Hildebrand's 500 ends same as most people's -- with disappointment
INDIANAPOLIS -- Apparently the racing gods weren't ready to deliver a pair of rookie winners in the two biggest American races of the season.
While first-year Sprint Cup Series driver Trevor Bayne was able to turn the trick in the Daytona 500, it wasn't meant to be for fellow freshman JR Hildebrand in Sunday's Indianapolis 500.
Only the fourth turn wall at the historic speedway stood in the way of Hildebrand becoming the first rookie since Helio Castroneves in 2001 to win the Indy 500.
But fate reached out and snatched victory away in dramatic fashion as Hildebrand slid up the track while working around a slower car heading for the checkered flag. He slammed the wall violently to end his quest for glory in nightmarish fashion, allowing Dan Wheldon win win his second Indy crown.
| Indianapolis 500 |
"I made a judgment call catching up on the 83 [the lapped car driven by fellow rookie Charlie Kimball] and I thought 'I don't really want to slow down behind him and pull out on the straightaway,' and I've been able to make this move on the outside before and so I went to the high side and because it was at the end of the stint I got up in the marbles and that was it," Hildebrand said, trying his best to fight back his emotions while trying to describe the cruel reality he just endured.
"I didn't come here expecting to have a chance to win the Indy 500 but we did, and that is why it is frustrating," he said.
If there's any solace for Hildebrand it might be that he wasn't alone in the frustrated camp after Sunday's 100th anniversary of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." While certainly not to the extreme of what Hildebrand experienced, disappointment was in plentiful supply for a number of names most expected to contend for the win.
Take the day of Penske Racing, which team owner Roger Penske would surely love someone to take off his hands.
All three of the powerhouse team's drivers suffered through some kind of mishap that kept any of the trio from contending for Penske's unprecedented 16th Indy win.
A loose wheel on pit road KO'd Will Power in the early going while Ryan Briscoe crashed with Townsend Bell before Castroneves' day ended with yet another loose wheel to give the Penske stable the disappointing trifecta.
"Execution is essential to win anywhere, particularly at Indianapolis and we just didn't do that today," a clearly upset Penske said.
Fellow super team owner Chip Ganassi could echo those sentiments.
Despite a dominating performance from the tandem of Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon, Ganassi has nothing to show for his team's effort Sunday except finishes of ninth and 12th, respectively.
Fuel strategy took both drivers out of contention for the win. Franchitti was shooting for his second straight Indy win and third overall.
"We just didn't plan it very well," said a dejected Franchitti, who led more than 50 laps and was running second with five to go before being forced to dive to pit road for a splash of fuel. "Pretty disappointing to say the least."
Sentiments shared by one Danica Patrick, who found herself at the front of the field with less than 20 laps to go before also falling victim to the fuel game.
Although she came home with a top-10 finish, it was not the way Patrick wanted to end what could conceivably be her last 500 before making the move to a full-time NASCAR career next season.
"It's the Indy 500; you have to take a chance to win," said Patrick, who started 25th. "I would much rather leave here finishing a little bit further down by taking a chance and having the option to win than coming away with a lower position and not having that chance."
However Patrick's swing at trying to be philosophical couldn't completely suppress her emotions.
"It's more and more depressing when I don't win the race," she said.
All of the day's unexpected developments, including the unlikely appearance of Wheldon in Victory Lane, are what make the Indy 500 such a unique event.
While 500-mile races are run of the mill in NASCAR, the IndyCar Series only has one event all year at that distance. The Brickyard grind is nearly twice as long as most other races on the series schedule and with that extended distance comes the probability of a chain of surprises.
No one expects a seasoned team like Ganassi's to get caught in the fuel game. The odds of all three powerful Penske cars encountering trouble seem low. Who could predict pole sitter Alex Tagliani would run into misfortune after his picture-perfect month of May?
And while the 33-car field is peppered with upstarts and Cinderella stories, more often than not the clock strikes Midnight at Indy to end those dreams.
As it did for Hildebrand on Sunday.
Perhaps he can sleep better tonight knowing it's been going on for 100 years.
