Simon Pagenaud won the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, narrowly holding off 2016 winner Alexander Rossi in a thrilling finish.via FOX NEWS https://fxn.ws/2YLVNmr </s> Simon Pagenaud wins the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Simon Pagenaud wins the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500. </s> Simon Pagenaud won the 103rd Indianapolis 500 on Sunday afternoon by 0.2086 seconds over Alexander Rossi to become the 21st pole-sitter to win the race and the first since 2009. Pagenaud beat out Rossi, the 2016 winner, and third-place finisher Takuma Sato, the 2017 winner, in a close race that featured multiple lead changes but only two crashes.

Pagenaud held off Rossi during a thrilling final lap of the contest, where the French racing veteran moved back and forth in front of Rossi at speeds exceeding 200 mph, refusing to allow his American rival to pass despite multiple attempts on his part to take the inside. Their final lap was a photo finish between two of the top drivers in all of the 2019 IndyCar Series.

Coming into the race, Pagenaud won the pole position on the inside where he started out in front of last year's winner and heavy favorite, Will Power, who began in the sixth position on the outside and finished fifth. Pagenaud shared the first row with Ed Carpenter and Spencer Pigot, while Power shared the second row with Ed Jones and Colton Herta, the first driver in Indy 500 history to be born in the 2000s.

A crash occurred during lap 180 when Graham Rahal and Sébastien Bourdais touched wheels and both spun out of place. Kyle Kaiser also spun out of control during the race.

This year, there were 33 entrants in the race and an expected attendance of at least 250,000 people. There were seven former Indy-500 winners in the 2019 race, among those Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay, and six rookies, including 19-year-old Colton Herta. Every single engine in the race was manufactured by either Chevrolet or Honda.

Known as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," the Indianapolis 500 takes place each year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, also known as the Brickyard. On Sunday, over 200 laps and 500 miles, some of the IndyCar's best drivers battled one another while hitting speeds of up to 230 mph.

The race was carried live on NBC where coverage began at 12:45 p.m. Sunday. Kelly Clarkson performed the national anthem, while Matt Damon and Christian Bale were the honorary starters, ahead of their new film, "Ford v. Ferrari." </s> Simon Pagenaud won the 2019 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, edging out Alexander Rossi and Takuma Sato at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Pagenaud, who started from the pole place, earns his second win of the 2019 IndyCar Series season. This is the first time he entered Victory Lane in the Indianapolis 500.

This article will be updated to provide more information soon.

Get the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game. </s> INDIANAPOLIS (CNN) — Simon Pagenaud is the first French driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in more than a century.

Pagenaud was triumphant Sunday afternoon after driving 200 laps around the 2.5-mile track, equaling 500 miles at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“We did it, yes!” he exulted after the race.

He had earned the top qualifying spot with a speed of 229.992 mph and led for 116 laps. Pagenaud became the first pole-winner to capture the Indy 500 since his Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves did so in 2009, according to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Alexander Rossi finished in second place after he and Pagenaud swapped the lead several times in the race’s final laps. Takuma Sato finished third.

Rene Thomas was the last Frenchman to win the race, pulling off a victory in 1914.

After his win Pagenaud chugged a bottle of milk — a tradition that dates to driver Louis Meyer, who drank buttermilk after winning the race twice in the 1930s.

Pagenaud drives for the team of Roger Penske, who won his 18th Indy 500 as a team owner.

President Trump tweeted congratulations to Pagenaud and Penske, and said he would see them and the team at the White House.

Several other drivers had sought to cement their names in history during the 103rd running of IndyCar’s flagship’s race.

Castroneves has three Indy wins to his name. A fourth win at the Brickyard would have put him among elite company alongside A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears as the only drivers to win the coveted Borg-Warner Trophy four times.

Will Power, the 2018 Indy 500 winner had hoped to become one of only six drivers, including Castroneves and Unser, to win back-to-back races.

For the first time, NBC aired “the greatest spectacle in racing” with Mike Tirico, former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and eight-time Indy 500 starter Danica Patrick calling the race. </s> Simon Pagenaud, of France, celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 26, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Simon Pagenaud arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month with his job on the line and rumors swirling around Gasoline Alley that Alexander Rossi could soon replace him at Team Penske.

