Finally Back

After a drought of no blog posts from myself (due to final exams, getting a new job, moving, etc) I have decided to make to blog about several different topics.

I am not a Lebron James fan. That being said i am rooting for him harder than ever this NBA finals. I'm not going to lose sleep if he does not get a ring but i really would love to see "the decision" pay off.  Despite what people thought in july and all through last summer, Lebron has not had it easy. All the criticism, hate, and trials he has been through since he made the decision would definitely make his championship ring, one of the most special in sports history. Its not like the heat had a breeze getting to the playoffs this season. Some people even doubted they would get in when they were 9-8. A combination of off-season trials and regular season trials would make his championship win one of the most unique in sports history. I'm sure people are going to call me crazy for saying that but think about it. In my opinion, the great athletes are the ones who walk through fire to get their ring. Whether or not they bring the fire upon themselves.

I really miss football. I know that even if the NFL was not in lockout mode there would not be any games played but no football activity at all (such as trades, free agency, etc) are really annoying me. I also am not liking the fact that there may not be any fantasy football next season. Yes i know life goes on but its still sucks

I will be blogging more later on probably within the next few days. Our youtube channel is doing real well and our podcasts get plenty of views. Our march madness podcasts had 30,000 views and our mock draft had a lot of viewers also. We also are being looked at for a possible spot on 96.7 for sundays from 10am-12pm. So we are on the way up. Also the addition of Ryan Mooney is helping out a lot.

Have a happy memorial day weekend everyone.

#1 Moment in Indy 500 History

The top moment in my Indy 500 history is last year's race!!

Last year's race begins  with all the questions about Tony Kanaan, a fast car all week but had crashed during qualifications and so thus would start in 33rd. His speed and skill is evident right away as he passes seven cars on the first half of a lap! Fast forward now to lap 161 and a caution. Most drivers pit, but Mike Conway, Justin Wilson, Helio Castroneves, and Graham Rahal stay out and occupy the top four spots. None have enough fuel to finish the race under green and have to pit, giving Dario Franchitti the lead. However, all of the leaders who pitted are going to be close on fuel, too!  Fan favorite Tony Kanaan is in second and closing on Franchitti, but needs a splash of fuel with five laps to go, so his "worst-to-first" attempt comes up short. Now the questions begin as to whether Franchitti can make it. Dan Wheldon is now in second place and has save enough fuel that he can go full speed and full rich around the track for the closing laps. Franchitti isn't so lucky, as he turns in laps of 208, 202, and sub-200 mph on his last three green laps. When the white flag flies, Franchitti lets three lapped cars pass him because he's going so slowly, and Wheldon is closing the gap only 3.6 seconds behind and running at full speed. But as Wheldon enters turn 1, a devistating crash in turn 3 ends the race and Franchitti can coast around the track for the last lap and take the checkered flag! He led 155 of the 200 laps.

The accident in turn 3 is one that I personally will never forget. Ryan Hunter-Reay runs out of fuel entering turn 3 and Mike Conway suddenly is right on his rear wing. Conway goes to the inside and the two cars touch wheels. Conway gets up into the air and slams hard into the catch fence with Hunter-Reay's car right under him.  The car does it's job as it breaks apart and leaves carbon fiber all over the track.  Even with all of the dispersed energy, Conway suffers a broken leg and is done for the season.

This race is my vote for the top moment in the last 37 years due to all of the stories. Kanaan worst-to-first, Helio on pole going for his 4th win, Franchitti's dominance throughout the race, the fuel strategies at the end, and one of the most devastating crashes ever at the speedway are just some of the big stories that surrounded the 2010 running of the Indianapolis 500.

ENJOY RACE DAY! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES!!

Carb Day

Just got back from our first trip to Indianapolis for "Carb Day." Lots to see!!!

Indy practice was fast! Dixon had multiple laps over 225 mph at race speed...amazing! My pick of Oriol Servia is 28th quick...uh oh!

The Indy Lights race was disappointing, lots of cautions. The track temperature was just too low for cars to maintain speed in the corners and stay gripped to the track, especially when they tried going two or three wide through the turns. At least four spins in turn 1.

Pit stop competition is too crowded...let the fans see it!!!

CAN'T WAIT FOR SUNDAY!!!!

