589 seconds
Cautions: 7 for 41 laps
Lead changes: 30 among 15 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Carpenter, Ed 1 - 30
Newgarden, Josef 31
Pigot, Spencer 32 - 34
Carpenter, Ed 35 - 50
Claman De Melo, Zachary 51 - 55
Carpenter, Ed 56 - 62
Kanaan, Tony 63 - 64
Carpenter, Ed 65 - 72 
Kanaan, Tony 73 - 89
Carpenter, Ed 90 - 91
Power, Will 92 - 94
Servia, Oriol 95
Bourdais, Sebastien 96
Rahal, Graham 97 - 105
Claman De Melo, Zachary 106 - 107
Power, Will 108 - 128
Hunter-Reay, Ryan 129
Bourdais, Sebastien 130 - 132
Newgarden, Josef 133 - 134
Rahal, Graham 135 - 137
Munoz, Carlos 138 - 140
Power, Will 141 - 170
Carpenter, Ed 171 - 172
Rossi, Alexander 173
Pagenaud, Simon 174
Munoz, Carlos 175
Servia, Oriol 176 - 177
Wickens, Robert 178 - 179
Servia, Oriol 180 - 192
Wilson, Stefan 193 - 195
Power, Will 196 - 200

Verizon IndyCar Series point standings: 
Power 243, Rossi 241, Newgarden 233, Dixon 218, Hunter-Reay 186, Rahal 183, Wickens 178, Bourdais 168, Pagenaud 155, James Hinchliffe 144.

Indianapolis 500 Driver Quotes

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet):  "It was more difficult this year, but I think still a great race. I think we fought back for points, which was good. We just got out of position there on pit stops and just struggled with the yellows; they didn't fall our way. We were fighting from 20th, 15th place. I think we had a good car up front. I wasn't so good in the back. Once I got 15th or 20th, I struggled a little bit. But we were making slow progress. We got back in the top 10 but can't be too satisfied. It was a great day for Team Chevy and Team Penske, as well. I'm happy for Will (Power), I just wish it was our day. We had an amazing Indiana crowd, as always. This is the best race of the year, and hopefully we'll have a better shot next time."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet): "The car was actually handling good, I couldn't get too close to other guys. I guess when I went to pass (Ryan) Hunter-Reay on the outside, maybe got a little debris on the tire - I don't know, that was obviously the first time. My worry was actually Turn 1, not so much in Turn 4, so I felt a little bit movement but I was feeling that most of the time. But this time, unfortunately the rear just over-rotated. The Shell Pennzoil Chevy was really good so now let's cheer for our teammates. I mean Will (Power) is doing a great job, Simon (Pagenaud) and also (Josef) Newgarden up there.  [Heat for the day] Yeah, I think we were just learning the car. obviously, I mean you can see some other cars be able to run a more little closer without an issue. Myself, for example, when I had the opportunity, I went for it. Maybe with older tires, maybe it wasn't the time to do it, but I felt everything was going to momentum. It's a shame. It caught us by surprise. We will learn a little more and hopefully can convince RP (Roger Penske) to bring me back."   

MATHEUS "MATT" LEIST (No. 4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): "First Indy 500 done - I'm pretty happy with the performance - managed to complete the whole race and it was probably the most difficult race I've ever done, you know. pretty difficult, pretty tricky and the car was changing a lot from one stint to the other so it was a long day. I'm happy for the team, I think we deserved it and I'm looking forward to the next race now."

ROBERT WICKENS (No. 6 Lucas Oil SPM Honda): "It was an emotional roller coaster today. I thought we had a great car, but we just couldn't progress. We would make some moves forward with the strategy, and then we would get a yellow that would put us at the back again. Hats off to the Lucas Oil SPM boys - we had great pit stops all day. Finally, at the end we could let loose and pick people off, and we went from 19th to ninth in the last 10 laps. Today was a lot of fun. I'm leaving here feeling like I want more, but a top-10 finish as a rookie in the Indy 500... it's hard to complain. 

JAY HOWARD (No. 7 One Cure Schmidt Peterson Motorsports/AFS Racing Honda): "Today started off really well. We were moving forward, overtaking cars, so to be able to move forward felt pretty great. All of a sudden, it was like a light switch and the One Cure car, no matter what we did, it just wasn't very quick. It was a frustrating day for everyone. I just want to thank the CSU and One Cure folks for giving us the opportunity to be here and work with the SPM boys and Honda. The positive out of this is that we brought it home with all four wheels on it. It was a good month for us, and I only wish we could end it on a bit more of a high."

SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "We were trying to save fuel at the end and we knew we had to take a gamble with the PNC Bank car. We just didn't have the top speed today and the restarts were tough. That was all due to my team though. They made that great strategy call and all I did was get the fuel number they gave me. Huge congrats to Will Power. I know he's been very hungry for this and congratulations to him."

ED JONES (No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "It was an unfortunate end to our race in the NTT DATA car. We struggled a bit in the first stint, but then make progress and were looking better after the first pit stop. Unfortunately, there were two cars in front of me going two wide, and the characteristics of the car were understeer - then I got massive oversteer, and I wasn't able to catch the car. My crew was outstanding and we'll be back and stronger at Detroit."

WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 race winner): "Man, I just can't believe it. I changed my attitude a lot after Barber. Very positive, I had a great month. I just can't believe it. I've got to thank Roger Penske, Verizon and my parents for allowing me to get to this point. I just ... I can't describe it. I feel like collapsing. I want to cry. I couldn't stop screaming. I can't believe it." (About last restart): "I'm like, 'I have to get these guys.' I don't know how much fuel they got, but this is the restart of my life. And then I go on, and the two (Stefan Wilson and Jack Harvey) pit, and I'm like, 'Man, I think I'm going to win this!' I was screaming with one to go. Man, I got this. Unbelievable. I was wondering if I was ever going to win it, and thoughts went through my mind during the month like that. In my career, I've had so many wins, so many poles. But everyone always talks about the '500.' And I won it. I just couldn't imagine winning a race in front of crowd like this, this many people. It's just amazing. What an event. I love it."

DANICA PATRICK (No. 13 GoDaddy Chevrolet): "I do feel like it was unexpected, but on the other hand, the car was a little bit positive today and turning more than I wanted it to. I was just having to chase it a lot. Turn 2 did seem a little bit more edgy than the other corners, but I can't say that in that point in time that I was on edge or felt like I was. It just swung around as soon as I recommitted back to the throttle again, I felt a little bit of understeer in the middle of the corner. I wasn't expecting it by any means, but I think it just goes to show that these cars are tough to drive. All the drivers out there are great drivers. It was definitely not the way I wanted to end, of course. I wouldn't want to end any year like this, but being my last race, it definitely makes it a lot worse. I did have some good moments here this month. I won't forget that, and I won't forget my fans either."

TONY KANAAN (No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet): "Man, the Speedway, right? We had a great day going and then we had a puncture that put us behind all day long, so I was playing catch up. It was not for lack of trying, we came back from all the way from the back of the pack to the inside of the top 10. Great restarts and...oh my God. So, it wasn't our day. I mean we have a great thing going, this team is very promising so we will leave here with our heads up. We had great pit stops, and I mean it wasn't our day and to finish ninth or last for me it doesn't matter. I'm not trying to make an excuse, I made a mistake trying and that for me, in my book, it's totally fine. I'm looking forward to the future on this team."

GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 United Rentals Honda): "I thought our United Rentals car was very good, it just became a track position race and the yellows were way too long. The strategy that we played when we got to the lead on Lap 100 -- had the yellows not taken so long every single time  -- we would have been one pit stop less than the rest. We were good to make it on one more stop and everybody else wasn't. There were three or four of us in that situation - me, (Josef) Newgarden, I think (Robert) Wickens maybe and (Carlos) Munoz. We had played it right. It obviously sucks to leave here another year and not get a win particularly when the race car was pretty good. I need to be more aggressive on the restarts. I didn't really want to try the second lane because there was a lot at stake. I didn't want to put the thing in the fence but I saw a lot of guys doing it ( in the second lane) so the last restart I did, I made up three or four spots, but I'm just disappointed because I want to get out of here with a win someday."

CONOR DALY (No. 17 United States Air Force Honda): "I think we have to be pretty happy from where we started. We thought it was going to be a lot more of a difficult day. We ended up being pretty competitive and passing some cars. On track we were running with (Robert) Wickens and (Stefan) Wilson, behind guys that finished in the Top 15, but every time we pitted it went yellow. Again, I can't seem to find any luck here. I would have been super happy finishing in the top 15 because I knew I was faster than those guys all day. That's just the frustrating part. But I want to thank everyone that helped put this program together from the U.S. Air Force, Thom Burns, Dale Coyne, everyone on the team. I'm super grateful for the opportunity."