The Frenchman is leaving with a pair of wins, his face soon to be engraved on the Borg-Warner trophy as the Indianapolis 500 champion and an assurance from Roger Penske himself that he isn't going anywhere.

"Do I even have to answer that?" Penske asked. "Absolutely."

In a head-to-head duel for the ages, Pagenaud defeated none other than Rossi with a dramatic pass on the penultimate lap, then holding on the rest of the way to hand Penske his 18th win in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Even sweeter, it came the 50th anniversary of Penske's arrival at the Brickyard.

Pagenaud and Rossi swapped the lead five times over the final 13 laps, and the margin of victory was a mere 0.2086 seconds -- the seventh-closest finish in the 103 years of the race.



"It's a dream come true. A lifetime trying to achieve this," said Pagenaud, who dismissed the thought over job security as he celebrated his first Indy 500 win. "The milk motivated me. I was just focused on the job, man."

Pagenaud was dominant all day, leading 116 of the 200 laps, and the win was cathartic. He stopped his car at the start-finish line and hopped out to share the moment with his fans. And once he finally made his way to victory lane, Pagenaud climbed from his car and let out a primal scream, then dumped the entire bottle of milk over his head.

"I never expected to be in this position," Pagenaud said, "and I certainly am grateful."

President Donald Trump phoned Penske in victory lane from Japan, where he was meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over trade. Penske passed the phone to Pagenaud, and Trump later tweeted an invite to the White House for the winning team.

Penske, who was there earlier with Joey Logano last month to celebrate last year's NASCAR Cup Series championship, said Trump told him: "I must have been your good-luck charm."

Penske now has two consecutive Indy 500 victories -- Will Power won last year -- for the first time since 2002-03. It was his third win in the crown jewel race in the past five years and fifth in the past 14.

It was a banner day, too, with Josef Newgarden finishing fourth and Power in fifth.

Rossi lost his cool several times in the race, but the Californian had better fuel mileage than Pagenaud and the Penske cars. The 2016 race winner twice charged to the front in the closing laps.

"Horsepower. That's unfortunately the way it is," said Rossi, who was in a Honda for Andretti Autosport. "I think we had the superior car. We just didn't have enough there at the end."

Pagenaud was in a Chevrolet, and the bowtie brand was the dominant engine all May. It swept the top four spots in qualifying, won the race and took four of the top six spots.

Pagenaud is the first Frenchman to win the Indy 500 since Rene Thomas in 1914. Indianapolis records count five French winners, but Gil de Ferran in 2003 and Gaston Chevrolet in 1920, while born in France, list other nationalities. Pagenaud was the 21st winner form the pole and first since Helio Castroneves a decade ago.

As he began the traditional victory lap in the back of a convertible, Rossi was one of many drivers to walk onto the track to congratulate him. The American leaned in for a genuine embrace.

"Nothing else matters but winning," Rossi said. "This one will be hard to get over."

Rossi, who drove from the back to finish fourth a year ago, had been patient through the first half of the race and set himself up to take control after the halfway point. But a troublesome fuel hose on a pit stop caused a lengthy delay, and Rossi was angrily pounding his steering wheel while imploring the Andretti crew to get him back on track.

He really lost his cool when he couldn't get past the lapped car of Oriol Servia. As Rossi finally raced by, he angrily raised his fist at the Spaniard. A late wreck then caused an 18-minute stoppage with Rossi set to restart the final sprint as the leader, and he conveyed his mood over his team radio.

"A bunch of hungry, angry cars behind me," Rossi said. "Little do they know I'm angrier."

Pagenaud got him on the restart, though, and the two went back and forth four more times before Pagenaud locked down the win. Former champion Takuma Sato finished third as he and Rossi gave Honda two spots on the podium. Santino Ferrucci in seventh was the highest finishing rookie.

