Despite forecasts warning a strong chance of thunderstorms on race day, the weather turned out dry and comfortable for Sunday at the 103rd Indy 500 presented by Gainbridge. I’d say this was a so-so race…but, it had an outstanding final 13 laps.
Pole sitter and race winner Simon Pagenaud simply dominated in the Team Penske no. 22 Menards Chevy by leading 166 of the 200 laps. Rookie Colton Herta suffered a gear box failure after only 6 laps and brought out the 1st caution. Kyle Kaiser, who made headlines by bumping 2-time F1 champ Fernando Alonso out of the 33 car field in the last row shootout, was out by lap 73 after an accident in turn 4.
The race picked up steam for me by lap 151, when Joseph Newgarden took the lead from Pagenaud. After a multi-car accident brought out the final yellow, it was a thrilling 14-lap battle to the finish with Pagenaud swapping leads with Alexander Rossi several times. Pagenaud made the winning pass just ahead of the white flag. Rossi stayed close behind in the final lap, crossing the line a mere 0.2086 behind winner Simon Pagenaud. 
It was his 1st career Indy 500 victory, and an 18th win for Penske. There were 4 cautions and 29 lead changes among 10 different drivers. Stay updated on the “greatest spectacle in racing” by visiting the race home page.
Pace Car
A 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, driven by NASCAR icon/NBC analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr., served as the official pace car. Looking superb in Long Beach Red Metallic Tintcoat, its LT1 6.2 liter aluminum V8 served up 460-horsepower and 564 lb-ft of torque.
Several matching 2019 Stingray festival cars were also spotted roaming the downtown streets.
Widely believed to be the last front-engined Corvette pace car for the 500 race, the next generation C8 mid-engine will likely pace next year’s 104th running.
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Green Flag Indy 500 -
Balloon release Indy 500 -
JWMarriott Indy 500 -
Pagenaud Leads Indy 500 -
Simon Pagenaud Wins Indy 500