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 18 Team SealMaster Honda): "The Sealmaster Honda No. 18 was pretty good, but on a couple of restarts I got caught out and wasn't aggressive enough, so I got chewed up by a bunch of guys. I was trying to make up for lost ground and picking them off one by one. The stint before was really strong, the car felt very good, so when I left the pits I was trying to get ahead of (Alexander) Rossi. I got a good run on him coming off of Turn 3 and tried to stay in and make the pass. The car unloaded and I tried to dive through the understeer. The front hooked a little bit and snapped out on me and that was that. I gave it my best shot and, unfortunately, those things were really tricky today with the heat. The downforce was really low and it was very difficult to be flat. I'm just disappointed for the Dale Coyne Vasser-Sullivan guys. They worked so hard all month and we lost a chance on some valuable championship points."

ZACHARY CLAMAN DE MELO (No. 19 Paysafe Honda): "It was a cool experience getting to race the No. 19 Paysafe car at the Indy 500. I really enjoyed my time. As much as I wanted to do better we went for it, we gambled, and it didn't work, but I'm happy we went for it. That's what the sport is about, and we took a risk. I finished the race, I got a lot of experience under my belt and it will benefit me a lot when I come back next year. I think one more yellow and we would have had a better result. From the crowd, to everything, it's been super surreal. I loved it. I enjoyed the whole month and I can't wait to hopefully be back next year."

ED CARPENTER (Ed Carpenter Racing Fuzzy's Vodka Chevrolet): "I'll feel pretty good about this in a couple days, I think. The team really did a great job all month long, all day long, really. Pit stops were really good. It was almost like being out front early probably hurt us a little bit, just because guys started saving fuel a little earlier. We got behind on the fuel save. Track position was everything we thought it was going to be coming into the day. You heard the drivers talk all week. Just couldn't quite get it back from him. We were saving fuel through the middle part of the race when everyone was essentially trying to cut out a stop. That was a little odd. You never know how these races are going to unfold. I thought for the most part the team executed well. I thought there's only a couple little things that I can reflect on in the short term right now that maybe could have made a difference. All in all, I thought Will (Power) won the race and we ended up second, and we'll be happy with that. We'll come back stronger next year."

SPENCER PIGOT (No. 21 Preferred Freezer Service Chevrolet): "We started off well, then came the speeding penalty and next thing I know, we're a lap down. We weren't able to get it back. I know we had enough speed to finish in the top ten, but, unfortunately, we didn't have that luck and finished farther back. I'm still really thankful for my team, especially the Preferred Freezer guys for giving me a great car all month and our fans, too. It was good to be a part of it all."

SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet): "It was all about track position today. We had a fantastic No. 22 Menards Chevrolet. I want to take my hat off to Chevrolet and the whole Team Penske. I'm so happy for Will (Power). We've been rivals. We've been friends and teammates. I know how he feels right now. That's my next goal, and he has just accomplished that - race car life accomplished. It's a big weight off his shoulders. I'm honestly super-happy for him. There's no better man than Will to win this race. He's been through a lot. Today's all about him right now, it's not about me."

CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 23 Fiasp Chevrolet): "Major props to everyone on the Carlin team - they've worked so hard since November to put this program together. To come out and qualify two cars in the top 20 and finish the race with two cars in one piece in the top 22 in their first Indianapolis 500 is impressive. I'm just really proud of these guys, everyone really did a great job all month. I'm excited to come back next year with everything we learned this year both in qualifying and in the race. We will definitely do some things differently, but that's the thing about the first time, you learn so much and we'll just keep moving forward from here. We're looking forward to another 100 points up for grab next weekend in Detroit."

SAGE KARAM (No. 24 WIX Filters DRR Chevrolet): "I really don't know what happened because the race car was stable in the rear end all day. Then all of a sudden, the car just snapped around without any notice.  It is extremely puzzling. We had a pretty good car all day and then that happened. I'm upset because I felt like we had a car to race into the top-five today. I feel badly because the DRR crew worked so hard to prepare a good machine this month. Then this happens. I love Indy so much and now my race ends like this.  I know I want to come back here next year and race hard again." 