Attention had been heavy on rookie Colton Herta, but the 19-year-old driver for team owners Mike Harding and George Steinbrenner IV was the first driver out of the race when his gearbox broke.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials had prepared for rain, and perhaps even a postponement, in NBC's debut as broadcaster. But it was a bright, sunny day -- a picture-perfect showcase for Pagenaud to triumph on Memorial Day weekend. </s> The 2019 Indianapolis 500 will be held on Sunday, May 26, 2019 (5/26/19) at the Indianapolis Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The 200-lap, 500-mile race on asphalt began in 1911. This will be the 103rd running of the race. Will Power won the race in 2018.

What you need to know:

Simon Pagenaud keeps finding new ways to impress his team owner.

Last weekend, he rallied in the rain to end a 21-race drought. On Sunday, he put Roger Penske back on the pole for the Indianapolis 500. And he may not be finished.

Pagenaud traded high-fives and pumped his fist along pit row after earning the first Indy pole by a French driver in a century. He had a four-lap qualifying average of 229.992 mph to edge Ed Carpenter and Spencer Pigot and give Chevrolet a clean sweep of the front row for next Sunday's race.

"Watching him run in that road race, in the water, I've never seen a run like that in my life," Penske said after the team captured its 266th IndyCar pole. "And then to come out here and win the pole? We've got great momentum."

The timing couldn't be better for Pagenaud, either.

With his contract expiring at the end of this season and questions lingering about his future, the 2016 series champ has thrived this month on IndyCar's biggest stage.

He won the IndyCar Grand Prix for his first trip to victory lane since the 2017 season finale at Sonoma. He earned his first pole since July 2017 at Toronto.

On Sunday, Pagenaud was the only driver in the nine-car pole shootout to top 230 on three of the four laps. He knocked a three-time Indy pole winner out of the top spot. </s> Takuma Sato of Japan wins the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500

The Japanese driver held off Helio Castroneves over the final laps and gave Andretti Autosport its second consecutive victory and third in the last four years. Castroneves finished second, followed by Ed Jones, Max Chilton and Tony Kanaan. </s> NBC Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 103rd Indianapolis 500 culminated this afternoon in historic fashion on NBC at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as Simon Pagenaud edged out Alexander Rossi for his first career Indy 500. Pagenaud’s victory marks the 18th Indianapolis 500 win for Team Penske, who came in first, fourth, and fifth in this year’s Indy 500.

NBC Sports’ Indianapolis 500 commentary team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play) and analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy called NBC Sports’ inaugural broadcast of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on NBC, alongside pit reporters Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Kevin Lee, Jon Beekhuis, and Robin Miller.

Mike Tirico – in his first INDYCAR assignment – anchored coverage alongside NBC Sports motorsports analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was at his first Indy 500, and analyst and former INDYCAR driver Danica Patrick. NBC Sports motorsports host Krista Voda and reporter Rutledge Wood also contributed to the network’s Indy 500 presentation.

Tirico: “On the way to our set on the track before, one of the members on Team Penske handed me a coin and it’s Roger [Penske’s] favorite saying: ‘Effort equals results.’ First, fourth, and fifth – Team Penske. One more time.”

Earnhardt Jr. on back-and-forth finish: “This was just so emotional. To watch this whole race play out, what a break for Pagenaud. Incredible driving from Rossi, but when it counted at the end, incredible driving from Pagenaud.”

Patrick on finish: “Wow. I got pretty animated. I feel very fortunate that was my first race I could watch as a retired driver here at the track. So exciting. Their driving was amazing. The ending was storybook. You couldn’t write it any better.”

Simon Pagenaud on his victory: “It’s a dream come true. It’s been a life of trying to achieve this. I’m just speechless. It’s just incredible. I never expected to be in this position.”

Bell on Pagenaud’s final lap: “That guy was swerving like a cobra snake.”

Alexander Rossi on runner-up finish: “Unfortunately, nothing else matters here except winning. This one will be a hard one to get over.”

Team owner Roger Penske on Pagenaud’s victory: “What a job Simon did this month. What a guy. Can you believe it? And he won that thing…I just cannot believe it.”

