Danica Patrick's professional driving career came to a close on Sunday after crashing out of the Indianapolis 500. Patrick started the race seventh and ran inside the top 16 before getting loose and hitting the wall on Lap 67. The 36-year-old was able to climb out of the car under her own power before making a visit to the medical center.

Patrick also wrecked of her final race in NASCAR at the Daytona 500 earlier this year.

Despite the disappointing finish to her career, Patrick has accomplished many milestones in auto racing since joining IndyCar in 2005. Patrick became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race in 2008 when she won the Indy Japan 300. Her highest finish in the Indianapolis 500 was third in 2009.

Following her career in IndyCar, Patrick made the move to NASCAR, racing in both the Cup and XFINITY Series over seven years. Patrick became the first woman to clinch a pole position and holds the most starts, laps led and top-tens for a woman in the Cup Series in NASCAR. Patrick also won the XFINITY Series Most Popular Driver Award in 2012.

She won one race with 21 top-10 finishes and three podiums in her 367 races in all circuits.

Last year, Patrick announced that she would retire after running the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500. She plans to focus on her business and entrepreneur opportunities in retirement. Patrick also has not ruled out a potential broadcasting opportunity. </s> Will Power, considered by many to be the best active IndyCar driver never to have won the Indianapolis 500, put that label to bed forever.

Power took the lead with only a handful of laps remaining to claim his first Indy 500 victory Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Power, the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion, finished a career-best second in 2015 for his first podium finish at the iconic race. Now, the Team Penske driver goes one better and will drink the traditional milk in victory lane.

Race leaders Stefan Wilson and Jack Harvey were forced to put with five laps remaining with their fuel running low, allowing Power to take the lead.

"I just can't believe it," an elated Power said after climbing out of his car. "I got to thank Roger Penske, Verizon, and my parents for allowing me to get to this point. I can't describe it. I feel like collapsing. I want to cry. I couldn't stop screaming.

"I always wondered if I was going to win it, and thoughts went through my mind, in my career. "I've had so many wins, and so many poles, but everybody always talked about the 500. I just couldn't imagine winning a race in front of a crowd like this. It's just amazing. What an event. I love it."

Pole winner and Indiana native Ed Carpenter finished second and four-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon came home third. Alexander Rossi, the 2016 winner, may have had the best race beyond Power. Rossi climbed from a starting position of 32nd to finish fourth.

Danica Patrick, completing the back end of the "Danica Double" which began with February's Daytona 500 — NASCAR's crown jewel — finished 30th in her final scheduled professional race after crashing on Lap 68. Patrick spun out driving through Turn 2 and hit the wall as her day ended in disappointment.

Patrick, who hadn't competed in the 500 since departing for NASCAR after the 2011 IndyCar season, had recorded six top-10 finishes in seven attempts at Indy prior to Sunday's race.

"I'm not sure really what happened," Patrick said to TV reporters after being checked and released from the infield medical center. "It just seemd to come around. I mean, today was really disappointing for what we were hoping for and what you want for your last race. I'm grateful for all of it. I wish I could have finished stronger.

"I've had a lot of good fortune here and still had some this month. It didn't come on race day, but we had some good moments."

Helio Castroneves, one of the best drivers to take the wheel in Indianapolis 500 history, saw another chance to tie the all-time record slip by when he crashed on Lap 147. The Team Penske driver spun off Turn 4 and hit the inside wall.

Castroneves, who had won three Indy 500s (2001, 2002, 2009) in 17 prior attempts, came home 27th after starting eighth. The Brazilian was attempting to tie the record of four wins set by A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears.

"Probably went wide in Turn 3 and probably was a little of dust in the tires and then as soon as I came to 3 and I tried to pass Simon (Pagenaud) but the rear just gave out," Castroneves said after he was released from the infield medical center. "I was not expecting; I never had a sign. The car was good. It was definitely tough out there."

Castroneves, who had moved over to Penske's sports car operation folliwing the end of the 2017 IndyCar season, was given a seat in the 500 by his longtime boss, Roger Penske, and he lobbied his team owner to bring him back to Indianapolis next year.

"Please, Roger, let me go back," Castroneves said.

In the closing stages of the race, fan favorite and 2013 champion Tony Kanaan spun out in Turn 2, bringing out a late caution with 12 laps remaining.

Sunday was also not a good day for last year's podium finishers, including 2017 winner Takuma Sato, who was taken out in a Lap 48 crash. Sato ran into the back of a struggling James Davison, who had been steadily losing speed. Ten laps later, Ed Jones, who finished third as a rookie last year, spun an hit the wall in Turn 2.

Also crashing out Sunday was Sebastien Bourdais, who missed last year's Indy 500 after he was injured in a horrible qualifying crash, and Sage Karam. </s> Click HERE if you’re having trouble viewing the gallery on your mobile device.

