2015 Indy 500: Juan Pablo Montoya wins the Greatest Spectacle in Racing

Juan Pablo Montoya held off Will Power to win the 2015 Indianapolis 500.

A wild finish saw Power, Montoya and Scott Dixon exchange the lead multiple times over the final laps with Montoya prevailing to take the checkered flag.

In a thriller that saw multiple passes for the lead over the final 15 laps, Juan Pablo Montoya won his second Indianapolis 500 Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Montoya narrowly beat Team Penske teammate Will Power and Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Charlie Kimball and Scott Dixon. Graham Rahal finished fifth. The victory was Montoya’s second in the Indianapolis 500, with his first coming in 2000 when he drove for Ganassi.

Pit road can be a dangerous place, and it certainly was Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. James Davison clipped teammate Pippa Mann’s car and then crashed into two crew members for Tristan Vautier:

(Via @TheCaldron)

An auspicious beginning to the Indianapolis 500 featured a multi-car wreck on the very first lap and a couple of drivers making contact under the yellow flag.

The trouble began when Takuma Sato attempted a brazen outside pass of Sage Karam between Turns 3 and 4. In the aftermath Sato, Karam and Ryan Briscoe all sustained damage, with Karam forced to retire after clobbering the SAFER barrier.

Mari Hulman George gives the “start your engines” call at the Indy 500 every year. She does not need your help to do that.

Mari, the chairwoman of the track, is carrying on the family tradition of saying the most famous words in racing, and she can do it just fine. Thank you.

The lead up to the Indy 500 has been eventful to say the least, but we’re finally just minutes away from the 99th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. One-third of the unofficial Triple Crown of motorsport, the Indy 500 features a 33-driver field.

Ed Carpenter, last year’s pole sitter, hit the wall and his car went airborne, so he’s not going to be racing on Sunday. Nor will James Hinchcliffe, who injured both of his legs in a frightening crash at practice that sent a part of the car’s suspension into his leg. Ryan Briscoe will race in his place, starting at the back of the line though Hinchcliffe himself raced well enough to qualify in 24th.

Just days after retiring from late-night television, David Letterman is attending the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

That Letterman ventured to Indianapolis Motor Speedway is no surprise. A native Hoosier, his love of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” runs deep. He is the co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, which fields two entries in Sunday’s race for drivers Oriol Servia and Graham Rahal.

Things turned out pretty well for Scott Dixon the last time he held the pole position at the Indianapolis 500.

Dixon started first in 2008 and eventually took the checkered flag, his one and only win in the prestigious event. That year, Dixon led for 115 of the 200 laps, including the final 24.