Indy 500 Notes and Quotes, Wins and Loses

Scott Dixon and Pato O’Ward lead the pack during the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500.  [Media Credit – Penske Entertainment: Paul Hurley]

by Paul Gohde

Speedway, In – It was one of those sad vignettes that are often seen in sports. There stood potential former Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon, sadly explaining to his wife Emma what had happened when a penalty for speeding in the pits brought an end to any chance for a second 500 victory with the win just over 20 laps ahead. That same scene was repeated several times Sunday as several of the potential challengers dropped by the wayside on a sunny, but windy day before an estimated 300,000 fans.

The 50-year-old Dixon, who won the pole starting spot a week ago, admitted to the gaffe that cost him this year’s win, but twice in past seasons another penalty and a late-race caution have had similar results. The good news for him was that he had set an all-time Indy 500 mark for laps led with 655, but as he said, “I led 95 of 200 today but it’s hard to believe to be honest. I just messed up. You only need to lead one lap here and that’s the last one,”

Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing Honda teammate Alex Palou experienced a similar fate as he made an emergency stop for fuel during a closed pit situation during a Lap70 caution that cost him a chance to win. He led 47 laps, finishing ninth, but admitted that it had ruined his day even though it was a needed stop.

Pato O’Ward took advantage of the late-race red flag stoppage to line up just behind eventual winner Marcus Ericson for the final two-lap shootout that had the crowd on its collective feet waiting to see if the Mexican driver could outrun the Swede for the win.

“My car was best, but not when it was up front,” he admitted after finishing second. “I didn’t have much for them on the restart. I was ok when they decided to throw the red flag, I was happy with it. I was surprised they (other drivers) had the pace that they did. We did a good job, but it wasn’t enough.” His crew had noted before the restart that they didn’t want to be in the lead, but they would decide when he should move to the lead as the track situation unfolded.

NOTES: Ageless Tony Kanaan, yet another Ganassi driver, has tried to make a final season run before retiring, an effort that was delayed by the pandemic and that now finds him in perhaps his final Indy Car race of his long career after finishing third Sunday. “I don’t think we had any problem. I didn’t have a single moment until the restart. I know my (racing) days are numbered. As of now this was my last 500, It’s lame (choosing a more appropriate word) when people think we’re old at 47. If I have another shot I’ll give it a go.” …2021 500 winner Helio Castroneves gained 20 spots from the start The crowd favorite took a walk down pit road after the checkered flag, waving at the crown on both sides of the track…. The 500 is the only double-point event on the IndyCar schedule and Marcus Ericsson’s win vaulted him into first place in the standings with 226 points. O’Ward is just behind (213) with Alex Palou third (212)  going into next week’s race at Detroit’s Belle Isle circuit…Of the six caution flags during the race, five were for incidents in the area of the second turn due in some part to strong 15-20mph SW winds that gave drivers some handling problems. Driver Santino Ferrucci described the track conditions as “treacherous and slick” …The crowd roared loudly as local favorite Conor Daly made several strong moves to the lead finally finishing sixth…Pre-race entertainment and traditions are an important part of the Indy 500 experience. This year’s schedule called for a possible record 40 events to beginning at 6:ooam with the Public Gates opening and finally, at 12:38pm, the command to “Start Your Engines” from track owner Roger Penske…Before the race, General Motors President Mark Reuss described Roger Penske’s refurbished speedway as “looking like a polished diamond”.

Paul Gohde

Paul Gohde heard the sound of race cars early in his life.

Growing up in suburban Milwaukee, just north of Wisconsin State Fair Park in the 1950’s, Paul had no idea what “that noise” was all about that he heard several times a year. Finally, through prodding by friends of his parents, he was taken to several Thursday night modified stock car races on the old quarter-mile dirt track that was in the infield of the one-mile oval -and he was hooked.

The first Milwaukee Mile event that he attended was the 1959 Rex Mays Classic won by Johnny Thomson in the pink Racing Associates lay-down Offy built by the legendary Lujie Lesovsky. After the 100-miler Gohde got the winner’s autograph in the pits, something he couldn’t do when he saw Hank Aaron hit a home run at County Stadium, and, again, he was hooked.

Paul began attending the Indianapolis 500 in 1961, and saw A. J. Foyt’s first Indy win. He began covering races in 1965 for Racing Wheels newspaper in Vancouver, WA as a reporter/photographer and his first credentialed race was Jim Clark’s historic Indy win.Paul has also done reporting, columns and photography for Midwest Racing News since the mid-sixties, with the 1967 Hoosier 100 being his first big race to report for them.

He is a retired middle-grade teacher, an avid collector of vintage racing memorabilia, and a tour guide at Miller Park. Paul loves to explore abandoned race tracks both here and in Europe, with the Brooklands track in Weybridge England being his favorite. Married to Paula, they have three adult children and two cats.

Paul loves the diversity of all types of racing, “a factor that got me hooked in the first place.”

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