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The Indianapolis 500 or the Indy 500 is one of the most revered races in the United States of America (USA). It constitutes the elusive triple crown of motorsport along with F1's Monaco Grand Prix and the endurance classic of 24 Hours of Le Mans. With such high stakes surrounding the race, some have crumbled under pressure, and some have flourished around the 2.5-mile track.
It is regarded as the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing" in the world and drivers go to extents to win this fabled race. Many drivers dream of winning this race, and here are four such drivers who conceded victory to their rivals in the final few meters:
#4 Marco Andretti
Marco Andretti is a third-generation racing driver. His grandfather is the all-famous Mario Andretti, who was both an F1 and IndyCar champion. However, Marco's venture in the premier category of open-wheel racing in America has not been something to write home about.
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Despite this, Andretti has scored two wins in the series and could have added one more to his tally if the result of his maiden Indy 500 entry in 2006 had gone in his favor. He had moved past his father just three laps before the end and looked set to take the victory home for the Andretti family.
But unfortunately for Marco, Sam Hornish Jr. chased him down and overtook him on the final homestretch to claim the win.
#3 J.R. Hildebrand
Hildebrand did not have much success in IndyCar despite his promising start. Moreover, he has not yet achieved a single victory in the series and has just three podium finishes to his name.
This stat could have been entirely different if he had stayed on track at the 2011 Indy 500. With just two laps to go, the Panther Racing driver took the lead and was comfortably ahead of others.
The 37-year-old then went to the rear of a backmarker and tried to overtake him. However, this ended badly for him as he lost control of his car during the maneuver and gifted the victory to 2005 IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon, who tragically died in an accident a few months later.
#2 Marcus Ericsson
Marcus Ericsson is a revered name in the motorsport world. He spent five years in the F1 world before making his switch to the open-wheel racing scene in America.
The 34-year-old earned much fame following his switch as he won the 2022 iteration of the Indy 500 and was on course to win the race for the second time in a row in 2023. However, Josef Newgarden had plans of his own and made a daring pass on the final lap to win his first Indy 500.
#1 Pato O'Ward
Pato O'Ward has earned massive fame in the IndyCar sphere and came close to winning ways at the Indy 500 after leading the most laps at the 2023 edition, which even FOX Sports took a dig about in their recent promo.
During the 2024 Indy 500, Pato O'Ward completed a pass into turn one for the lead on Josef Newgarden on the final lap. However, the Team Penske driver came back at him two corners later and fended off the Mexican driver to become the first driver since Helio Castroneves to win the elusive race in succession.
