INDIANAPOLIS -- Going into turn four on the final lap of the Indianapolis 500, it looked as if 19-year-old Marco Andretti was going to become the youngest winner ever at the Brickyard. Instead, the Andretti family experienced yet another Indy disappointment, this one courtesy of Sam Hornish Jr.
Hornish made a dramatic pass of Andretti on the inside just before the finish line at Sunday's 500, giving him his first win at Indy. Hornish won the race by 0.0635, the second closest race in 500 history. In 1992, Al Unser Jr. beat Scott Goodyear by 0.043.
Hornish, who has won two Indy Racing League championships, exorcised his own Indy demons, completing all 200 laps for the first time in seven races at the Brickyard.
"I didn't know if I'd ever win this race," Hornish said. "I put a lot of seeds out there about not being able to."
On the second-to-last lap, Hornish made an attempt to pass Andretti on the inside of turn three, but was cut off. With Hornish having to lay off the throttle to prevent a crash, Andretti got plenty of separation for the final lap.
Hornish, who started the race from the pole, had the fastest car all month, and he showed it on the final lap. He caught Andretti at turn three before waiting until the final straightaway to make the pass.
"To be completely honest, I thought I did it with one lap to go," Andretti said. "But I don't know where that speed came from. I was on the overtake the last three laps of the race just holding it."
The father-son combination of Michael Andretti and Marco Andretti were running 1-2 with just a few laps to go. On lap 197 Marco Andretti passed his father on the outside, taking the lead, three laps away from making history.
"I knew I didn't have the speed," said Michael Andretti, who finished third. "I saw he has such a run on me I just gave him the line and tried to help protect him."
Hornish almost didn't get an opportunity to make it to the winner's circle.
On lap 153, Hornish left his pit early with the fuel hose still connected. The penalty for that was a drive-through on pit road, which put him a lap down. Team Penske had Hornish make a quick pit stop on the penalty to top off his fuel.
"Probably the first thing that came to my head is that I can't believe this is happening, and second, the last two years I've put the car in the wall, so I better shut up and not say anything," said Hornish of the fuel hose mishap.
Penske said it was his fault that Hornish pulled out of the pits early.
"It was certainly my mistake," said Penske, who has now been the owner of 14 Indianapolis 500 winners. "Instead of everybody falling over, we said 'What's the next thing we can do?'"
For Marco Andretti, he will be left wondering what could have been.
"Second place is nothing," Marco Andretti said. "I can't complain. I almost won the Indy 500 in my first year in it, but it's just the way I am as a competitor. I don't want to wait till next year. You got to take advantage of every shot you got."
Dan Wheldon, last year's 500 winner, led 148 laps in the race. Unfortunately for Wheldon, he punctured a tire late in the race, forcing him to make an earlier pit stop than expected, costing him his chance at a repeat.
Wheldon finished fourth, with Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Danica Patrick, Scott Sharp and Vitor Meira rounding out the top ten. They were the only ten drivers to finish on the lead lap for the 90th running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