2011 Indianapolis 500 Preview

Only a few days remain before the 2011 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race! James and Ryan discuss some of the top stories heading into the 100th Anniversary of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" and give their predictions on who we might see drinking the milk on Memorial Day weekend!

Hunter-Reay Replaces Junqueira

After being bumped as the gun sounded on Sunday, Ryan Hunter-Reay has found his way back into the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. A.J. Foyt has agreed to "help out" a team in need in Andretti Autosport by putting Hunter-Reay in the seat of Foyt's second car, the #41 qualified by Bruno Junqueira.

Race rules are that the CAR is qualified, not the driver. Changes like this are strung throughout the history of the Indianapolis 500, but just haven't happened very often, and certainly not due to sponsors (as it would appear this change is) instead of injury. In 1941, Mauri Rose was absolutely dominant in the 500. But a spark plug problem would end his day on lap 60. Car owner Lou Moore ordered his other driver, Fred Davis, who was running 14th at the time, to pit on lap 72. Davis climbed out of the car, and Rose jumped in and drove the car to victory lane! So driver changes for non-injury have happened much later in race week than this!

Here's my take on the whole situation:   It's about the team, about everything. not the car, not the driver, not the engineer, but the ENTIRE TEAM. Bruno has always been unbelievable at going fast during qualifications, but not as much during the race. As a team owner if I see a good racer available in RHR and I have a car in the race with a fast qualifier but not a fast driver during the race like Bruno, throwing sponsors aside, I put RHR in the car without any question! The higher the finish, the better money you get. That money can go to the entire team (engineers, pit crew, both drivers). Hunter-Reay raced with Foyt before, so Foyt knows what he's getting. Gutsy move by Foyt. If Hunter-Reay gets them to victory lane then this will be like Mauri Rose. Many may not like it, but if it breeds success then tough to argue against it!

My only question: what will Andretti do to get Mike Conway, currently fourth in the championship standings and not in the 500, into the race? I wondered if John Andretti would give up his seat for Conway, but that appears unlikely. Something to keep your eye on as we approach Carb Day.

This is Indy. This is May. Do what it takes to win. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.

Top 10 Moments in Indy 500 History

We're down to the top 10 moments in our Month of May countdown! Who will be number one?
(Be sure to check below to see the rest of the month's moments! Keep this page bookmarked as we'll update our top 10 list as the final days leading up to the 100th Anniversary of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing wind down!)

#2: One of my favorite Indy 500's to date was the 2006 race.  With four laps to go, the race goes back to green with Michael Andretti (on old tires) in the lead, his 19-year-old son Marco (on fresh tires and fuel) in second, and (after a desperate pass as the green flag waves) Sam Hornish, Jr. in third. With three to go, Marco shows dad how it's done as he passes Michael on the outside going into turn one! Marco begins to pull away, and Michael now is put into a "blocking" role for his son. Hornish quickly pulls around Michael and closes the gap on Marco. With two to go, Hornish gets a huge tow on the back stretch and looks to the inside of Marco, who slams the door shut! Hornish has to get off of the throttle and loses all momentum. The race appears to be over, no way can Hornish make up the ground lost in just one lap. The announcers agree and already are congratulating young Marco. However, as the two racers go through turns 3 and 4 (right in front of our seats! LOVE IT!) Hornish is right on Marco's rear wing. He uses the draft and slingshots around him as the cars go down the frontstretch!  From our seats we can see Hornish dive to the inside to make the pass, can see them cross the finish line, but can't tell who crossed first! It doesn't matter, we're screaming and cheering all the way! About five seconds later, Hornish's picture appears on the jumbotrons. He successfully made the pass (the first time in history that a driver made a pass on the final lap to win the race!) and got to drink the milk after winning the second closest race in Indy 500 history!

This video is very close to where our seats are, so you can see how it looked from my vantage point.

#3: Michael Andretti leads 160 laps in the 1992 race, but with 12 laps to go and leading by nearly 30 seconds, his fuel pump fails and his car coasts to a stop on the short chute between turns 3 and 4. Going green with seven laps left, the rest of the race would feature an unbelievable battle between Al Unser, Jr. and Scott Goodyear for the lead.  Goodyear trailed by less than a second for pretty much the entire seven laps, battling nose-to-tail all around the 2.5 mile oval. On the final lap, Goodyear pulls to the inside out of the final turn. Unser held him off, though, by 0.043 seconds, the closest finish in the history of the Indianapolis 500. (I read actually that the gap was even less than this, as Goodyear's tracker was further back in the car than it should have been, and the gap was closer to 0.02 seconds!)