STEFAN WILSON (No. 25 #Driven2SavesLives Honda): "It was so close - a helluva strategy call by the team. The No. 25 Driven2SaveLives team did a great job all day. With that strategy call we knew we were gambling - we knew we were rolling the dice. We were just hoping for another yellow flag at the end. I was leading, and I knew we were strong enough and wouldn't be able to be passed, but the yellow just didn't come. While I was out there leading, I was just out there thinking if it goes yellow now my dreams are made. It didn't happen, but we led our first laps, we learned a helluva lot this month and it was mad fun, so I'm leaving here with a smile on my face and my head held high."

ZACH VEACH (No. 26 Relay / Group One Thousand One Honda): "It was a long day in general for us to end up where we did - two pit fires and the balance of the car wasn't where we would've liked it to be, so we had to work on it the entire time. We finally got it close the last couple stops but, just my mistake. I took us in a direction on a setup that I thought was going to be good, but I think that's what hurt us come race day. Overall though, I'm just really grateful to have my first '500' with the team under my belt and can't thank my teammates and my Relay crew enough for all the hard work."

ALEXANDER ROSSI (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda): "I feel like we did what we could, and we maximized what we had. The NAPA Know How Andretti Honda team did everything right. I don't look back on anything and wish we'd done anything different. Despite, it was a good day from a championship perspective. We didn't have enough to win, but congrats to Will [Power]."

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 28 DHL Honda): "It was a good race all day. When we were all mixed up in traffic, the No. 28 car was really strong, but once it started stringing out, we just didn't have it. We really fought hard, but we just didn't have the speed in the end. But the bigger problem was the lapped traffic. We really had a good race car until we had to deal with guys that were doing 200 mph out there, like Jay Howard. Then (Zach Claman De Melo) came out right at the end in the mix of the top five - I don't know what teams were thinking. The DHL boys did a great job today, just a little bit too short at the end. But, congrats to Will Power, he definitely has a well-rounded career now."

CARLOS MUNOZ (No. 29 Ruoff Home Mortgage Honda): "It's another top 10 for my career, I think I only have one outside the top 10 because of a penalty. I think what hurt me was the yellows towards the end. We had a really good strategy going on, same as Rahal, and we were in a really good place. I think I chickened out a little bit on the restarts because I wasn't up to speed. That hurt me a little bit on the restarts. I was a little bit cautious, so some people overtook me but at the end of the day I think I gained back all the positions on track. It's a top seven so... great!"

TAKUMA SATO (No. 30 Mi-Jack / Panasonic Honda): "James had a problem with speed and there was too much closing speed between us and I couldn't avoid him. Once I realized, I backed off and even hit the brakes, but just once you get into an air pocket like that, you just get sucked in.  It's' really an unfortunate situation for both of us and I feel really sorry for the team, the fans and supporters.  Robert (Wickens) and I were catching the front of the train, the pack we were in.  Once he got it, I could see two cars side by side. At the time, maybe James was too much in trouble and he had to back off and get in the grey. The speed differential was way too great between us. I tried to avoid it but unfortunately I couldn't."

KYLE KAISER (No. 32 NFP / Juncos Racing Chevrolet): "Obviously, a disappointing end to what I think could have been a really good race. All month has been pretty amazing. We have fought our way back from a lot. We got the car pretty good and had an amazing qualifying and a really good starting position for the race. We fell back in the beginning of the race with a bad pit stop on my part, but we were fighting back. We got one lap back and I know we were going to get the other one back. We had a really good race car. We were hanging with guys that were running up front and we were fighting through the field. We are not 100 % sure what put us out of the race, but we know that it was out of our control.  I am just very happy with everything this month. It was a great experience. I was improving and I learned so much. I can't wait to be back next year. I want to say thanks to the team and everyone on the team for doing their part and bringing me a great race car. I also want to thank NFP for their support and family and friends that came out to make this day possible and to cheer me on."

JAMES DAVISON (No. 33 Jonathan Bryd's 502 East Chevrolet): "We had anti-roll bar jam on there, so I just couldn't change the balance. I had to do the best with the adversity that I faced. If I tried any harder, I was going to swap ends, so I was getting plenty of warning signs there. If I was anywhere close to another car, I was getting huge wiggles and snap oversteer. I just really feel for Takuma (Sato) for getting caught up in that. That is not at all the situation that you want to drag someone else in to, but that's the Indy 500 isn't it? Feel very proud of this Foyt /Bryd/Hollinger/Belardi team for the adversity we overcame and showing some kind of competitiveness there in the first stint." 

