Takuma Sato is the first Japanese driver to win Indy 500

“I don’t know how many opportunities you get to be in that battle”. “But he’s just such a gentleman and such a fair player”. Up ahead, though, Alonso diced with his team-mate, and last year’s 500 victor, Alexander Rossi.

Frei was previously Colorado sportswriter of the year four times.

Last year, it was with rookie Alexander Rossi. For a driver who could never win at Indy, Andretti is doing just fine as an owner.

Then it was up to Sato to keep Castroneves behind Sato’s No. 26 Honda-powered vehicle.

Formula One champion, Fernando Alonso, finished 24th on his Indy 500 debut, after his Honda engine failed with 20 laps remaining.

“But we’re in a new era now”, he said, “and Chevrolet’s bringing everything they’ve got and we have to kind of walk that fine line”. The skipped the Monaco Grand Prix held on the same day to take part in the race. Alonso, meanwhile, suffered a fate to what he has at many F1 races this season when he coasted to a halt at Indianapolis with an engine failure.

“I felt the noise, the engine friction, I backed off and I saw the smoke and, yeah, it’s a shame”, Alonso said.

“He put himself out there and exposed himself, delivered the goods, which isn’t a surprise to anyone that has watched Fernando race”, Brown said.

He still drank from a carton of milk to close out his experience at Indy, and didn’t rule out a potential return.

Asked if Sunday’s blow-up meant he regretted not racing his F1 auto in Monaco, where points may have been possible, the Spaniard insisted he had made the right choice. “I would consider coming back here to race now that I know all the procedures”. The team’s Honda engines showed superior speed throughout practice and qualifying, but they also showed a maddening propensity to fail.

The final shootout between the leaders was set up by a multi-car crash with 17 laps left in the 200-lap race that collected the cars of Will Power, James Hinchcliffe and Oriol Servia, among others.

Sato called it unfortunate that a writer had lost his job but said he appreciates the support he’s received from those who thought Frei’s comments were inappropriate.

Amid those struggles for the Japanese manufacturer, Andretti was delighted to see a Japanese driver deliver a win for them.

“It will be mega-big,”said Sato“. “A lot of the Japanese fans are following the IndyCar Series and many, many flew over for the Indianapolis 500“.

And finally the most fantastic crash in a race with 11 caution flags and a record 15 race leaders (four of the top six racing for Andretti), ends with no drivers seriously injured.

Takuma Sato, the 2017 Indianapolis 500 victor, poses for photos in Times Square after ringing the opening bell at the Nasdaq MarketSite, in New York, Tuesday, May 30, 2017.

But it was Sato, known as a fearless driver, that made the decisive pass. “In 2012, going into Turn 1 with Dario was a big risk”.

“I’m so I happy I made it”, he said. Sunday was only Takuma Sato’s second IndyCar win of his entire career.

Rookie Ed Jones took third and $536,000, Max Chilton’s fourth-place finish earned him $484,000 and 2013 victor Tony Kanaan received $438,000 for coming in fifth. Two-time victor Juan Pablo Montoya was sixth. It was his eighth top-10 in 12 starts at Indy.

Race victor Takuma Sato picked up a cool $2,458,129 while even Jay Howard, who crashed out after 45 laps and was officially placed last, picked up $200,305.

Dixon said he was a “little banged up”, adding he believes in the safety measures implemented over the past few years by the track and series. “We had a great shot”.

“Among the practice days, we worked together, we shared the information”.