#4: After 113 laps, rain brings out the rain flag with Andretti-Green drivers Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, and Danica Patrick running 1-2-3, and the fourth teammate Dario Franchitti back in 14th. But the rain would stop and track dry, so the race is not declared over yet. As soon as the race resumes (after three hours of delay), teams report more weather approaching the speedway.  On lap 151 under caution and with skies quickly darkening, many leaders come into the pits. However, Franchitti stays out.  The drivers know that rain is coming, which will end the race for good, so the rest of the race would feature some of the most daring moves seen at Indianapolis as drivers want every position they can get before the race ends. Cautions on lap 156 and 163 chews up lots of the possible race time, however, including a nasty crash that sends Andretti flipping across the backstretch. Before the track could be cleared after Andretti's accident, the skies open. Franchitti slowly makes his way around the speedway through the terrential downpour to take the checkered flag, his wife Ashley Judd dancing in the rain in celebration of her husband's first Indy 500 victory!

#5: Quite possibly the greatest story of success, pressure, failure, drama, excitement, and history happened to one driver in the 2005 Indianapolis 500: rookie Danica Patrick. All in all, this was one of the greatest days for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing and open-wheel racing as a whole!

Success: On lap 56, Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to ever lead a lap at the Brickyard.
Pressure: During the next caution, Danica stalls in the pits. It appears at this point the rookie pressure has gotten to the rookie. She has plenty of time with her fast car to make it back to the front.
Failure: The field is about to go back to green on lap 155 when a car checks up in front of Danica, who goes high on the track to avoid contact. She spins, causing a chain reaction that collects four or five other racers as well. She appears to be done for the day. Somehow, though, she ends up facing the warmup lane and drives to the pits. The only damage to her car is a broken front wing, which her team changes while keeping her on the lead lap.
Drama: She pitted again on lap 159 to fill up on fuel and attempt to make the finish without any more stops. All of the leaders need to pit once more, which they do on lap 170 under caution. Danica stays out and takes the lead. From this point onward, the 300,000 in attendance would be on their feet. She would lead until lap 186 when Dan Wheldon passed her exactly when a caution came out. Lady Luck appears to NOT be on her side...
Excitement: On the restart, Danica uses the draft and gets around Wheldon before even crossing the start/finish line!  Never in my years of attending the 500 have I seen a moment where every individual in attendance is cheering on the same racer.
History:  Wheldon passes Danica three laps later, and she then attempts to save fuel and so is passed by her teammate Vitor Meira and Bryan Herta. But her 4th place finish is the highest for a woman in the history of the Indianapolis 500. Wheldon's victory is sometimes overlooked by Danica's performance, as Wheldon poked fun at it by wearing a t-shirt stating "Actually won the Indy 500." More importantly, her success and the fans' love for her brings IndyCar back into the limelight and has led to the ratings of the series going through the roof!

#6: The 1989 Indianapolis 500 featured a two-man battle for the last ten laps. Al Unser, Jr. took the lead over Emerson Fittipaldi with five laps to go, but Emo stayed close. On lap 199, Little Al ran in to traffic coming out of turn 2, giving Fittipaldi the chance he needed. They went 3 wide on the backstretch, and the leaders went side-by-side entering turn 3. As Little Al would say, "two guys went into turn 3 and only one was gonna come out."  Fittipaldi's car slid up just enough for the two cars to make contact, which sent Little Al hard into the wall. Emo stayed on course, and he took the checkered flag the next time by under caution. Unser, Jr. climbed out of the car unharmed, and as Fittipaldi came around turn 3 again to take the checkered flag, Little Al pulled a classy move representative of the Brickyard. With everybody (including Al himself) expecting him to throw something at Emo's car or at the very least give Emo an inappropriate gesture, Little Al clapped his hands and gave a two thumbs up to his fellow racer who gave him "the best slide job anybody ever gave me."