Diffey on Pagenaud’s victory: “Simon Pagenaud sweeps the month of May and wins his maiden Indy 500…Two-tenths of a second is all that separated Simon Pagenaud and Alexander Rossi.”

Tracy on Pagenaud-Rossi battle for the finish: “Pagenaud can’t get away, Rossi says he wants it. He’s angrier than anyone else in the field.”

Patrick on final laps during red flag: “As drivers, this is always a very confusing time because this isn’t a sport where you can plan a play. It’s almost impossible. So, in my opinion, this is where experience, maturity, confidence and just the pure handling of your car is going to come in handy in every aspect.”

Tracy on final laps during red flag: “This is now a knife fight until the end.”

Diffey on final laps during red flag: “Make no mistake about it, this is the calm before the storm.”

Earnhardt Jr. on today’s Indy 500: “Rossi is sort of on a mission all his own, doing things I’ve never seen racecar drivers do. This is some of the greatest driving I’ve ever seen. You watch this race on TV, it’s up in the cockpit. When you’re here in person, you can see that, you can see the danger that he’s putting himself in. It’s incredible. Incredible bravery.”

Graham Rahal on contact with Sebastien Bourdais: “I respect Sebastien a lot, I don’t respect that move, but I do respect him as a driver tremendously and I’m sure he feels the same right now… I’m just not a fan of squeezing people and putting people in those positions. It’s not necessary.”

Patrick on Bourdais’ spotter during crash: “You have a spotter in your ear calling inside. I love Bourdais, he was having a fantastic day, but his spotter should have – if he wasn’t, but probably was – calling inside. You’ve got to make a decision as a driver to go “I’ve got to give room””.

Patrick on hitting the next level in driving: “As drivers we’re in a mentally different space the entire time, it’s a very focused space. But there is a next level, there is a next elite level that I believe that as an athlete if you can tap into that more often, that’s what makes you great. Rossi’s in that. You can see that with all of his passes.”

Diffey on Rossi fueling issues on lap 139: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Rossi flip out like that… This is a cool guy, very understated. You don’t see Rossi flip out like this.”

Patrick on her experience and the beginning of the race: “For my first time here on pit lane watching it, it’s exciting, number one, and number two, I’m right so far. Simon is still leading. Of course it’s early, but it looks tough to pass. Look, conditions are different today than they were on Carb Day. Heard a lot of issues on Carb Day come up that they hadn’t had yet this month. So here we are now in another day and it’s a different condition than Friday.”

Pre-Race on NBC (11 a.m. ET)

Bell: “I’ve done this race many times… Whether I finished in the top five or finished at the back, you always have a life-changing, ultimate life moment here at Indy and today feels no different.”

Tirico on Mario Andretti on 50th Anniversary of his 1969 Indy 500 win: “He might be 79, but he has the spirit of a 30-year-old.”

Tirico: “They call it the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. It’s everything they say it is, and more.”

Bell: “As I look out at the biggest crowd in all of sports, I realize that in the 10 Indy 500s that I did here, I never actually took it in like I am today because I would come out here in a laser-like focus. I’m in a tunnel, almost like a white-out focus, as I think about the mission ahead. Not only was I chasing the biggest prize in racing, I was taking the biggest risk each year. This is the most dangerous race on the schedule. And as these guys start to strap in, and look down to turn one, there’s only one question in their mind: who’s going to get their first?”

Pre-Race on NBCSN (9-11 a.m. ET)

Bell: “This place will focus your attention more than anywhere else in the world. The biggest prize is at the end of those 500 miles. It’s the biggest prize in racing, it’s also the greatest risk these drivers will take all year.”

Bell on Roger Penske: “The intensity is insane… He’s 82 years old, he’s a billionaire. He can be anywhere in the world on this Sunday doing anything he wants. He’s here in Indianapolis competing with every bit of intensity that he had back in 1969 and the record is unbelievable.”

Tracy: “This race is the biggest race in the world. This is a race that when you win, it lifts the weight of the world off your shoulders.”

Tracy on Penske: “I know first-hand, I was signed to Roger Penske as a young driver, and any time that you get signed to his team you are expected to win Roger a championship and/or an Indy 500 for him. This is what it’s all about for him.”

