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.
2016 IndyCar Series champion Simon Pagenaud of France wins the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500.