Pato O’Ward was just one lap away from becoming the newest champion of the Indianapolis 500, but it was not meant to be.
Josef Newgarden completed a bold pass on the Mexican driver in Turn 3 of the last lap, sealing a second consecutive victory for himself in the process.
O’Ward crossed the line in second, the second time he has done so in the past three years, and was once again forced to watch on as another driver celebrated a win in the biggest race of the year.
He kept his helmet on for an extended period of time after he stopped his car, and confirmed to media afterwards that he did so in order to compose himself and fight back tears before starting the interview process.
“It was just very wet in there,” said O’Ward, referring to his race helmet. “I didn’t want to take it off just yet. Just wanted to calm down a little bit.
“Yeah, first of all, very proud of what Arrow McLaren did for not just me, but for everybody within the team. I think I can speak on behalf of Kyle [Larson], Alex [Rossi], Callum [Ilott].
“They gave us the tools to fight. They gave us the tools to be there. As for my race, it was just such a stressful race. We were up and down, up and down. The car definitely wasn’t the easiest to drive at certain moments.
“I’m glad that we finished the race. Congratulations to Josef, two in a row. But yeah, I put that car in certain points where I didn’t know if I was going to come out the other end and in one piece because I just want to win this race so freaking bad.
“It owes me nothing, so every time we come back, there’s always a smile on my face to have another opportunity.”
O’Ward ended the rain-delayed race having led 12 of the 200 laps, and having fought near the front for a majority of the afternoon.
He was seen to be fighting a terrible oversteer as well, and had to put in opposite lock multiple times while travelling 220 MPH in order to stay out of the wall.
As ever, the Mexican driver’s skills behind the wheel were on full display on Sunday, but he still had to suffer through the feelings of being so close yet so far away from victory.
“I risked so much today to put myself in contention to win this race, but that’s what you have to do whenever you’re stuck in line like that.
“That’s why if not you’re just stuck, no one passes. I did it when it counted, and yeah, there were — probably the most crazy 500 that I’ve had for sure just in terms of like issues that I was having within my car. So many moments.
“Really prepared to open the doors to ultimately have a chance to win at the end of this, and yeah, it’s just heartbreaking. Two corners short.
“At the end of the day, I hope I put smiles on kids’ faces and people that were here out to support us. I hope that they go home tonight happy with the show that we gave them because I feel like it was definitely not a boring race.
“We had to fight for our result today harder than I’ve ever had to fight for it, and I think that’s why it’s just that much more emotional, because I put everything into today.”
O’Ward now sits fourth in the overall points standings, and will look to earn his second win of the season on the streets of Detroit next weekend.
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