Franchitti wins 2012 Indy 500

            I never thought there would be a more exciting Indianapolis 500 after last year’s epic conclusion in which Dan Wheldon beat JR Hildebrand after crashing on the last lap. Even if there was, I never thought it would be the very next year. Yet, the 2012 edition of the “500” was arguably the best ever. The record for most lead changes was shattered as drivers were able to take advantage of the great drafting conditions made by the new cars. There was passing at the front, middle, and back of the field and throughout the race. Restarts were intense as drivers would be three- and four-wide before diving into Turn 1. Plus, this race had a pretty good ending too.

            With 7 to go, Tony Kanaan led Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon to the green flag. Before T.K. could even get to the starting line Franchitti and Dixon got by him. With five to go, Dixon got by Franchitti and huge underdog Takuma Sato got by Kanaan for third place. The laps went by and the Ganassi drivers continued to swap positions. Sato got by Dixon with two to go and set his eyes on Franchitti. The two came around to take the white flag and that’s when Sato went for it all. He dove under Franchitti going into Turn 1. All of a sudden, Sato’s car got loose and he slid right into the wall. Dario Franchitti had the lead and won the race under caution.

            Those are the facts, but my opinion is that Franchitti is an asshole and didn’t give Sato any room to make a clean pass. It made me sick to my stomach to stand and watch Franchitti celebrate a victory that will put him on a pedestal that only a few men have reached. He is now only one of nine drivers to win 3+ Indy 500’s. He is also just one win away from tying Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt, and Bobby Unser for most “500” wins. He is nowhere near as talented as those three incredible racers. All three of his wins came under caution, one of which was due to rain. Maybe rain victories should be counted as half victories.

            No matter the outcome, the 96^th running of the Indianapolis 500 was tremendous and sets the stage for what should be a fantastic race in 2013. Along with Dario, Helio Castroneves also has three “500” wins and you can bet he doesn’t want Dario to be the first one to get four victories in over 20 years. It also isn’t ridiculous to think that Takuma Sato, Marco Andretti, and James Hinchcliffe will be better next year after strong showings in this year’s race.   

          Don't forget that there is more to IndyCar than the "500"! Will Power maintains his first place in the points standings over Helio Castroneves. The next race is this Sunday in Detroit at 3:30 on ABC.