Tirico: “300,000 people all taking in everything there is about Indy and the race itself, a day where hearts are broken and dreams are made.”

Patrick: “As a kid, I remember watching this race every year… every single year it was a ceremony, it was a routine. I just have such a love for it.”

Earnhardt Jr. on the Snake Pit: “This is crazy. I’ve always wanted to come to the Indy 500… The one thing everybody says that you’ve got to go to is the Snake Pit. I mean this is crazy… It’s 9 a.m. and this place is packed.”
• James Hinchcliffe and Robert Wickens – NBC Sports examined the relationship between Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports teammates James Hinchcliffe and Robert Wickens, whose friendship dates back to their high school years – and how their bond has sustained through the ups and downs of their careers. Hinchcliffe suffered a life-threatening crash at IMS in 2015 and missed qualifying for the Indy 500 in 2018. Towards the latter part of an impressive rookie season in 2018, Wickens suffered a crash at Pocono that left him paralyzed from the waist down and is in the midst of his road to recovery;
• Will Power – NBC Sports profiled defending Indy 500 champion Will Power and what it meant for one of INDYCAR’s most accomplished drivers to win the 500 for the first time in 2018;
• Patrick on Indianapolis 500 traditions – Patrick, who recorded six Top-10 finishes in eight Indy 500 starts, took fans through some traditions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including a look at the iconic Borg Warner Trophy and a walk down Gasoline Alley;
• Earnhardt Jr. on track with Mario Andretti at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – In addition to his role as official pace car driver for the Indianapolis 500 before the green flag was waved, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took a ride around the track in a two-seat INDYCAR with Mario Andretti;
• If These Bricks Could Talk – Mario Andretti narrated a segment about Indianapolis Motor Speedway and famed INDYCAR drivers who have crossed the Yard of Bricks as Indy 500 winners;
• Wood visits Kuehnert Dairy Farm – Rutledge Wood visited the fifth generation Indiana dairy farm and spoke with Andrew Kuehnert, who delivers the traditional bottle of milk to the winning Indy 500 driver;
• Bell and Conor Daly Fly in F-16 Fighter Jet – NBC Sports’ Indy 500 analyst Townsend Bell took a trip in an F-16 with INDYCAR driver Conor Daly to see the comparison between Air Force pilots and INDYCAR drivers. Daly qualified in 11th position for this year’s race and his car is sponsored by the U.S. Air Force;
• “How Far, How Fast” – Fifty years after Apollo 11 landed on the moon, Ice-T narrated “How Far, How Fast,” which also featured Apollo 10 astronaut Gen. Thomas P. Stafford and showcased what astronauts and racers have in common – a passion for speed and pushing themselves to the limit.

The Voice star Kelly Clarkson performed the National Anthem ahead of the race, Chevel Shepherd (Season 15 winner of The Voice, on Clarkson’s team) sang “God Bless America”, and Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila (American Ninja Warrior) served as the Indy 500 Grand Marshals. Academy Award winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale waved green flag at approximately 12:45 p.m. ET, signaling the beginning of the race. </s> INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Latest on motorsport’s busiest day (all times local):

Takuma Sato has won the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500.

The Japanese driver who wrecked on the final lap while dueling Dario Franchitti for the lead in 2012 held off Helio Castroneves over the final laps. He gave Andretti Autosport its second consecutive victory and third in the last four years.

Sato screamed into his radio as he slowed down the front stretch, his Honda engine still under power after three others let go while their drivers were near the front of the race.

Castroneves finished second, followed by Ed Jones, Max Chilton and Tony Kanaan.

Oriol Servia, James Hinchcliffe, James Davison and Will Power are out of the Indianapolis 500 after they were involved in a wreck on a restart with 17 laps to go.

Davison had spent time in the lead after jumping into the car for Sebastien Bourdais, who was hurt in a qualifying crash last weekend. Servia was also at the front late in the race.

Servia appeared to touch Davison from behind in the first corner and both of them slid up into the wall. Hinchcliffe and Power were caught up in the carnage behind them.

