Open Wheel America

Some of the greatest accomplishments in sports have been aided by a small amount of luck. In racing, it is no different.

Last year’s Indianapolis 500 featured many iconic moments, none bigger than the finish. Rookie JR Hildebrand was one turn away from putting his name on the Borg-Warner trophy, when the unthinkable happened.

Hildebrand went high in turn four, smacking the wall, and lost the race in the final few hundred yards.

Dan Wheldon went on to grab his second Indy 500 victory, which was just as emotional as the first. His partnership with Bryan Herta made the win even more special. It was an incredible finish, no doubt. While it was a major storyline for the rest of the season, there was a previous instance that was eerily similar.

The 2002 Indianapolis 500 is remembered for “the pass” by Paul Tracy that didn’t count. Whether or not Paul actually got around Helio Castroneves before the yellow came out will forever be debated. While it was an amazing event, it overshadowed another one.

The 2002 race was looking like a spectacular one from Tomas Scheckter. He started the race in tenth position, and led 85 laps on the day. Late in the race, he had built up an 8.3 second lead over then second-place Tracy. In similar fashion to the 2011 race, Scheckter slammed into the wall coming out of turn four, while leading.

On the previous pit stop, Scheckter got a set of scrub tires, which may have made the car take on heavy understeer without any warning. It is obvious that Scheckter and JR both have what it takes to win here, and will continue to be a threat to win every May.

Everyone not named Paul Tracy knows that Helio ended up winning that race. It was his second victory at the time, posting back-to-back wins at the famous speedway. This may seem like coincidence at first, but when you consider what happened in both races, it really is quite interesting.

The 2002 and 2011 race both featured two rookie drivers who were leading at the time of their impact with the turn four wall. Both of those drivers started their respective race from the fourth row. Both eventual race winners claimed their second victory at the time.

Obviously JR and Tomas know their way around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hildebrand is with Panther Racing, one of the best teams to ever take to the track. Among active drivers, only Tony Kanaan has led more laps than Scheckter at Indy without drinking the milk.

There is no doubt these two will continue to have success not only at Indianapolis, but in the Series as well. They just happen to have both experienced the ultimate high and low in an Indianapolis 500 race.

Taking nothing away from Helio and the late Dan Wheldon, can you imagine how much different it would be today had Tomas and JR not met the turn four wall? Helio and Dan will forever be known as phenomenal drivers though.

No driver has ever won the Indianapolis 500 with some amount of luck. The problems that Hildebrand and Scheckter had are well documented. Without that kind of heartbreak though, it would not be the Indianapolis 500. The speedway never has and never will “owe” anybody anything, but seeing Scheckter or Hildebrand in victory lane would just feel right.