A pit lane collision put Aussie racer Ryan Briscoe out of last weekend’s Indianapolis 500. Photo Gallery
Of the two Aussie drivers entered in this year?s Indianapolis 500, Will Power was the only one to finish the race, claiming 13th place.
Fellow countryman Ryan Briscoe, who started third, fell out of the race on lap 171 after making contact with Danica Patrick in the pit area. He finished 23rd.
Power had a consistent race, steadily moving up from his 23rd starting spot. By lap 58 he was 17th. Around the half-way mark Power had dropped back a few positions to the 20th spot. He moved back up to 14th by lap 38. With 10 laps to go, Power had moved up one position to 13th, which is where he finished, in the No. 8 Aussie Vineyards – Team Australia car.
“It was a really good day,” Power said. “I was pleased with my progress throughout the day. I was very happy that I finished the race.
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“It felt good to finish,” Power emphasized. “There was a lot of mayhem out there today. Luckily I was able to dodge all the bullets. It turned into a survival test today, especially on the restarts. The restarts were just crazy. When restarts happen and someone checks up, and they’re going three abreast or four abreast into one corner, it gets pretty wild.
“I think we can definitely gain a lot more speed here next year,” Power said. “There is no doubt about that. So we’re going to spend the (rest of the) season developing the car, and come back stronger next year.”
Briscoe’s day did not go as well, as he was having vibrations with his car. He went one lap down around the 40-lap mark. On lap 84 Briscoe did not join the drivers making pit stops. The strategy worked, and he was able to re-claim a spot on the lead lap.
Briscoe then began high-tailing it towards the front, getting as far as eighth place with 38 laps to go.
Less than 10 laps later, however, he found himself totally out of the race after colliding with Patrick on pit row.
“It’s a real shame,” Briscoe said. “I did just see the replay and was able to confirm my thoughts. We’re both out there trying to win the Indy 500 today, and when it’s time to go, we’ve got to go.
“From what I could see there was still plenty of room on the right side, for her (Danica) to get around,” the Team Penske driver said. “There are people pointing fingers, but that’s not the way we are in here. From what I could see there was still plenty of room for her to get around me.
“I’m getting around Wheldon in front of me and still staying in the middle lane, you know, and I got run up the back,” Briscoe said. “It’s a real shame for both of us.
“It was a no-win situation,” he said. “It’s just a real shame. She’s pointing fingers but that’s pretty typical of her, so I don’t have any comments on that.
“I’m not here to get in fights and rumbles,” Briscoe said. “We can sort it out nice and quietly, but I’m sure as soon as she sees the replay she’ll understand that she’s out of line.”
When Briscoe was asked if he saw Danica walking down pit road, he replied. “Yes, I did…”
New Zealand’s Scott Dixon dominated Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, following up his first Indy pole by leading the most laps, 115, and earning his first Indy 500 victory in six starts. Vitor Meira, of Brazil, finished 1.7 seconds behind to take second for the second time since 2005. American Marco Andretti, who led 15 laps, was third.