Josef Newgarden touched the inside wall with his left front tire while trying to avoid the damage, sliding up the track. But he appeared to avoid any significant contact.

Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso has blown his engine with 20 laps remaining in the Indianapolis 500, the third Honda to explode in the closing laps of the race.

The crowd went crazy for Alonso as he climbed out of his car.

Alonso, skipping the Monaco Grand Prix to run the race, had been fast all month and was near the front all afternoon. But as he tried to work toward the front late in the race, the Honda power that had been pushing for the lead finally let go.

Ryan Hunter-Reay and Charlie Kimball also had Honda engines expire, making nine of them during practice, qualifying and the race on Sunday.

Make that two front-running Hondas that have blown up in the Indianapolis 500.

First, it was Ryan Hunter-Reay who was running near the front when his engine let go. Now, Charlie Kimball is out of the race after running in the top three with 33 laps remaining in the race.

That makes nine Honda engines that have expired during practice, qualifying and the race.

That also put James Davison in front, making him the record 15th race leader. Everyone went to the pits and Helio Castroneves was first off as he pursues his record-tying fourth career win.

Winds are picking up and skies are clouding up about three hours before the start of the Coca Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest race.

Forecasts call for scattered thunderstorms through the area starting at 6 p.m. – the same time the green flag is scheduled to wave at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Kevin Harvick and All-Star winner Kyle Busch will start up front. Series points leader Kyle Larson did not attempt a qualifying lap because of inspection issues and he’ll start 39th. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who’ll retire a full-time driver after this fall, begins 19th. Defending 600 champ Martin Truex Jr. will start from the eighth spot.

The trouble Honda has been experiencing all month has bitten Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Honda has been plagued by blown engines ever since teams switched from the road setups for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis to testing on the big oval. James Hinchcliffe’s engine blew on Carb Day and now Hunter-Reay’s engine has let go with 64 laps remaining.

Honda engines have had far more power than Chevrolet this month, but reliability has been a major problem. Hunter-Reay’s was the eighth Honda engine to blow in practice, qualifying and the race.

Buddy Lazier has made hard impact with Turn 2 at the Indianapolis 500.

The 1996 race winner lost his rear end coming into the corner and slid hard into the outside wall, wheels and debris spilling across the track. Will Power was following Lazier and his onboard camera showed Lazier slightly wiggling before the wreck.

Lazier climbed out of his car and was taken to a local hospital.

Lazier has been coming to the Indy 500 every year in his single-car effort, even though he hasn’t been competitive in years. It’s the lure of the place that keeps the former winner coming back.

Helio Castroneves was the leader at the midway point of the Indianapolis 500, using an alternate pit strategy along with the rest of his Chevy-powered Team Penske teammates.

He later led his 5,700th lap, moving him into fifth on IndyCar’s career list.

Castroneves pitted from the lead a few minutes later, sending Alexander Rossi back to the front. He was passed by Ryan Hunter-Reay, and when the former winner went into the pits, Graham Rahal moved into the lead. It was the 13th lead change, one off the Indy 500 record.

It’s been a parade for Andretti Autosport at the Indy 500.

Ryan Hunter-Reay was leading when a caution came out for debris with 119 laps to go. He was followed by teammates Alexander Rossi and Fernando Alonso with fellow teammate Takuma Sato in fifth.

The debris appeared to come off another teammate, Marco Andretti, who was running 10th.

Andretti Autosport has won two of the last three races with Hunter-Reay taking the 2014 edition and Rossi winning it as a rookie last season.

Conor Daly has brought out the second caution of the Indianapolis 500 when he crashed into the wall in Turn 3, and the aftermath of the impact also caught up Jack Harvey.

The incident on Lap 66 came shortly after Scott Dixon and Jay Howard were involved in a massive wreck that forced the race to be halted.

Daly was trying to go around Charlie Kimball on the outside when he touched wheels and shot up the track and into the wall. The debris that scattered behind him is what caught Harvey.

Helio Castroneves narrowly missed the Dixon wreck. He also slipped by Daly’s wreck unscathed.

