The Roar Is Over

If you know where the title of this post comes from, it means we can be friends.

That used to be the title of the Indianapolis 500 wrap-up show on one of the local television stations, and I always think about that when I leave the Speedway after a race.

I’ve been coming to IMS since 1979, and Sunday was my 26th time attending the race. What’s pretty amazing about both the track and the race is that no matter how many times you come back, there is a good chance that you will experience something new.

Sunday sure did check that box. I’ve sat through a handful of rain delays — I mean, who can forget the 3 1/2-hour delay in 2007 — but I couldn’t have imagined watching a race that went green at 4:45 p.m. and seeing cars still on track three hours later.

Pato O’Ward said it was pretty badass to be racing that late in the day, and I definitely agree. I’m glad we were able to get all 500 miles in on Sunday, and it was a very proper race that once again came down to the last couple of corners.

I know my wraps are usually made up of drivers who impressed me and those who struggled, but let’s shake it up a little bit and instead go through the top 10 and some other notable stuff.

The Top 10

Winner — Josef Newgarden: A year ago, we were wondering if a win was going to come Newgarden’s way, as he was 0-for-11 and hand only finished in the top 5 three times. All of the sudden, he’s now a two-time 500 winner and and joins a pretty exclusive club of drivers who have 30 total wins, two 500 wins, and two-championships. The others?

Try A.J. Foyt, Bobby Unser, Al Unser Sr. and Jr., and Dario Franchitti.

A lot of people thought last year’s green/white/checker win (and hey, peeps, just calling it like it is) had a bit of an asterisk to it, but this one doesn’t. He went out and won this race, flat out took it. While there were eight cautions through the first 154 laps, the last 100-plus miles were clean and green. Newgarden more than earned this one.

2nd — Pato O’Ward: After the grand prix, I was a little hard on Pato, but he came to race (and win) on Sunday. He drove a brilliant race, and it wasn’t until I watched the race replay did I see how hard he drove, because his No. 5 looked to be a handful.

He was gutted after this race, and you can’t blame him as for the second time in three years he watched the winner take the checkered flag right in front of him. I mentioned this on Twitter that I think he is this generation’s Tony Kanaan. When it comes to the 500, Pato pours everything he has into the race, and wears his heart on his sleeve, and the fans appreciate that about him.

Just like TK, when he finally does break through — and it will happen one day — the reaction will be off the charts.

3rd — Scott Dixon: It’s just Dixon doing Dixon things.

Like the rest of his Chip Ganassi Racing teammates, getting up to speed was a challenge, and he could only manage a P21 effort in qualifying. But he methodically worked his way up the field and gave himself a chance at the end.

Honestly, how has this guy only won the 500 once?

4th — Alexander Rossi: As I said in the qualifying wrap-up last week, no matter what is going on around Rossi the rest of the year, he always shows up in May.

Like his teammate O’Ward, Rossi drove an outstanding race, but fuel concerns left him unable to really pour it on at the end. Still, he finished in the top 5 for the sixth time in nine races at Indianapolis. He will be a two-time winner soon.

5th — Alex Palou: Right now, Palou’s resume has put him in the position to be IndyCar’s “best driver to never win the 500”. After starting 14th, he led a lap but was never a contender at the end.

But, looking at the big picture: he once again made the most of his race, improved on his starting position, and took home a bunch of points. It’s what he is really good at doing, and he leaves Indy as the championship points leader.

6th — Scott McLaughlin: The month didn’t end the way the polesitter wanted, but I feel like he took a big step forward at Indy, and come September in Nashville, that could make a difference.

While he wasn’t a factor at the end, McLaughlin won the pole, led a race-high 64 laps, and more than improved on his best finish ever at Indy, which before this had been P14 a year ago. After his DQ at St. Pete, he was in a huge hole when it came to the championship, but all of the sudden has climbed up to sixth. He’s still a whole race’s worth of points behind Palou, but it could be worse.

7th — Kyle Kirkwood: In his third 500, Kirkwood drove a solid race and earned his first top 10 finish in three attempts. He also led two laps and was the highest-finishing Andretti Global entry.

Kirkwood can take a lot of positives away from this race.

8th — Santino Ferrucci: There is no doubt that Ferrucci is really good at IMS. Like, really good.

As crazy as it seems, he has finished in the top 10 in all six of his drives at IMS, and just has a knack to be able to go fast here. Confidence is everything in racing (and sports in general) and he has confidence for miles at IMS.

9th — Rinus Veekay: Rinus is another guy who’s eye just seems to fit the Speedway. After four straight starts of P4 or better, he started seventh on Sunday, but given the circumstances last weekend that was pretty impressive.

After crashing in practice on Saturday morning, Veekay’s Ed Carpenter Racing crew put his car back together and he made it to the Fast 12 and went off P7, then rolled to his third top 10 in five races. All and all a pretty good effort.

10th — Conor Daly: Or should I say: Conor. Freaking. Daly.

He loves IMS, there is just something in his driving that comes alive here. A plenum issue really screwed up his qualifying, and he went off P29 on Sunday, but didn’t stay there for long.

Working off-sequence with pit stops, Daly took the lead on Lap 36 and ended up leading 22 laps on the day. His improvement of 19 places from his starting spot was the best in the field, and once again, the one-off Dreyer & Reinbold Racing showed up big on race day.

Who Struggled

Yeah, I’ve got to throw a couple of things out there. It’s tradition, right?

Honda — Let’s not mince words: Chevy crushed them this month.

Chevy took seven of the top 10 positions, and overall was the superior powerplant this month. Honda had its share of engine failures during May, and in the race saw three more motors go kablammo.

Not the best of showings, that’s for sure.

Marcus Ericsson — The 2022 winner and 2023 runner-up had a month to forget. After failing to find speed in practice and crashing on Fast Friday, Ericsson made the race with just minutes to spare as part of the Last Chance Shootout.

Then, his race lasted exactly 5.9281 seconds as he was caught up the the crash in the first turn and was credited with finishing in 33rd place. What can you say…Indy can be brutal.

So the month is over, but what a month it was! No matter the result, all 33 drivers who strapped in and raced has my respect. But with the 500 in our rearview, we now look to a quick turnaround and a street race in Detroit.

Is it May, 2025 yet?