Will Power Wins 2018 Indianapolis 500

Australian Will Power has officially won the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500.

After a long and dramatic day at the famed Indy track, Will Power emerged as the day’s biggeset winner. According to a report by USA Today, Power managed to get into the lead with only a few laps left in the race, claiming his first victory in the iconic race on Sunday. It’s the 17th title for team owner Roger Penske.

Power is considered by many to be the best IndyCar driver currently competing. He was named the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion, and in 2015 he took second place at the Indy 500.

This year, Power brought his fans right into the action through his Twitter feed. He posted throughout the day about the race, and he even streamed the whole event from inside his car. When he finished he tweeted “We did it!! We got to drink the milk!” referring to the tradition of drinking milk in the race’s coveted victory lane.

Power narrowly pulled ahead of leaders Stefan Wilson and Jack Harvey, both of whom were forced to stop with five laps left to refuel. Many fans were thrilled by Power’s win, particularly those in his native home of Australia.

It wasn’t all celebration on the racetrack today, however, as Danica Patrick suffered a brutal crash earlier in the day. Patrick’s car began to spin out on lap 68. Ultimately, the veteran driver wound up backwards, colliding with the outside wall.

This year’s Indy 500 was set to be the final race of Patrick’s career. She has not competed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 2011, as she moved over to NASCAR for the intervening years.

However, last year Patrick retired from NASCAR, finishing her tenure at the 2018 Daytona 500. On Instagram, she confessed that the closing of her career was emotional for her.

“This is just a chapter in the book,” Patrick wrote on Instagram. “Today feels heavy, but only because the chapter finishing has meant so much to me. Thank you for the memories. I am at a lack of words today.”

She qualified seventh for the race, putting her in a solid start position.

“Qualifying at Indy is a thing,” Patrick wrote. “It’s special. Stressful. Rewarding. Depressing. Scary. Easy. Fast. It can change from day to day. Lap to lap. Year to year. You just never know….so I don’t take the good days for granted.”

Unfortunately, Patrick’s car couldn’t be repaired quickly enough to get her back on the track, potentially ending her career with an incomplete race. Still, fans and spectators sent Patrick off with a round of raucous applause.