Dixon’s wreck ended a long streak of caution-free racing that dated to last year’s race. There were no cautions in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis a couple weeks ago, and the yellow flag that flew when Dixon went airborne was the first of the Indy 500.

In all, IndyCar drivers ran 138 consecutive laps in race conditions without a single yellow.

Pole sitter Scott Dixon has been involved in a terrifying wreck and is out of the Indianapolis 500.

Dixon’s car struck the car of Jay Howard, who had slid into the outside wall and then careered back across the track.

Dixon’s car then catapulted toward the inside barrier, where it landed and split in half. Pieces of his car were left strewn across the track in Turn 2 as his car slid to a halt.

Dixon was already moving before his wreck car came to a stop. He got out of the car on his own power to a roar from the crowd and stepped into a waiting ambulance for a trip to the infield care center.

The first 100 miles of the Indianapolis 500 have been dominated by Andretti Autosport.

Defending race winner Alexander Rossi, Formula One star Fernando Alonso and team newcomer Takuma Sato are running away from the field through the first 40 laps. They have already started to pick away lapped traffic as they turn laps of 220 mph.

All three cars are powered by Honda, which has had more power than Chevrolet all month.

The three teammates have begun to jockey for the lead, not racing each other so much as sharing the time at the front. That’s allowing them all to extend their fuel economy.

The first round of pit stops at the Indy 500 left Indianapolis native Ed Carpenter in the front, followed by defending race winner Alexander Rossi and Formula One star Fernando Alonso.

Alonso took his first race lead moments later on Lap 37.

Two-time race winner Juan Pablo Montoya stalled his car when he reached pit road, costing him some valuable time. Jay Howard ran out of gas and had to nurse his car to the pits.

Zach Veach missed his pit box and was assessed a drive-thru penalty.

Tony Kanaan just surpassed the 4,000-lap led mark for his IndyCar career.

In his 20th season, the 2013 Indy 500 champion has roared to the front under cloudy skies and with a stiff breeze blowing off Turn 2. It’s the 13th time in 16 starts at Indianapolis that the Brazilian has led the race, tying four-time winner A.J. Foyt for the race record.

Now, the question is whether Kanaan’s engine can keep him there.

Kanaan is powered by a Honda engine for Chip Ganassi Racing, and there’s been a string of failures for the manufacturer the past few weeks. James Hinchcliffe’s engine was the latest to let go on Carb Day.

Fernando Alonso had no problems with a rolling start at the Indy 500.

The two-time Formula One champion said this week that he hadn’t made a rolling start in a race in 20 years, back when he was driving karts. But starting in the middle of the second row, Alonso took it easy on the traditional three-wide start under the famed Indianapolis pagoda.

He quickly dropped a few spots as the field got to speed, while Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi began jockeying for the lead ahead of him.

Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso is ready for his debut at the Indianapolis 500.

He tells ESPN it is one of the best moments ever to be at one of the world’s greatest races. He also noted that he’s at an experience disadvantage as an Indy 500 rookie.

Still, he was hopeful that the first few laps, first few restarts and first few cautions would help him settle in for a strong run.

“Hopefully I get up to speed as quick as I can,” he said in the final minutes before the green flag.

Alonso was starting fifth, the middle of Row 2.

Angela Brown gave a stirring rendition of “God Bless America” at the first Indy 500 since Florence Henderson died.

Henderson sang the song virtually every year for decades.

As a tribute to Henderson, she was recognized Saturday at the driver’s meeting and a brick with her name on it was placed inside speedway’s museum.

Vice President Mike Pence and wife Karen returned to the speedway for another Indy 500, a longtime family tradition.

“It is a global event,” Pence told ABC. “To be able to be here … is a real joy for us.”

The former Indiana governor left the race prediction to Karen, however, and she went with veteran Ed Carpenter.

“He’s a friend, a hometown boy – and he’s in the front row this year,” she said.

Sebastian Bourdais is at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and, as promised, he’s using crutches.

The Frenchman was involved in a terrifying wreck on qualifying weekend that left him with a fractured pelvis, hip and ribs. He had surgery hours after the accident, was released from Methodist Hospital on Wednesday and is already going through hours of daily rehabilitation .

