Gil de Ferran leads an all-Penske top two and denies teammate Helio Castroneves an unprecedented third consecutive Indy 500 win.
By BRUCE LOWITT
Published May 26, 2003
INDIANAPOLIS - They're wearing out the fence at the finish line, creating another Indianapolis 500 tradition. This time it was Gil de Ferran who did the climbing, as teammate Helio Castroneves had and did once again.
Two years ago, Castroneves celebrated his first win in his first Indy 500, 1.7373 seconds ahead of de Ferran, by scrambling up the protective wire barrier at the finish line. Castroneves won last year as well. If he could do it again he would step into history as its first three-in-a-row champion.
Instead, it was de Ferran's turn to attack the wire barrier. He grabbed the lead with 30 laps remaining, survived three caution periods that bunched the field and, in his fourth try, won his first Indy, beating Castroneves by 0.299 of a second, Indy's third-closest finish.
And keeping his feet on solid ground, team owner Roger Penske calmly celebrated what is becoming another speedway tradition: one of his red-and-white cars taking the checkered flag. This was his record 13th, third in a row.
As he crossed the finish line, de Ferran said, "I was overflowing, I guess, with emotion. I always dreamed of winning this race. Certainly I have won championships and all that, but this is one of the most prestigious prizes in international racing. To cross the checkered flag, I am, like, it is really happening."
He was babbling now, and laughing. "I don't allow myself to get carried away. And certainly those last few laps there (it) was very difficult, very difficult to stay focused." It was a different kind of storybook ending to this race.
- It was the 14th and last for Michael Andretti. Mario's boy finally matching dad's one win would have been enchanting. But tradition prevailed: Something broke, as almost always seemed to happen to Mario, and Michael was gone before the race was half over.
- It was the fourth for Sarah Fisher. Beating 32 men would have put an exclamation mark on what began as golfer Annika Sorenstam's weekend. Fisher crashed on the 15th lap.
- It was the first for A.J. Foyt IV (he prefers Anthony), racing for his grandfather's team. Getting his first win to go with A.J.'s four (plus one as an owner) would have been a neat 19th birthday present. The kid finished 18th.
- It was the 16th for Al Unser Jr. He won in 1992 and '94. Matching Uncle Bobby's three and getting within a win of dad would have been grand. He came in ninth.
- It was Robby Gordon's fourth time trying to win the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. A broken gearbox left him 22nd after 169 laps.
Castroneves took the lead during a caution on the 129th lap, beating Tomas Scheckter out of the pits. When the race went green five laps later, de Ferran passed Scheckter as well.
During their final pit on Lap 165 Scheckter, then Tora Takagi led briefly. Penske's drivers tore out of their pits, Castroneves just ahead of his Brazilian teammate. As they caught a pack of slower cars, de Ferran said he sensed it was time to make his move.
"He got bogged down there in Turn 2, real bad, and he came out of there real slowly. And when I saw that developing I was coming out of Turn 2, I had a full head of steam coming down the back straight. The difference in speed between us at that point was so great that I could pass him. Once I was in the lead, I'm like, "Okay, now concentrate.' "
The ninth and final caution came on Lap 187 when rookie Dan Wheldon hit the outside wall in Turn 3, flipped and slid upside down in the short chute, the rollbar protecting him. Emergency crewmen righted the car and Wheldon stepped out unscathed.
Under that yellow, Scott Dixon, another rookie, lost control on Lap 191 and hit the inside wall, prolonging the caution until Lap 195. De Ferran and Castroneves were virtually tail to nose when the track went green. De Ferran hit the pedal first and pulled far enough away to keep Castroneves from making a serious run.
After de Ferran pulled into Victory Lane, he wore the victory wreath, hugged wife Angela and their two young children and took the traditional victory swig of milk.
"I love milk," he said as it dribbled down his chin.
Then de Ferran, who suffered a concussion and fractured neck and backbones two months ago in a crash in Phoenix, rushed the fence. It looked like a jailbreak as De Ferran scurried up with the agility of a hamster on a wheel, Castroneves beside him, their crewmen right behind.
Castroneves will settle for being one of five back-to-back winners. "Today was obviously a disappointment," he said, "but I guess this is part of the game. The good news is my teammate won. The team is the one that is winning. ... I'm happy with second; now we need to think about the (IndyCar) championship."