By JENNA FRYER | The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Will Power took the lead in the Indianapolis 500 with four laps to go, knew he had it won when he took the white flag all alone and spent the final lap yelling to himself as he pulled away from the field.

“Man,” he said, “I think I’m going to win this!”

The 37-year-old Australian did just that in a dominant performance for Team Penske. He managed his fuel strategy perfectly as Oriol Servia and Jack Harvey had to pit in the closing laps, and then made all the right moves to hold off pole winner Ed Carpenter to win his first Indy 500.

“I was wondering if I would ever win it and thoughts when through my mind during the month, my career,” he said.

“I’ve had so many wins, so many poles. Everyone talks about the 500 and I just couldn’t imagine winning a race in front of a crowd like this, this many people. It’s just amazing.”

Power extended team owner Roger Penske’s record of 17 wins in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” and it completed a sweep of May in Indianapolis for him. Power also won the road-course event.

He has 34 wins in IndyCar now, tying him with Al Unser Jr. for most on the career list.

“He hated ovals and now he loves them,” said Carpenter, the local boy who had dominated the early stages of the race. “He and I love racing together. Maybe someday he’ll race for me. I don’t know if we have a tampering rule in IndyCar, but congrats Will.”

Near-record temperatures at the start created a slick, 2 ½-mile oval, and new cars with less downforce proved to be a handful for even the most experienced of drivers.

Defending race winner Takuma Sato crashed out early in IndyCar’s most prestigious race. Danica Patrick’s career ended when she lost control and slammed into the wall. Sebastien Bourdais, three-time winner Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan also lost control and wrecked.

Patrick was completing the “Danica Double” after wrecking out at the Daytona 500. She decided long ago that the race that made her famous would be her last, and while she called the outcome disappointing, she also expressed appreciation for all that Indianapolis had given her.

“Yeah, it’s an entire career,” she said, “but what really launched it was this. It’s both of them. I had a lot of good fortune here and did still have some this month. It just didn’t come today.”

Bourdais crashed a year after missing the race because of a harrowing, high-speed accident during qualifying, while Castroneves — who is now driving sports cars for Penske — was going for a record-tying fourth victory in the Indy 500 in a brief return to open-wheel racing.

Moments after climbing out of his wrecked car, he begged Penske for another chance.

“We’ll certainly take a good luck at that for sure,” Penske said. “He got a good run and got a little high there. You don’t see a guy like that lose it very often.” </s> (AP Photo/Darron Cummings). Will Power, of Australia, celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 27, 2018.

(AP Photo/AJ Mast). Will Power, of Australia, celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 27, 2018.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings). Will Power, of Australia, celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis Sunday, May 27, 2018.

(AP Photo/AJ Mast). Will Power, of Australia, celebrates with car owner Roger Penske on the start/finish line after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis Sunday, May 27, 2018.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy). Will Power, of Australia, celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis Sunday, May 27, 2018.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Will Power lost three consecutive championships before he decided a chance was in order.

He knew he must improve on oval tracks to be considered among the best in racing.

If there was any doubt how serious Power was about his turnaround, he settled it Sunday by winning on the biggest oval of them all.

Power won the Indianapolis 500 to check off one of the few empty boxes on his resume. When he stopped hating ovals, he won the 2014 IndyCar championship. When he started to appreciate Indianapolis Motor Speedway and made it a priority, he finally figured out how to win "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

"You work hard at something, it comes to you. It eventually comes to you, and (Indy) was the last box to tick to be considered as a very successful driver," Power said.

Power gave team owner Roger Penske a 17th Indy 500 victory in a sweep of the "month of May" at Indianapolis. Power also won on the road course - he's considered a specialist on road and street courses - two weeks ago and Sunday's win was his 34th, tying him with Al Unser Jr. for eighth on IndyCar's all-time list.

Power also became the winningest IndyCar driver in Penske history (31). He is the first Australian victor in 102 editions of the race and was able celebrate only a few hours after countryman Daniel Ricciardo won Formula One's Monaco Grand Prix, an extraordinary showing for drivers from Down Under on the biggest day of the year in motorsports.

Power is an emotional and expressive driver, and he's most known for getting caught on television flashing both his middle fingers at IndyCar race control. The moment made him an internet sensation. The Indy 500 victory he hopes makes him an international star.

"To be the first Australian to win the Indy 500, that's very special," he said. "Maybe they might recognize me down there now. I don't think many people know who I am down there."

And his winner's circle celebration is one that won't soon be forgotten because the wide-eyed Power could not stop screaming.

