Indianapolis 500 Disappointment
Rainy Conditions Robbed Indy from a classic finish
No matter what brand a racing you are a fan of, if the race gets rained out, it is considered a disappointment.
However, the bigger the race, the bigger the letdown, right? After only 166 laps had been completed, the 91st annual Indianapolis 500 was called due to inclement weather, and the Andretti-Green driver Dario Franchitti was the man out in front and would earn his first ever win at the 2.5-mile speedway.
Franchitti inherited the lead when leaders Tony Kanaan and 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr pitted during a caution that started when Marco Andretti crashed after clipping the wheels of Dan Wheldon.
Franchitti’s Andretti-Green teammate Tony Kanaan, who arguably had the car to beat, spun out while trying to avoid Jacques Lazier on the impending restart. But anyone associated with auto racing knows that the best car does not always win.
Kanaan’s frustration was apparent in his post-race interview as he said, "It was Dario's day," Kanaan said. "But my big disappointment is if we weren't going to finish 200 laps, why did we continue? Of course, I'm sure Dario sees it the other way around."
Franchitti was elated after scoring his first Indianapolis 500 triumph.
“To win it, I feel incredibly privileged," he said
The rain was a letdown to the countless fans in attendance; however, the action on the track was pretty darn good. Despite the sodden conditions, the race itself provided some of the best open-wheel racing we have seen in a long while. There were 24 lead changes in only 166 laps, so obviously, the race could have seen more than 30 lead changes if it were to reach its entirety.
There was not really one particular driver that dominated the event. Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves set the pace early on, but there were by no means running away from the field.
The 2007 Indianapolis 500 had three females on the starting grid, and as expected, Danica Patrick was the ringleader. Patrick, driving for Andretti-Green, was a contender for most of the day as she posted an eighth place finish, which is the same position she started in.
Sarah Fisher, driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, finished eighteenth after qualifying in the 21st position. Rookie Milka Duno, driving for SAMAX Motorsports, finished 31st after starting 29th. This was the first Indianapolis 500 start for Milka Duno, and she completed only 65 of the 166 laps.
Scott Dixon finished 2nd, Helio Castroneves was third, Sam Hornish Jr was fourth, and Ryan Briscoe rounded out the top five.
