Hundredth Running Surprise

The Indianapolis 500 completed it's hundredth run with something unexpected.  A rookie winner crowned by an age old strategy: milk the gas tank for all it is worth.  Alexander Rossi was the beneficiary of Bryan Herta's strategy to get his face on the Borg Warner Trophy.

The Indianapolis 500 brought out an overlooked part of racing that casual watchers miss.  The number of people who have to perform to win a race is phenomenal.  We talk about the drivers and the cars, but the people that prepare them, the strategists that make the decisions, the people that put together the financial deals to get the cars on the track all had to perform.  One mistake in any area can be enough to end the dream of winning.

An interview with the three drivers who have won four Indy 500's underscored this point.  A.J. Foyt said all the preparation and execution is just as important as having everything go right on a given day.  Rick Mears said any of them could have won 10 and reminisced about his first win when a car left the pit lane and lost it's right rear tire.  It missed his car by inches.

All three drivers named at least one other time they should have won and didn't.  Another thing they all agreed on was there were more drivers who should have won one 500 and didn't than had actually won the race.  It took every bit of preparation, execution, strategy and luck.  One part of the team that failed to perform is enough to make the difference.

Maybe it is overemphasizing winning when there is one winner and, in the words of Dale Earnhardt, "Second place is just the first loser."  Only one face goes on the trophy, and it's not for finishing second.