Indianapolis, Indiana. One year after the late Dan Wheldon won the greatest spectacle in racing, it was time to remember him in Indianapolis. On a sweltering Hoosier day with temperatures upwards of 93 degrees, who would get their face on the Borg Warner Trophy next to the deceased Wheldon? It would take 200 laps of fireworks on the track to decide who the winner of the 97th 500 would be. With all the pageantry completed, there was only one thing left to do. The green flag flew a little bit after noon, with many drivers having heavy hearts after losing their comrade in Las Vegas. The day started with Ryan Briscoe on the pole for Team Penske Racing. The pole is earned by what you do throughout the whole month of May. Heading in to the 500, the most consistent car has been Ryan Briscoe. But as Ryan and Roger would find out, consistency doesn’t always give you the result you want. Chip Ganassi Racing had a higher power looking down on them. Some times when a team loses a loved one, it inspires them to want to win a race for that person. This day was all about being on Target. Not only did you have Dan Wheldon watching, you had the 50th anniversary of Target stores. In the end, it was Dario Franchitti who would taste the thrill of victory, while several other drivers would taste the agony of defeat. This was the first Indy 500 without DP, who is in Charlotte for NASCAR’s longest race of the year.
