SBNation.com - 2011 Indy 500: Dan Wheldon Wins After Shocking J.R. Hildebrand Crash

Indy 500 Results: Dan Wheldon Wins Race, Out Of A Job Monday Morning

2011-05-30T12:00:59Z

Dan Wheldon won the 2011 Indianapolis 500 in dramatic fashion when he sped past JR Hildebrand, who led most of the final five laps but crashed on Turn 4 of Lap 200. Wheldon raced to the finish line, drank some milk, kissed the bricks and collected a big fat paycheck.

That last one's pretty important since, as of midnight Sunday night, Wheldon is officially out of a job.

Despite a resume that includes two Indy 500 wins and an IndyCar series championship, Wheldon will be back looking for work between changing his son's diapers Monday as his one race deal with Bryan Herta Autosport ends.

Wheldon is sure to get a sizable share of the estimated $14 million purse for winning the Indy 500. That's especially sweet considering he was a freak accident away from finishing second in the race for the third-consecutive year.

Wheldon spent the last two years driving for Panther Racing, but ended up leaving bitterly, suing for unpaid wages and travel expenses. The racer who took over for him...JR Hildebrand. Wheldon spent the season with Bryan Herta Autosport on a one-year basis.

For more on the race, stay with our 2011 Indy 500 StoryStream. Be sure to head over to Pop Off Valve for all things IndyCar, including the three excellent Indy 500 resources: The Indy 500 experience, Indy 500 traditions and the history of the Indy 500 and the Brickyard.

Indy 500 Final Results Include Oriol Servia, Scott Dixon Switch

2011-05-30T12:00:46Z

Most of the race results as announced shortly after the Indianapolis 500 held true through a Sunday evening review of the caution situation surrounding near-winner J.D. Hildebrand's last-corner crash, but the final and official box score did include one significant change.

Oriol Servia slipped from fifth to sixth, swapping spots with Scott Dixon. While Hildebrand's crash put $1.5 million more in winner Dan Wheldon's pocket than would've arrived otherwise, this post-race adjustment has a financial impact of its own.

In addition to the bonus he accrued by leading for more laps than any other driver, Dixon will also earn a better final payout for moving up a position.

Indy 500 Final Results Declared Official After Dan Wheldon's Pass Reviewed

2011-05-29T21:47:18Z

Dan Wheldon appeared for all the world to have passed rookie J.R. Hildebrand and won the 2011 Indianapolis 500, but hold the phone, friends. Race officials deliberated for about an hour on whether Wheldon had passed Hildebrand after the yellow caution light went on around the track, eventually concluding that the pass was made in time.

If Wheldon hadn't passed before the caution, Hildebrand would've wound up with the victory, as a yellow flag would've locked in the order of drivers for what would've been the very brief remainder of the race.

About the only way this Indy 500 finish could've gotten any wilder would've been if Hildebrand had somehow ended up with the checkered flag -- quite a few people would like to see him get to celebrate after coming so close. But it looks like Wheldon won't have to return his victory milk, which is among the most upsetting rituals in all of sports.

Insane Indy 500 Finish Missed By Furious Indiana TV Viewers

2011-05-29T20:14:56Z

These things happen to everybody, but oh man. Take a look at the Facebook page of South Bend, Indiana's ABC 57, a television station Indiana sports fans had entrusted with delivering Indiana's premier sporting event. Make a reference to the Heidi game as soon as you can.

Apparently ABC 57 switched away from the ridiculous, action-packed finish of the 2011 Indianapolis 500 to air an emergency weather report. South Bend residents, catch up on what you missed here, including video of [SPOILER ALERT] J.R. Hildebrand's crash and Dan Wheldon's astounding victory.

Not trying to pick on the TV station, which now has hordes of local sports fans ranting on its Facebook page. But of all the events of which to drop coverage in Indiana, skipping the final few minutes of a ridiculous Indy 500 might've been the absolute worst, short of maybe a Colts Super Bowl.

Indy 500 Results: Danica Patrick Finishes 10th After Leading Late

2011-05-29T20:01:53Z

For the second time in her IndyCar career, Danica Patrick took a late lead at the Indy 500 and needed fuel concerns to resolve themselves to have a chance at taking the checkered flag. And just like in 2005, Patrick's 2011 Indy 500 bid literally ran out of fuel a little too soon, leaving her with a 10th-place finish.

Patrick's day was a tedious drive to the front at first. She dealt with slowly wearing her car into tip-top shape and picking off drivers one by one through the first three quarters of the race, and eventually moved into the teens in the later goings. That only led to more Indy 500 frustration for the series' most famous driver.

Patrick's team gambled on a fuel-conservation strategy by pitting on Lap 159 and hoping for two things: enough green flag racing for Patrick's car to regain the form that had her running strong late, and a caution to give Patrick a chance to fill up before the finish. She got the former, and led 10 laps after taking the lead with 20 laps to go. But Patrick couldn't stay in front of Bertrand Baguette as her fuel drained, and eventually had to pit.

