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Indy 500: On this date in 2015 – Juan Pablo Montoya falls to 30th, rallies to win

By Asher Fair

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 24: Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia driver of the #2 Team Penske Chevrolet Dallara celebrates after winning the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 mile race by drinking milk at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 24, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 24: Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia driver of the #2 Team Penske Chevrolet Dallara celebrates after winning the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 mile race by drinking milk at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 24, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /
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Juan Pablo Montoya overcame early contact four years ago today on Sunday, May 24, 2015 to win the Indy 500 for the second time in three attempts.

Entering the 2015 Indianapolis 500, A.J. Foyt held the record for most years between Indy 500 victories. The four-time champion earned the third Indy 500 victory of his IndyCar career in 1967 before becoming the first four-time winner of the race 10 years later in 1977.

That recorded ended up being shattered in the 2015 edition of the race, and it was shattered by a driver whose chances of even competing for a decent finish appeared to be shattered after a disastrous start to the race.

Team Penske’s Juan Pablo Montoya entered the 2015 Indy 500 having competed in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” just twice before. He dominated the race in 2000 and won it as a rookie before returning to IndyCar in 2014 and finishing it in an impressive fifth place.

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Compared to his three teammates, who all qualified for the race in the top five, Montoya had a lackluster qualifying run for the 99th running of the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana. He qualified in 15th place in his #2 Chevrolet.

The race’s first caution flag period began on the first lap after a crash in turn one. During this caution flag period, Andretti Autosport’s Simona de Silvestro lost track of what she was doing and ran into the back of Montoya’s car, causing significant damage to its rear wing and wheel pod component.

The race did not go back green for several laps, but it may very well have had Montoya not been fortunate enough to have the right rear wheel pod of his car fly off onto the track during the caution flag period, which resulted in the caution flag period being extended.

Had this not happened, he could have found himself off the lead lap without much of a chance of recording a solid finish, as he would have had to come into the pits for repairs under green flag conditions. Instead, he “only” fell back to 30th place.

The Colombian worked his way back to the front of the field, although he still didn’t appear to have a car that would allow him beat teammates Will Power and Simon Pagenaud and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, three drivers who combined to lead 142 of the race’s 200 laps.

Montoya had only led five laps of the race by the time lap 197 rolled around, and he led two of those laps early in the race due to the fact that he went on an alternate pit strategy to compensate for the positions that he lost as a result of his early contract with de Silvestro’s #29 Honda.

Additionally, while running in third place behind Power and Dixon in first and second, respectively, on lap 196, he nearly lost control of his car in turn two.

But on lap 197, Montoya passed Dixon on the outside for second place on the back straightaway, and he quickly reeled in Power before passing him on the outside for the race lead just ahead of the start/finish line to lead the lap. While Power made a last-ditch effort to retake the lead coming to the checkered flag, Montoya held him off by 0.1046 seconds.

This race featured a total of 37 lead changes, a total that ranked second on the all-time Indy 500 lead changes list at the time, among 10 drivers. Montoya ended up leading only nine laps en route to earning his second career Indy 500 victory in three attempts and shattering Foyt’s record of 10 years between victories with a new record of 15.

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This year’s Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to take place this Sunday, May 26, and it is set to be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET, although the race itself is not scheduled to get underway until slightly after 12:30 p.m. ET later that afternoon. Who will prevail to win the 103rd running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?