He screamed to wife, Liz, took a sip of the traditional milk, then dumped the rest over his head and around his crew. Liz Power reached for the empty milk bottle, then pointed out to her husband that he'd sprayed milk all over Indianapolis festival princess Natalie Murdock. He apologized, then started screaming again.

"I felt so bad. When I turned around, (her) glasses, she was covered in milk. I didn't realize she was behind me," Power said. "I said 'I'm so sorry.' What could I do? I didn't see (her) behind me."

It was his only wrong move of the race.

As Power held off pole winner Ed Carpenter to win his first Indy 500, the 81-year-old Penske pumped his fist in the air and clapped. Penske was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame earlier this month, but the Power victory kept him in Indianapolis and he was unable to travel to North Carolina to watch his three NASCAR drivers race in the Coca-Cola 600.

"To be able to race on Memorial Day in the biggest sporting event in the world, have America the way it is, that's what I'm going to take away from this race," Penske said. "I'm just so thrilled, 17 wins. Now I have to worry about 18. I'm not going to look back, I'll look forward. We have to be back next year."

This year's race was a strange one in that no clear favorite ever emerged and a new Indy car that has less downforce made it difficult to predict a winner. Penske's four Chrevolets were fast and so was Danica Patrick in the final race of her career. That was all that was known headed into Sunday.

Come race day, it was 91 degrees, just short of the Indy 500 race-day record of 92 set in 1937. The conditions created a slick, 2 ½-mile track, and new cars proved to be a handful for even the most experienced of drivers. Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Sebastien Bourdais and Patrick were among those who crashed in single-car spins. Defending race winner Takuma Sato was also knocked out when he ran into the back of a slower car.

Power led 59 laps but his final pit stop dropped him to fourth, behind three cars that were trying to win on fuel mileage. Kanaan's crash with 12 laps remaining set up a final restart with Oriol Servia out front. Servia didn't get a great restart and was passed by Stefan Wilson and Jack Harvey. But all three were gambling they had enough gas to get to the finish line, and it was Power who was frantically chasing them down.

Wilson and Harvey both ducked onto pit lane for gas, giving Power the lead with four laps remaining. He knew he had it won when he took the white flag all alone, and spent the final lap yelling to himself in joy as he drove away from the field.

"I've won so many races and poles, led more laps than anyone. I just hadn't done it here," he said. "I've be thinking, 'Am I going to finish my career without a 500 win?' I would race ovals every week now because I'm just so experienced at it, I really enjoy it, have become quite good at it. I feel like every time I go to an oval, I have a chance to win.

"That definitely wasn't the feeling at the beginning of my career. I would always think, 'Oh, it's going to suck.' I never thought I could win. Now I know every oval I go to, like a road course, I have a great shot at winning. That's the attitude you have to have."

Carpenter was second in another Chevy and noted just how much Power used to hate the speedway.

"I remember listening to him complain on the scanner, and I didn't really like him much in 2008 because he hated this place," said Carpenter, who grew up nearby. "Will and I became friends somehow. You can ask him now, like his favorite part of the schedule are the ovals. It's bizarre, but we kind of bonded since I'm an oval guy now. He likes to think of himself as an oval guy. He definitely has one up on me now."

Scott Dixon stretched his fuel to finish third and was followed by Alexander Rossi, who drove from 32nd to fourth and made some of the most spectacular moves in the race.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> INDIANAPOLIS — Danica Patrick's racing career ended with a wreck in Turn 2 at the track that made her famous.

Patrick had been running near the middle of the pack in the Indianapolis 500 when she lost control, slid hard into the outside wall, then caromed across the track and hit the inside barrier before coming to a stop on the infield grass in Lap 68 out of 200.

Patrick, who shot to prominence by finishing fourth as a rookie in 2005, announced earlier this year that she would step away from racing after Sunday's race. It was supposed to triumphantly cap her "Danica Double," which began at the Daytona 500, where she also crashed out well short of the finish.

"I mean, today was really disappointing for what we were hoping for and what you want from your last race," she said, "but I'm grateful for all of it. I just wish I could have finished stronger."

Patrick has been a polarizing figure in racing, and that increased exponentially when she moved from IndyCar to NASCAR. She struggled to run up front despite driving for a powerhouse Stewart-Haas Racing team much of her career, and she wound up with just seven top-10 finishes in five full seasons.

Still, she is respected and in some cases revered at Indianapolis, where fans still remember her leading the 2009 race before finishing third. She was surrounded by autograph-seekers all month, and she got one of the loudest ovations during driver introductions Sunday.

"I was definitely nervous," she said, "but I found myself most of the time on the grid feeling confused. 'What part of prerace are we in? I don't remember this. Where are the taps? When is the anthem?' But I had a lot of my people around me so I was in good spirits."

