Pole-sitter Buddy Rice won the 88th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, overcoming a stalled engine on pit row to capture the rain-shortened auto racing classic for his first Indy-car triumph.
The 28-year-old American drove his Honda-powered G-Force under the checkered flag in slow-speed conditions as Indy Racing League officials stopped the event 20 laps short of the scheduled 200 around the legendary 4km oval.
"This is just great right now. This is pretty unbelievable," Rice said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Rice became the 17th pole starter to win the Indy 500, the first since Dutchman Arie Luyendyk in 1997, and the 18th man to win his first Indy-car race at the namesake track. He is the first US winner since Eddie Cheever in 1998.
Brazil's Tony Kanaan was second, followed by England's Dan Wheldon and American Bryan Herta. All three drove cars owned by Michael Andretti, the US racer who never won here as a driver and just missed in his debut as an owner.
"Buddy had more speed than we have basically. What can I say?" Andretti said. "We're second, third and fourth but we'd like to be number one."
PHOTO: AP
Brazil's Bruno Junqueira was fifth followed by compatriot Vitor Meira, Mexico's Adrian Fernandez, Indy Racing League reigning series champion Scott Dixon of New Zealand and two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves of Brazil.
The first rain-shortened Indy 500 since 1976 also had rain delay the start by two hours and interrupted racing after 27 laps for one hour and 47 minutes.
Rice was leading 100 laps into the race when he stalled his car's engine in the pits. He battled back to reclaim the lead on lap 152 but was forced to pit on lap 167 as skies darkened and a premature end appeared certain.
"We had to go through some adversity. We had some mishaps," Rice said. "We knew we had it all month. We had a bit of an issue. We didn't panic."
The tension built as Rice, who refueled in 9.6 seconds, handed the lead to Herta, who had to refuel on lap 169. Fernandez took over the lead but went to pit row on lap 171, putting Rice back in front when rain fell on lap 174.
Dramatic, agonizing minutes elapsed as cars took slow-speed laps around the oval waiting for clearing or an early end. When the white flag was waved on lap 179 declaring only one lap remaining, Rice's team screamed and jumped for joy.
"It's not about the rain. It was the unbelievable job Buddy has done all day. He has done a great job under heroic circumstances," said team co-owner David Letterman, a talk show host who grew up here. "It's indescribable."
Rice was unemployed at the start of the year but hired to replace Swedish driver Kenny Brack, a former Indy 500 winner severely injured last year who has been unable to return to racing.
Wheldon led after the first rain break but Rice and fellow American Sam Hornish dueled him through the next 75 laps, evading the mishaps that wiped out drivers like England's Mark Taylor and US racers Ed Carpenter and Larry Foyt.
Wheldon, 25, and Kanaan, 29, moved to the top two spots in the field with well-timed refuel stops made just as US rookie P.J. Jones skidded into the wall just after the 100-lap mark.
Rice helped by stalling his engine and falling back and Hornish stalled twice and made three pit stops. He dropped back and was caught behind a crash between American Greg Ray and England's Darren Manning, ending the day for all.
"When you get to the back of the pack, stuff like that happens," Hornish said. "Greg just ran right into him. I was just there with no place to go."
Wheldon and Kanaan dueled for the next 50 laps. A frustrated Castroneves was third when he made a huge pit stop blunder, missing his refuel area to slide 16 spots as Rice began his charge.
Brazil's Bruno Junqueira briefly grabbed the lead by delaying a pit stop, but his hope for well-timed rain ended when he was forced into the pits on lap 152 just as Rice roared past Kanaan on the front straightaway to take the lead, setting the stage for the final fuel and rain drama.
FORMULA 1
After returning to the victory stand in Europe, Michael Schumacher looks to North America to strengthen his grip on the Formula One world championship.
Schumacher won the European Grand Prix on Sunday for his sixth win in seven races this season.
From the pole, he recorded his 76th F1 victory, and was followed by Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello, almost 18 seconds behind. It was the fourth Ferrari one-two of the season.
Schumacher extended his lead in the drivers' standings with 60 points. Barrichello has 46, and Jenson Button 38.
The six-time world champion will go to North America for the Canadian GP on June 13 and the US GP a week later confident of putting the drivers' championship almost beyond reach of anyone else.
He has won the Canadian GP six times, including the last two, and is the reigning champion of the US GP.
He made his latest drive look easy in his native Germany, rebounding from last week's crash at Monaco which ended his record-tying five wins to open the season.
"Monaco was an exception," Schumacher said.
His car hasn't failed in a F1 race since the German GP in 2001, an unrivaled string of 45 races.
Button was third after his BAR-Honda teammate Takuma Sato blew an engine late in the race while running second.
The Renaults of Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso, the only two cars to beat the Ferraris since last August, were fourth and fifth over 60 laps on the 5.1km Nuerburgring.
Trulli won in Monaco last week and Alonso in Hungary last year.
Schumacher led easily into the first turn then pulled away with astonishing ease.
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