That last stop left her racing to make the top 10 — which she did, at 10th, giving her six top-10 finishes at the Indy 500 in seven starts. But for Patrick, who seemed to be in every other commercial during the race, consistency isn't a problem; she's long proven that she can compete on the IndyCar circuit when her cars are strong.

The issue is that the big breakthrough victory at the race she dreamed of capturing as a child continues to elude her. And while her public statements about staying in IndyCar while learning NASCAR-style stock car racing are all well and good, continued struggles to stand out in open-wheel racing will only fuel more discussion about whether she's not long for it.

For more on Danica Patrick and the Indy 500, stay with our 2011 Indy 500 StoryStream. Be sure to head over to Pop Off Valve for all things IndyCar, including the three excellent Indy 500 resources: The Indy 500 experience, Indy 500 traditions and the history of the Indy 500 and the Brickyard.

Indy 500 Full Results: Dan Wheldon Wins As Dario Franchitti Fades, Danica Patrick 10th

2011-05-29T19:45:40Z

Dan Wheldon won the 96th Indy 500 this Sunday in dramatic fashion, but it was the dramatic dropoff of some drivers behind him that will leave a number of teams scratching their heads about the result.

Chip Ganassi Racing's Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon were the putative favorites heading into the Indy 500's centennial running, and proved to be strong contenders throughout, combining to lead a majority of the laps. But Dixon was shuffled back to sixth by late cautions, and Franchitti faded all the way to 12th after moving up to second late.

Danica Patrick did well to move up from her 26th place starting position and finish 10th, but she and seventh-place finished Bertrand Baguette both led in the final 20 laps; if caution flags had flown late, one or both might have been factors on the final lap.

Maybe most disappointingly, pole-sitter Alex Tagliani, who appeared to have one of the field's fastest cars early, faded in the middle of the race, and eventually got mixed up in an accident that left him in 28th and with the race's biggest fall from a starting position.

Patrick was the highest-finishing woman. J.R. Hildebrand, who came within one clean final turn of winning, finished second as the highest-placing American and rookie. Graham Rahal, who started 30th, made the greatest gain in the race, moving up 26 spots to fourth.

The full 2011 Indy 500 results are as follows.

Dan Wheldon
J.R. Hildebrand
Graham Rahal
Tony Kanaan
Oriol Servia
Scott Dixon
Bertrand Baguette
Tomas Scheckter
Marco Andretti
Danica Patrick
Ed Carpenter
Dario Franchitti
Charlie Kimball
Will Power
Vitor Meira
Justin Wilson
Helio Castroneves
Buddy Rice
Alex Lloyd
Pippa Mann
Ana Beatriz
John Andretti
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Davey Hamilton
Paul Tracy
Townsend Bell
Ryan Briscoe
Alex Tagliani
James Hinchcliffe
Jay Howard
Simona de Silvestro
E.J. Viso
Takuma Sato

VIDEO: J.R. Hildebrand Crashes On Indy 500 Final Lap, Giving Dan Wheldon The Victory

2011-05-29T19:37:42Z

The worst possible time for an IndyCar driver to crash into the wall: while closing in on an Indianapolis 500 victory. That happened at the 2011 Indy 500, and I still have no idea what to say about it. Rookie J.R. Hildebrand overtook Bertrand Baguette to take the white flag and rounded the final corner with a clear shot at the checkered, but couldn't maintain control.

The video of Hildebrand's crash:

The crash wasn't a dramatic one for its carnage, as Hildebrand was just fine and even able to cruise in for a stomach-turning second-place finish. But considering what it cost him and his team, it's instantly among the most important crashes in racing history.

Wow.

Indy 500 Winner: Dan Wheldon Takes Dramatic Victory Over J.R. Hildebrand

2011-05-29T19:23:07Z

Dan Wheldon has won the 2011 Indy 500, and he has done it in dramatic fashion. Wheldon sped by JR Hildebrand, who led most of the final five laps but crashed on Turn 4 of Lap 200, down the backstretch, to take the checkered flag in the 96th Indy 500.

After fuel-conservation strategies from Danica Patrick and Bertrand Baguette gave both drivers a chance to hold the lead late, Hildebrand, the fastest-qualified rookie this week, inherited the lead, and appeared well-positioned to take his car to Victory Lane. But Hildebrand came into Turn 4 too sharply, and slammed into the wall, damaging his right side severely enough for Wheldon to zip between Hildebrand and a lapped driver.

It's Wheldon's second Indianapolis 500 win, and a weird one: in the centennial running of one of America's greatest motorsports traditions, it's a Brit, in a car adorned with Ronald Reagan's presidential seal, who is drinking milk and kissing bricks, after leading the race for maybe a quarter-mile.

Surely, passing a wrecked competitor is not the way any driver wants to win an Indianapolis 500. But try convincing Wheldon and his team that it's any less satisfying.