A look at the finish of the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500
I am trying to approach this diplomatically…
Following the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500, I was not a happy camper. I definitely let loyalty get the best of me. Although I am not necessarily a Scott Dixon fan, I do think he is one of the greatest competitors this sport has ever had. His racing style is consistent, intelligent and effective. I admire his skills and it’s hard not to silently root for him (even though my loyalty has lied with Simon Pagenaud since 2015).
Takuma Sato on the other hand…his style is different. Yes, it has proven to be effective for him in his two Indy 500 wins, but honestly it’s not my favorite and I do not root for him.
With all that said, I was pretty bummed with the finish, but I am challenging myself not to think of it simply as a fan.
I understand the argument coming from the IndyCar fandom. Post-race, social media comments were flooded with ‘unsavory,’ remarks. Some fans were absolutely outraged that the race ended on a yellow flag, but an Indy 500 win is still a win. There will be no asterisk in the history books.
Dixon did dominate that race until the last couple of laps and the Sato win was a HUGE surprise, but it would be an injustice to the series, stewards and competitors alike to simply write-it-off as the classic 2020 finish.
Regardless of how I feel, a second win puts Sato into an exclusive club of two-time winners. So, I guess I have to put my ego and loyalty aside as I look forward to the 105th running, while remembering how thrilling that race was.
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