The Best Indianapolis 500 Wins of the 21st Century

By Tayyib, Blake Flynn June 4, 2023 3:44 pm

By Tayyib and Blake Flynn | June 4, 2023 3:44 pm ET

Via Si.com

Last Sunday's Indianapolis 500 proved to the world that the race is the Greatest Spectacle in Racing—a thrilling, dramatic race that thrilled fans worldwide. And in Josef Newgarden, the race had a deserved first-time winner. It was one of the most extraordinary finishes in modern Indy 500 history. And that got us thinking, what are the best Indy 500 wins from the 21st century? It is time to rewind.

Alexander Rossi – 2016 Indy 500

The 100th Indianapolis 500 gave the race perhaps the ultimate Cinderella story. After spending 10 years on the Formula 1 junior ladder in Europe, Alexander Rossi's career took an unexpected turn back to America. With Andretti Autosport and Bryan Herta scrounging enough money to field a car for Rossi, the oval rookie stunned the world with a remarkable fuel-save run to victory. Andretti asked Rossi to save fuel for nearly 40 laps, and the then 24-year-old drove a mistake-free, intelligent race. When the leaders all pitted for a final splash-and-dash, Rossi stayed out and coasted and coaxed his car. The Californian ran laps well below a 200mph average as he saved every drop of fuel. On the final lap, the team told Rossi to lift and coast before going full throttle on the back straight. Rossi gave it everything, and he was out of fuel exiting turn four. His car spluttered across the finish line, and he etched himself into history. Rossi started the year with his F1 dream over, and ended May by winning the 100th Indy 500.

Ryan Hunter-Reay – 2014 Indy 500

Out of all of Helio Castroneves's fails for his eventual fourth Indy 500 win, this one had to sting the worst. A day of clear sunny skies with 149 laps of caution free racing until Charlie Kimball spun and brought out the yellow. Fast-forward to five laps to go after two red flags, and Helio slingshots his way to the lead. It looked like Helio was going to get his fourth. The next lap, Ryan Hunter-Reay took his Andretti into the grass to make a pass on the backstretch, and he wouldn't look back. Hunter-Reay beat Castroneves by 0.0600 seconds. Which at the time was the second-closest finish in Indy 500 history.

Dario Franchitti – 2012 Indy 500

After the tragic passing of Dan Wheldon, it was only fitting that his great friend Dario Franchitti won the 2012 Indy 500. The first ‘500 with the new Dallara-built DW12 chassis, the race featured 34 lead changes. It was a dramatic, unpredictable race that came down to the final laps. A late pace-car period bunched the field up, and Franchitti led them to green. Japan's Takuma Sato challenged Franchitti for the lead in turn one, but Sato got too low, and his car spun into the wall. The race ended under a yellow flag, and Franchitti cruised to his third Indy 500 win. It was the Scottish driver's final Indy 500 win, which he dedicated to his late friend.

Dan Wheldon – 2011 Indy 500

I honestly don't know where to even start with this one. So let's start with 10 laps to go. This was obviously a fuel race as Dario Franchitti, Bertrand Baguette, and J.R. Hildebrand had all pitted earlier and entered fuel save mode. Franchitti and Baguette both had to pit again to officially take them out of contention. Hildebrand inherited the lead. For the first time since Helio Castroneves in 2001, it looked like a rookie was going to win. However, after avoiding the lapped Charlie Kimball, Hildebrand ran into the wall. On three wheels, his camo Team Panther Chevrolet was left hopeless but to try and skid across the finish line. However, 2005 champion Dan Wheldon passed him on the straight to win his second Indianapolis 500. It was shocking and a triumphant comeback for Dan Wheldon. But as fate would play out, Dan would be involved in a tragic and fatal crash at Las Vegas a few short weeks later.

Sam Hornish Jr. – 2006 Indy 500

Rain dominated most of the month of May but when race day came around, it was nothing but clear skies and sunshine. Sam Hornish Jr. had been having success in the race until he was assessed a drive-through penalty for speeding in pit lane during his last pit stop. When the eventual winner exited, he was over 30 seconds behind. Rookie Marco Andretti pitted right before the last yellow came out. When the race restarted, Marco and his father Michael (who had come out of retirement to race with his son) were first and second. For those unaware, the Andretti name is very synonymous with racing. Marco passed his father to claim the lead. Hornish had made his way back up the field to second. When the white flag flew, Marco was a second ahead. It looked like a 19-year-old rookie born under a famous racing family was going to win. However, Hornish charged back and made the pass on Marco right before the yard of bricks and claimed the victory. The margin of victory? 0.0635 seconds, or about 15 feet.

Juan Pablo Montoya – 2000 Indy 500

Amidst the tension and discord of the CART/IRL, rookie Juan Pablo Montoya dominated his way to a ruthless Indy 500 victory. Montoya and teammate Jimmy Vasser crossed the divide and joined the IRL teams to race in the ‘500. Starting from the front row, Montoya led 167 laps and took the checkered flag ahead of IRL racer Buddy Lazier. Montoya was the first rookie to win the race since Graham Hill's win in 1966. The Colombian drove a flawless race, and his win made headlines on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. And lastly, Montoya's win heralded the return of CART's powerhouse teams to the Indy 500. It was a historic win.

For more IndyCar content, check out the following links:

–The Indianapolis 500 is the Greatest Event in ALL of Sports

–IndyCar, Not Formula 1, is the Best Racing Series in the World

–Josef Newgarden Wins the 107th Indianapolis 500

For more sports content from all your favorite leagues, check out the link below!

–https://twsn.net

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