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The Indiana Daily Student

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Takuma Sato wins the 101st Indianapolis 500, holds off Castroneves

Takuma Sato holds up the ceremonial milk after winning the Indianapolis 500. Sato is a Japanese driver that races for Andretti Autosports.

Takuma Sato held off history.

Five years after nearly winning the Indianapolis 500, all Sato had to do to win was thwart Helio Castroneves’s bid for a fourth victory. It wouldn’t be easy.

Sato held off Castroneves in the last few laps to claim the 2017 Indianapolis 500, the first of Sato’s career and the first Japanese driver to ever win the race.

On lap 196, Sato passed Castroneves and held him off the rest of the race. Sato wasn't afraid of the chance to take the race. 

"When it counts, I have to give it a 100-percent commitment," Sato said. "I knew I could do it, just wait in the moment and do it. The last few laps, there was a moment."

At times during the last two laps, the pair raced side-by-side, but Sato seized the moment. 

Castroneves said thought he did the best he could.

“They gave the good engine to (Fernando) Alonso, but the mean engine to Takuma Sato,” Castroneves said. “I tried everything I could. With three laps or two laps to go, I went outside. Unfortunately, my tires were overshot a little bit. I would’ve probably ended up in the wall.”

It was the second time in four years that Castroneves finished second, losing in a duel against Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2014. Castroneves made two daring passes in the last ten laps to take the lead with under four laps to go in the race.

It was a miracle that he was even still in the race.

On the 53rd lap of the race, Jay Howard crashed into the wall, spinning back and hit Scott Dixon who went airborne and hit the safety barrier. Dixon’s car spun around in the air and the car was badly damaged, but he emerged unscathed.

“It’s just a wild ride and you have to hold on and believe in the safety progress that we’ve made over the last many years,” Dixon said.

Castroneves went under that crash and avoided hitting either Howard or Dixon.

It was an extremely competitive race with a record 15 different drivers holding a lead. There were 35 different lead changes, interspersed between many cautions. A quarter of the race was run under yellow.

One of the cautions came when Hunter-Rey’s engine failed. Hunter-Rey had led the most laps at that point, the second straight year that his race was ended early after he collided with Townsend Bell last year.

The rest of the top-five was rookie Ed Jones, Max Chilton and Tony Kanaan.

Castroneves just missed out an opportunity to join an illustrious group of drivers to win the race four times.

“Yes, finishing second again sucks, so close to get to the fourth,” Castroneves said. “I’m really trying. I will not give up this dream and I know it’s going to happen.”

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