Even though Graham had the 19th pole position thanks to a poor race on Friday, he managed to pass up 18 other racers and hold onto the lead to secure the crown.
Brazillian Tony Kanaan finished second and Marco Andretti was third. Juan Pablo Montoya, who had aimed to complete the Indy car racing Triple Crown by winning three Indianopolis 500 races, finished fourth.
There was plenty of controversy both for Graham and the race in general. At one point, a fueler for Rahal’s pit crew mistakenly put the nozzle in right as Rahal stormed out of the pit. The nozzle tore and fuel spilled. While this would normally lead to a penalty on the track, IndyCar president Derrick Walker said that the penalty would be applied after the race. Walker noted that “it just didn’t affect the competition on track.”
The California heat, the narrow lanes, and new configurations for this race meant that there was a great deal of pack racing in this event and a record-setting 83 lead changes. The result was an incredibly dangerous race where drivers were often four or even five abreast on the lane.
The result was two major car accidents, though no one was injured. In addition, a tire changer was struck by driver Tristan Vautier. He is the fourth crew member to be injured in an Indianapolis 500 race since April.
Drivers were upset about the lack of safety. Driver Will Power compared it to the 2011 Las Vegas Motor Speedway, two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon was killed in a crash. Earlier this month, Rahal had talked about pack racing as a “life or death” situation.