#7: Team Penske returns to the Brickyard for the first time since the CART split, and they dominate like the old days. Fighting through two rain delays, Helio Castroneves wins his first Indianapolis 500 (the second straight victory by a rookie) and teammate Gil de Ferran finishes 2nd for Roger Penske's first 1-2 finish ever at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "Spiderman" Castroneves would celebrate in fashion by climbing the fence at the start finish line!

#8: CART teams return to the Brickyard for the 2000 Indy 500 as Target Chip Ganassi Racing brings Jimmy Vasser and Juan Montoya to the race. Montoya dominates the race, starting in 2nd, leading 167 of 200 laps and winning the 84th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Pole sitter Greg Ray finishes last astonishingly, and sets a precedent as Scott Sharp would accomplish the same "first to worst" feat the following year.

 #9: One of the worst crashes in Indy 500 history came in 1995 as Stan Fox collected Eddie Cheever in the first corner on lap 1. The accident tore the front off of Fox's car and leaving his legs exposed at over 200 mph. The broadcast team actually told the camera men to keep their cameras off of Fox's car, because "he's probably dead."  He survived the crash, but his racing days are over. Jacques Villenueve during the race, unaware that he was in fact the leader, passed the pace car under yellow. He was therefore penalized two laps. Amazingly, he would make his way up through the field and win in what his team would later call "the only winner of the Indianapolis 505!"

#10: The famous "Spin and Win" in 1985 is one of the great stories of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that everybody remembers. On lap 120, while battling for the lead against Mario Andretti, Danny Sullivan makes a move to the inside in turn one. Coming out of the turn, the car wiggles, and Sullivan spins a full 360 degrees. Dissolved in a cloud of smoke, the wall is likely the future for both him and Andretti. However, Andretti avoids the spinning Sullivan, and Sullivan rights himself facing turn 2 and is able to continue the race! And oh did he ever, as he would come back from that spin and win the Greatest Spectacle in Racing!

NFL Draft Analysis

It's time to analyze the 2011 NFL Draft! What do you think? What teams did well, what teams left you shaking your head? We've made our picks, what are yours?

It's the Month of May!

That means the Indianapolis 500 is just around the corner! Every day this month I'll be posting one of the top race moments in the last 35 years when my family has attended the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. I will keep updating this post, so keep it bookmarked! What year will come out on top?

#11: 2009 was a difficult year for Helio Castroneves. In October of 2008, Castroneves was charged with conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion. He missed numerous races during the impending trial and his racing career was certainly in jeopardy. On April 17, 2009, a jury acquitted Castroneves on all six counts of tax evasion. This kick-started an absolutely perfect month of may for the Brazilian:

• On May 7th he's back running laps (2nd fastest lap of the day) at the Brickyard;
• On May 9th, Pole Day, Castroneves qualifies for his third pole position with a four-lap average of 224.864 (0.781 mph faster than 2nd place Ryan Briscoe);
• On May 22nd, Carb Day, Castroneves and his team absolutely dominate the Pit-Stop Challenge, defeating Marco Andretti in the finals with a 7.96 second pit stop;
• On May 24th, Race Day, the perfect month is completed as Castroneves leads 66 laps on the way to his third trip to the infield fence at the Brickyard!

#12: Al Unser, Jr. gets his second victory at the Brickyard in 1994. In 2nd place with 15 laps to go and battling his teammate Emerson Fittipaldi (who needs to make a splash and go) about to lap him, Little Al gets some Indy luck. Emo gets loose in turn 4 and hits the wall. Fittipaldi doesn't get his third victory, and instead Unser, Jr. gets his second.

#13: A "green-white-checkered" finish in 1986 turned the Indianapolis 500 into the "Indianapolis 5" in 1986. On the restart, leader Kevin Cogan doesn't get a good jump, and Bobby Rahal takes full advantage, making the pass well before the entrance to turn 1. Rahal pulls away in the fastest Indy 500 to date and wins by 1.441 seconds.

#14: One of the greatest "feel-good" moments of the Indy 500 was in 1996. Buddy Lazier, months after fracturing his back in an accident, makes an absolutely amazing pass on the outside of turn 3 with 9 laps to go. After a crash, the field will go back to green with the white flag waving as well. Lazier holds off Davy Jones by 0.695 seconds, the third closest finish in history at that time. As Lazier and Jones cross the finish line, a huge crash occurs in turn 4 as Roberto Guerrero spins and collects Alessandro Zampedri and Eliseo Salizar on his way to the wall. Zampedri's car airborne is saved by the catch fence, and he sustains heavy injuries to his legs. Lazier drinks the milk, barely able to climb out of his car after 500 miles of back pain.