“I’m feeling great to be here and out of the hospital atmosphere,” said Bourdais, who told The Associated Press on Saturday that he refused to show up in a wheel chair.

Bourdais still can’t put any weight on his right leg for five weeks, but he is targeting he season-ending race at Sonoma to get back in his car. James Davison will start in his place for Dale Coyne Racing on Sunday.

The red carpet is in full swing beneath the famed Pagoda at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and as usual, it’s an eclectic bunch from the worlds of sports and entertainment.

Professional wrestler Ric Flair dutifully went “Wooooo!” for the crowd. Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith stopped by to chat. “The Walking Dead” actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who will drive the pace car for the Indy 500, was a popular selfie choice along with his wife, “One Tree Hill” star Hilarie Burton.

Singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha signed autographs a few hours before she was due to sing the national anthem. Jake Gyllenhall was also hanging around to promote his upcoming movie about the Boston Marathon bombing, accompanied by Jeff Bauman, who authored the best-selling book that inspired the film.

Sebastian Vettel beat his Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen to win the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday and comfortably extend his lead at the top of the standings.

It was the four-time F1 champion’s third win of the season and 45th of his career, as well as Ferrari’s first at Monaco since Michael Schumacher in 2001. Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo finished third ahead of Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas.

Title rival Lewis Hamilton clawed his Mercedes through the field to finish a commendable seventh from 13th on the grid.

Raikkonen started from pole position for the first time in nine years, with Vettel joining him on the front row. Both made a clean start, with Vettel holding off Bottas heading into the first corner.

After Raikkonen and Bottas had both come in for a tire change a few laps earlier, Vettel timed his change to perfection 39 laps into the 78-lap race. When he came back out, he was in front of Raikkonen.

There has been a flurry of activity in the pit lane halfway through the Monaco Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas came in first to change the tires on his Mercedes, quickly followed by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. That left Sebastian Vettel in the lead from Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, but Vettel also needed a new set of tires.

He timed his stop perfectly on lap 39 – exactly halfway – and came back out ahead of Raikkonen and into the race lead.

Ricciardo jumped ahead of Bottas, but Ricciardo’s Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen felt far from happy to be back in fifth and used an expletive over race radio.

French driver Esteban Ocon also blasted his team over radio after having to come in for a puncture repair on his Force India car.

Lewis Hamilton is making his way through the field and into the points at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The three-time F1 champion started back from 13th place on the grid after a surprisingly bad performance from his Mercedes in Saturday’s qualifying.

But the British driver has picked up three places and is up to 10th place after 30 laps of the 78-lap race.

Up ahead, Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas was closing in on second-placed Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari. Kimi Raikkonen still leads as he chases his first win since the season-opening Australian GP in 2013.

British driver Jenson Button got a surprise message on the radio just as he was preparing to start the Monaco Grand Prix.

It was from Fernando Alonso, who skipped this year’s Formula One race to run in the Indianapolis 500.

Button came out of retirement for this race to fill in for Alonso. The exchange went like this.

Alonso: “I am sure you don’t want to hear my voice before you start but I just want to say good luck and I will be watching you here.”

“Thanks mate!” Button replied. “I am going to pee in your seat!”

Monaco’s tight 3.4-kilometer (2.1-mile) course is the hardest in F1 to pass competitors.

One of the busiest days in motorsports has arrived.

The Formula One series kicks things off with the Monaco Grand Prix. Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel holds a slender six-point lead on three-time champion Lewis Hamilton. They have two wins each, but Vettel’s Ferrari looks much quicker than it did last year while Hamilton’s Mercedes is not as dominant. Vettel starts the race on the front row alongside teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

The Indianapolis 500 is next, with a special guest this year. All eyes will be on two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso as the Spaniard makes a one-off debut. He qualified in fifth place for the biggest race on the IndyCar calendar. Scott Dixon is on the pole for the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

NASCAR wraps things up Sunday night with one of its biggest races of the year, the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kevin Harvick is on the pole.
2016 IndyCar Series champion Simon Pagenaud of France wins the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500.