Dan Wheldon wins Indy 500 after taking the lead with a lap to go

Dan Wheldon emerged the unlikely winner at the Indianopolis 500 after the leader crashed with a lap to go. Rookie JR Hildebrand had more than three seconds on Wheldon with a lap to go when he moved to the outside to pass another car. He got caught in the rough patch and lost control, allowing the Wheldon to bypass him. Hildebrand had taken the lead after Belgian driver Bertrand Baguette ran out of fuel.

Wheldon is the 2005 Indy 500 winner. However, despite his success at the Indy 500, he had been unable to find a full-time ride this season. He lost his ride at Panther Racing to Hildebrand. Wheldon then signed a one-ride deal with Bryan Herta Autosport.

Sunday’s race was also disappointing for Montrealers as pole sitter Alex Tagliani and rookie James Hinchcliffe both crashed. Tagliani was a leader for the first half of the race, but had to deal with problems handling his car.