Triumph and heartbreak in a long day at Indianapolis

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 108th time on May 26, and Mark Glover has attended more than half of those classics. Here's his take on Sunday's race:

Sure, the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 went like I thought it would ... with a perfectly prepared Penske car in Victory Lane.

Josef Newgarden did a masterful driving job to claim his second straight victory in a highly competitive race that ended in the early evening.

But save a kind thought for Pato O'Ward, the 25-year-old Mexican driver who once again came within a couple of dance steps of winning the big prize. He was emotionally devastated at the finish, coming up just .3417 of a second short of victory.

"It’s just so painful when you put so much into it, and then two corners short,” he said as Sunday dusk fell over him, a late-day finish due to a four-hour weather delay.

As the late-race drama unfolded, I was mentally urging O'Ward to wait until the last lap to make his move on Newgarden.  The current generation of Indy cars cruise swiftly in the draft, making it difficult to hold the lead against quality cars for more than one lap.  Better to wait until the end, and give the passed car no time to retaliate.

But O'Ward can't be faulted for going for it just a bit earlier.  You go for racing immortality when it's presented to you, right?  As it turned out, Newgarden brilliantly used the draft to blaze past O'Ward in the closing yards of the final lap.  All in all, a great drive.

In the end, the finish read like a Who's Who of Indy pros, with 2008 winner Scott Dixon, Northern California's Alexander Rossi and two-time series champion Alex Palou filling positions third through fifth, respectively.

Rookie Kyle Larson of Elk Grove looked very much like a rookie for portions of the race, but he consistently ran up front for much of it.  I'd like to see him try the Indy 500/NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 double again next year, sans the rain showers that certainly helped mess up his busy day.

And perhaps O'Ward can be cheered by the fact that Newgarden was once the hard-luck, almost-won-it Indy driver.  Now, Newgarden has two Indy crowns and will go for an unprecedented third straight Indy victory in 2025.

I'm already looking forward to it.