A deserving champ...the young guns see it slip away

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace.

The Indianapolis 500 was run for the 107th time on May 28. Mark Glover attended for the 59th time.  Here's his take on a memorable race:

Ah, youth!  So enthusiastic, so strong, so impetuous.

That last trait played a major role in the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. Several young guns had Indy victory in the cross hairs ... only to see things slip away against the Speedway's most unforgiving walls.

But let's give credit to a worthy champion -- Josef Newgarden finally added an Indianapolis 500 triumph to his already gaudy resume.  The 32-year-old American started in the middle of the pack and shouldered his way to the front amid a blazing early race pace and a carnage carnival at the end. In the end, he held off 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson in a spellbinding last-lap dash amid the roar of some 325,000 spectators.

Deserving? Yes, and how. Newgarden came into the race with a basketful of top-five 500 finishes and two NTT IndyCar Series titles. Prior to this year's race, he was generally regarded as the best driver who had not yet won racing's crown jewel.

He finally won the 500 on his 12th attempt. Even the drivers he conquered on Sunday readily admitted that it was Newgarden's time. Given his sparkling talent, more Indy wins are likely.

As for those who complained that a one-lap trophy dash to the finish was risky and unfair, I understand to some degree. Then again, Newgarden and Ericsson faced the last-lap music on equal footing. Do the rules need to be changed to allow for a minimum two-lap "shootout" after a late-race caution? I consider myself a 500 purist, but yeah, I wouldn't be opposed to it in the future.

But getting back to the young guns. Oh, how things might have been different.

Early in the race, 26-year-old Spaniard Alex Palou, 22-year-old Dutch driver Rinus VeeKay and 24-year-old Mexican wheel man Pato O'Ward seemed to be toying with the field, setting a blistering pace and swapping the lead with what appeared to be effortless ease.

Then came pit stops under caution on Lap 94, with Palou and VeeKay pitting nose-to-tail at the front of the pits. VeeKay was anxious to get out ahead of Palou, but traffic was pressing in from his right.  VeeKay accelerated hard, lost it and rammed into Palou's car. While Palou would rally for a fourth-place finish and VeeKay wound up 10th, they were never the same.

O'Ward was another story.  He seemed to have the advantage with less than 10 laps to go. He was dicing with Ericsson for second with seven laps to go -- plenty of time to slip into the draft and eventually pass Ericsson and catch Newgarden -- when he made an all-or-nothing dive into Turn 3. One might have thought it was the last lap of the race, when any high risk move is understandable.

Instead O'Ward crashed hard into the wall ... seeing his dream of becoming the first Mexican driver to win Indy shattered.

And so it goes with Indy.  Simple mistakes and eye-blink turns of fortune tell the tale ... as they have since the first race in 1911.

Bottom line: A stellar champion in Newgarden.  And good news for young drivers: there's always next year.