After months of avid safety concerns and reports of a driver being seriously injured during practices and cars leaving the track only to fly through the air, the Indianapolis 500 has finally witnessed news worth celebrating — an exciting victory from Colombian racer, Juan Pablo Montoya.
After three cars went airborne last week while drivers competed to qualify for the Indy 500, prompting rule changes to be made just before the big race in a last attempt to keep racers grounded, and a life-threatening leg injury sustained by racer James Hinchcliffe, IndyCar seemingly had nothing to lose when it came down to the race on Sunday, May 24.
Montoya, 39, now a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, is the fourth racer to place first more than once in the 500-mile race since the IndyCar sanctioning in 1996. He is also the first racer to place first from Colombia in the 99 years running which have occurred with the Indianapolis 500.
Montoya won his first Indy 500 race as a rookie in 2000.
This year, it was made clear to viewers and racers alike that the competition was between Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing, which supplied a combined total of nine cars to the 2015 Indy 500.
As the teams took to their stations, the Indy 500 participants took to the track, allowing the race to begin.
As the cars circled the track, lap after lap, the race eventually became a battle between three drivers — Juan Pablo Montoya and Will Power, both racing for Team Penske, and Scott Dixon, racing for Chip Ganassi Racing. The three traded places throughout the duration of the race but what matters is what it came down to during the final moments of the competition — an epic finale for spectators.
In the final laps, Montoya thought he saw an opportunity and went for a pass, believing his car was better than that of his teammate, Will Powers, who he had been racing tire to tire with, and he found he was right when Powers failed to catch up to him.
With three laps remaining in the race, Montoya passed his teammate, and sealed his leading fate within the race rankings by only 0.1046 seconds, leaving this race to have to closest results in the 104-year history of the Indy 500.
This year has proven to be successful for Montoya, as he stands to be the only driver this season to hold multiple victories, as he has finished within the top five in five of the six races he has competed in this season.
“2000 was the start of my career,” Montoya said in an interview with Autosport. “I was really young. We came here, had a really good car, we dominated. That was an easy race. But this was a lot of work. When you have to work for it that hard, it’s exciting.”
Spectators of Sunday’s raced witnessed the fearless and daring Juan Pablo Montoya of 15 years ago, making a mark on the history of NASCAR which, according to USA Today, Montoya feels should not be discounted.
“I learned to race a lot smarter, to be honest,” Montoya was quoted saying in an interview with USA Today. “I was impulsive. That was mentality, and it always worked.”
Following Montoya in the Indy 500 rankings were Will Power, taking second; Charlie Kimball, claiming third; and Scott Dixon, snatching up fourth.
Montoya held an average speed of 161.34 miles per hour and placed first, finishing the 500-mile race in just under three hours and six minutes, allowing him to reclaim his status of being the best open-wheel racer in the world.