T
The field goes back to green with one lap left at 3:50! Enjoy the finish and the crash replays!

#15: One of the most controversial endings in Indy 500 history came in 2002. First, a unique situation where twice in the race (first Tony Kanaan, then Tomas Scheckter) crash while in the lead! The controversial ending was a battle between defending champion Helio Castroneves (who gambled on fuel after Schecketer's crash on lap 173) and Paul Tracy. Castroneves slows down dramatically on the last couple of laps, and Tracy is right on his tail with two laps left. In turn 3, Castroneves slows down even more, appearing out of fuel, and Tracy makes the pass on the outside. As he does, the yellow flag comes out for a crash in turn 2.  Race officials rule that the pass came AFTER the caution had come out. Helio coasts his way around to the checkered flag, and then stops his car on the start/finish line to climb the fence after his victory lap. He's asked to drive his car to Victory Lane, but says he can't because there's no fuel in it! His race strategist Tim Cindric says later that their gauges read 0.4 gallons remaining, which is good for "under green, maybe a half a lap" according to Cindric. Would Helio have made it? Did the pass happen in time? Who knows. What is certain, however, is that to this day, Paul Tracy considers himself the true winner of the 2002 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

#16: Mr. 2nd Place Tom Sneva finally finds victory lane in 1983! With the laps winding down, Al Unser leads, and his son Al Unser, Jr. is five laps back but essentially "blocking" for his father so Sneva can't attack the leader. With 10 laps left, "Big Al" runs into more lapped traffic, allowing Sneva to get around "Little Al" on the frontstretch and then half of a lap later to get around "Big Al" on the backstretch. Sneva would pull away and go on to victory at the Brickyard, finally giving a much deserved appearance in Victory Lane for a man who always seemed to come up one position short.

#17: Scott Goodyear's issues at the finish of an Indy 500 continue in the 1997 race. After being delayed until Tuesday due to rain, the 81st Indianapolis 500 has Goodyear in the lead with teammate Arie Luyendyk in second as they took the green flag with six laps to go. Both drivers need to save fuel to make the finish, but Goodyear saves too much as Luyendyk makes the pass in turn 3. A caution for debris follows, and the green flag comes back out with three laps to go. Luyendyk holds off Goodyear for that lap, but a few cars back Tony Stewart hits the turn 4 wall and brings out the yellow. Luyendyk looks to coast around for the win. But, unexpectedly, as the field slowly crosses the start/finish line again, the white flag flies AND THE GREEN FLIES TOO! All of the racers hesitate, but Luyendyk hesitates the least. Coming out of turn 2, Luyendyk calls on the radio "There's yellow [lights flashing] out there...what the **** are they doing!?" which showed that even the on track officials weren't sure what was happening. More controversy for Goodyear, who was warming his tires up when the green flag flied. He would finish in second place behind his teammate Luyendyk, who won his second Indy 500.

#18: It was a tornado of activity both on and off the track at the 2004 Indy 500. Literally. After nearly four hours of delays both before and during the race due to rain, even more weather is imminent. Around lap 150, cars jockey for position on the track knowing there's only a few more laps left to run. Soon drivers need to pit, and strategy begins. Do we take just fuel to stay up front? Do we stay out and hope for rain? Do we make our car as good as it can be? Adrian Fernandez stays out as long as he can, until lap 171. Light rain had begun to fall on the track, but not significant enough to stop the race, so he has to pit for a splash of fuel. After the huge flurry of pit stops, Buddy Rice retakes the lead. On lap 173 the yellow flag flies, and Rice wins the rain-shortened "500."

The chaos that followed for spectators is one that can only be appreciated by those who were at the speedway that day. As the rain begins to strengthen and the race is declared official, we get a call from a family friend who is a track spotter at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "Get out of the stands. Tornado Warning."  The only information the speedway passed on was a radar picture (which showed red all over the Indianapolis and Speedway areas) on the jumbotrons as Rice took the checkered flag. Taking our friend's advice, we then began to make our way back (rather quickly) to our car with 300,000+ other spectators, many of which I'm sure had no idea of the severity of the weather around the speedway. It would later be confirmed that an F2 tornado touched down within six miles of the track. The insane activity on the track and the chaos of the weather after the race made the 2004 races one of the most memorable for me especially. 