MAX CHILTON (No. 59 Gallagher Chevrolet): "Yeah, that's just the brutal life of the Indianapolis 500. At times you feel like you're doing well and then at times it's like the world is against you. I think we did a reasonable job for our first time entering the race as a new team and we did a good job in qualifying. There are definitely things we've learned and we'll come back stronger next year. Honestly, I just didn't have the pace. I tried in traffic, but I just couldn't do much with the car. We tried a different fuel strategy at the end, but we just couldn't make it. It was great to see so many Gallagher guests at the track this weekend to cheer on the No. 59 Gallagher Chevrolet and we're looking forward to Detroit next weekend." 

JACK HARVEY (No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM MSR w/ SPM Honda): "It's the Indy 500, the biggest one of the year, so the team didn't have to apologize to me for going for it! We nearly made the strategy work, but there were a few bits where we just couldn't hit the numbers. We ran up to the front at the end and went three-wide into Turn 1 on the last restart. I tried to drive the best race I could and we finished 16th, which is a pretty good day considering where we started. Looking at where we were last year and where we are today, it's a night and day difference. Thank you to AutoNation and SiriusXM and all of the supporters and sponsors that we have and to Michael (Shank) for believing in me. This is a good program that's getting off the ground and this is good momentum to keep going." 

ORIOL SERVIA (No. 64 Scuderia Corsa/Manitowoc Honda): "I am really proud of the whole effort. When you come as a one-race team, it is really hard to beat the guys that are full season so just doing it for your-run-for-the-money like we did is really great. It was great running up front. It showed we had a good speed, great passes, and restarts. We took a risk on the strategy and it almost worked. I am very proud of everyone. Everyone at RLL (Rahal Lanigan Letterman Racing) and Scuderia Corsa were here to win and we showed that we really went for it."

JR HILDEBRAND (No. 66 Salesforce DRR Chevrolet): "It was a very long race. We tried very hard to gain some track position in the pits and every time it sort of ended up to be a little bit of a wash where the yellow fell. They guys did a great job all race long. No mistakes from anyone on the strategy side or pit lane side. Every time we took a gamble, it didn't really seem to hurt us. Always good to get 500 miles under your belt here (the track) and to finish the race. To see so many guys today have a really tough day as far as handling very poorly really early in the stint. I was fortunate to be right around a few of them and watching them happen like that could have been us if we were a little worse or a little less careful. Happy to bring the thing back in one piece. Would have liked to have snuck it into the top 10 there at the end, but kudos to the team. They did a great job with the Salesforce car all month long and what turned out to be real tough conditions. You always appreciate being able to put 200 laps in here. You always are learn a bunch of stuff. You learn things about driving the car. You learn what you need in the car. You learn about conditions and what other guys have learned about the car. We won't forget that stuff when we come back next year."

GABBY CHAVES (No. 88 Harding Group Chevrolet): "It was a race of perseverance for us. First 150 laps were really tough because the car was a bit all over the place. At the end we had a nice change that completely turned the car around and, all of a sudden, I was passing cars and driving as hard as I could. That put us in a really good position to where if we hadn't been unlucky in the last restart with the lapped cars that went through pit lane on the last few laps, we would have had a top ten finish"

MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 98 U.S. Concrete / Curb Honda): "We seemed to be there in the beginning and then just lost something at the end. We were trying to figure out what it was, but I just lost pace in the end. We were sort of where we needed to be, not really to win the race but right up in the thick of things and we just slipped down. We think we know what it was, but knowing that now makes us a day late and a dollar short. Big thanks to my U.S. Concrete guys for the hard work all month long."

"I've had a lot of good fortune here and still had some this month. It just didn't come on race day."

Four-time Indy car champion Sebastien Bourdais had his race come to an end when he crashed in Turn 4 on Lap 139. The same happened to three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves on Lap 146.

"I guess when I went to pass Hunter-Reay on the outside, maybe got a little debris on the tire," Castroneves said. "I don't know, that was obviously the first time. ... But this time, unfortunately, the rear just over-rotated."

Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indy 500 winner, crashed in Turn 2 on Lap 189, bringing out the final caution to set up Power's drive to victory. With the Indy 500 paying double race points, Power vaulted into the championship lead after six of 17 races in 2018. He leads Rossi by two points, reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden by 10 and Dixon by 25.

The Verizon IndyCar Series is back in action June 1-3 at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, the only doubleheader weekend on the schedule. Races are scheduled for Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3, with each airing at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.  



 
          


 


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