She was in very good spirits early in the race, when she started on the inside of Row 3 and was running near the top 10. But the new body of this year's IndyCar combined with temperatures soaring into the 90s made the cars hard to drive, and Patrick joined everyone else trying to figure things out.

Turns out she wasn't able to do that before disaster struck.

Patrick said earlier this week she had no regrets about her career, and that she doesn't think she will have the itch to come back. Instead, she plans to spend time on her burgeoning business empire and with her boyfriend, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. </s> INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Danica Patrick’s racing career ended with a wreck in Turn 2 at the track that made her famous.

Patrick had been running near the middle of the pack in the Indianapolis 500 when she lost control, slid hard into the outside wall, then caromed across the track and hit the inside barrier.

The rest of the field missed Patrick as she came to rest on the infield grass.

Patrick, who shot to prominence by finishing fourth as a rookie in 2005, announced earlier this year that she would step away from racing after Sunday’s race. The race capped her “Danica Double,” which began at the Daytona 500, where she also crashed out well short of the finish.

Patrick has been a polarizing figure, and that only increased when she moved from IndyCar to NASCAR. She struggled to run up front despite driving for a powerhouse Stewart-Haas Racing team much of her career, and she wound up with just seven top-10 finishes.

Still, she is respected and in some cases revered at Indianapolis, where fans still remember her leading the 2009 race before finishing third. She was surrounded by autograph-seekers all month, and she got one of the loudest ovations during driver introductions Sunday.

Patrick said earlier this week she had no regrets about her career, and that she doesn’t think she will have the itch to ever come back. Instead, she plans to spend time on her burgeoning business empire and with her boyfriend, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. </s> Will Power became the first Australian to win the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, taking the checkered flag in America's fabled race on his 11th attempt.

Power, runner-up on the 2.5-mile oval of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2015, was screaming into his radio mic as he crossed the line 3.1589 seconds ahead of pole sitter Ed Carpenter.

New Zealand's Scott Dixon, winner in 2008, was third, 2016 winner Alexander Rossi fourth and 2014 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay fifth.

"Man, I just can't believe it," said Power, the 2014 IndyCar Series champion who gave team owner Roger Penske a 17th victory in the Indy 500 -- the most for any owner.

The victory was the 34th of Power's IndyCar career, tying him for eighth place on the all-time list with two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr.

Power -- who also won the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on a multi-turn layout at the speedway earlier this month -- took over the series points lead after six of 17 races, with an 11-point edge over Penske teammate Josef Newgarden.

For a driver who once struggled on oval circuits, the victory on the most iconic oval of them all was the realization of a long-cherished dream.

"I always wondered if I was going to win it, and thoughts went through my mind, in my career," Power said.

"I've had so many wins, and so many poles, but everybody always talked about the 500. I just couldn't imagine winning a race in front of a crowd like this. It's just amazing. What an event. I love it."

Power, who started from the outside of the front row of the starting grid, was running fourth on the race's final restart from a caution and had moved up to third with five laps remaining.

Power clearly had plenty of speed in the second half of the 200-lap race, but in the end the way opened for him as race leader Stefan Wilson and second-placed Jack Harvey had to pit for fuel with just over four laps remaining.

"I'm just like 'I have to get these guys, I don't know how much fuel they've got, this is the restart of my life,'" Power said.

"And then I go on and two pit and I'm like 'Man, I think I'm going to win this!'

"I'm screaming — with one to go I'm screaming 'Man I've got this.'"

A stream of marquee names had fallen by the wayside by then. Takuma Sato's title defense ended on the 47th lap when the Japanese driver crashed into slow-moving James Davison.

Danica Patrick, who said the race would be the last of her groundbreaking 20-year racing career, hit the wall on the 68th lap.

"Today was really disappointing, for what we were hoping for and what you want for your last race," said the 36-year-old American, the only woman to win an IndyCar race and start from pole at the Daytona 500. "But I'm grateful for all of it. I wish I could have finished stronger."

France's Sebastian Bourdais, back at Indy a year after he suffered hip and pelvic injuries in qualifying last year,three-time winner Helio Castroneves of Brazil and 2013 winner Tony Kanaan of Brazil also failed to make it to the finish.

Castroneves hit the wall while running in the top five on lap 146.

"Probably went wide in turn three and probably was a little of dust in the tires and then as soon as I came to three and I tried to pass Simon (Pagenaud) but the rear just gave out," Castroneves said.

"I was not expecting (it), I never had a sign. The car was good. It was definitely tough out there."

He immediately petitioned team owner Penske for another shot saying: "Please Roger, I've got to go back." </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> 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.
2014 IndyCar Series champion Will Power of Australia wins the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500. It is Danica Patrick's final race before her retirement.