This image just shows the mixture of emotions and the importance of the Indy 500. "Congratulations to the Indy 500 champ...oh by the way, tornadoes are in the area so you should probably take shelter!"

#19: The Unser Brothers, Al and Bobby, dominate the 1979 Indianapolis 500, leading 89 and 85 laps respectively. Al's car is dominant over the first half of the race, but the transmission failed and on lap 102 Al is out of the race. Bobby takes over the lead and stays there until he mysteriously slows in turn 4. He ends up finishing a lap back. The one who benefits? Rick Mears, who wins his first of four Indy 500s.

#20: The 2003 Indy 500 had many interesting moments. First, rookie Dan Wheldon has one of the most spectacular and memorable crashes in Indy 500 history as he loses control in turn 3, hits the wall, flips, and stops on his head. (I love how within 60 seconds of hitting the wall, the safety crew has flipped his car back right-side-up. You have to appreciate the amazing safety crew at the Brickyard!)  The end of the race, though featuring no passes, is history-making as Gil de Ferran holds off teammate Helio Castroneves (to give Roger Penske his second 1-2 finish in three years) and fellow countryman Tony Kanaan (by one second) in the closest 1-2-3 finish in the history of the Indianapolis 500.

(Start at 6:20 to see Dan Wheldon's spectacular crash. Amazing sight to witness, especially in person. I sit in turn 4 and Wheldon's car came to rest literally right in front of us. I still cannot believe how quickly the safety crew righted his car. Another great moment for the Brickyard!)

#21: One of the most heartbreaking finishes at Indianapolis happened in 1999. Robby Gordon is leading the race and is told by his crew that he has plenty of fuel to make it to the finish. Gordon sounds very unsure going around the speedway as the laps tick away. With three laps left he radios to his team that they're going to run out of fuel, to which his team responds again that they're fine on fuel. Gordon runs out of fuel coming out of turn 4 with the white flag flying, and Kenny Brack makes the pass to take the lead. With all of the confusion, Brack doesn't know if he's still racing! He thought the checkered flag had waved! He makes it around one more time and gets the REAL checkered flag and gives A.J. Foyt his first victory as an owner!

#22: Rick Mears makes our list again, this time for his performance in the 1991 race. A back and forth battle over the last 20 laps between Mears and Michael Andretti features an outside pass in turn one for both drivers. But in the end, Mears begins to pull away and wins his 4th Indianapolis 500. Andretti dominates the day, but never bet against Mears, and the Andretti streak of bad luck at the Brickyard continues. Mears joins Al Unser and A.J. Foyt as the only racers to drink the milk four times!

#23: Bobby Unser's 1981 Indy 500 Victory isn't official until October 9th. The day after the race, USAC race officials announce that Unser passed cars when exiting the pits and declared 2nd place Mario Andretti the winner. After a lengthy legal process, the penalty was rescinded and Unser could finally be considered the official "500" champion.

#24: The 1984 race started out exciting as former winners Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, and Tom Sneva battle for the lead and dominate the race. But when Andretti and Sneva both have to retire with less than 50 laps left, Mears can run relatively relaxed to the finish, winning by over two laps ahead of the rest of the field, in one of the dominating performances in Indy history. Mears led 117 laps on his way to Victory Lane.

#25: Al Unser nearly misses first lap incident in the 1987 race, but he races like a former champion should. He patiently moves up the field as the laps trickle away and finds himself in 2nd place. With 24 laps to go, Unser is lapped by Roberto Guerrero, who needs to pit.  After putting Unser a lap down, Guerrero ends up stalling in the pits and surrenders the lead to Unser! Unser even puts Guererro a lap down! Guererro is much faster, but cannot get back to the lead. "Big Al" hangs on to win his fourth Indy 500!

 

#26: Tony Stewart is the big favorite in the 1998 Indy 500, but one lap after taking the lead, his engine blows. Stewart would blow onto NASCAR soon after. Eddie Cheever spins in the first corner at the start of the race, but doesn't hit anything. He falls to the back of the pack and fights back to make it to Victory Lane!