IndyCar Preview: The 2012 Indianapolis 500
*What’s News?*
This time last year I watched the 2011 Indy 500 with my great friend Laz, a fellow petrol-head, racing enthusiast, and attendee of some seven Indy 500’s. As the laps ticked down and the leader, JR Hildenbrand, took the white flag a voice crackled over the TV broadcast, clearly the Sausalito, Ca. native’s in-car audio: “Come on baby, bring it home”.
And at that moment, with the way JR had driven, there seemed no reason why he wouldn’t negotiate the last lap with a good lead; no reason he wouldn’t bring it home for a victory for the ages. Laz and I got to our feet to applaud the clean-cut, well-spoken American rookie appropriately piloting the National Guard car, on Memorial Day Weekend. JR safely negotiated the first three corners and most of the fourth corner of the final lap before disaster struck. Instead, Dan Wheldon celebrated an improbable, and still a year on, unbelievable victory – his second at the track he so loved.