Indy 500: On this date in 2014 - Ryan Hunter-Reay wins by a nose

On Sunday, May 25, 2014, Ryan Hunter-Reay earned his first career Indy 500 victory after starting farther back than any Indy 500 winner had started in 27 years.

Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay was mere seconds away from earning what would have been the first Indianapolis 500 victory of his IndyCar career in the 97th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, which he started in seventh place.

He relinquished the lead to eventual race winner Tony Kanaan of KV Racing Technology with three laps to go on the race’s final restart just seconds before a crash involving three-time Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti began the caution flag period that effectively ended the race.

But in 2014, Hunter-Reay had different plans, although he had to work harder to fulfill them. He started the 98th running of the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana all the way back in 19th place in his #28 Honda.

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As a result, if the Fort Lauderdale, Florida native ended up winning the race, he would become the lowest starting Indy 500 winner since Al Unser won the 71st running of the race back in 1987 after starting in 20th place.

But it was evident that Hunter-Reay’s #28 Honda and the rest of the Andretti Autosport Hondas were quick, as they had been throughout the weeks leading up to the race. So it was no surprise that he worked his way to the front of the field and ended up leading more laps than anybody else in the field with 56 laps led.

The race’s final restart took place with six laps to go, at which point Hunter-Reay led over three-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves in second place. With five laps to go, the Brazilian passed Hunter-Reay heading into turn one, which allowed Andretti Autosport’s Marco Andretti to make a run at his teammate heading into turn three. He could not quite make the pass.

With four laps remaining, Hunter-Reay made his famous inside pass on Castroneves that involved him nearly getting into the grass on the back straightaway heading into turn three to retake the lead. With two laps remaining, Castroneves got him back by passing him on the outside heading into turn one.

Just before the two drivers took the white flag, Hunter-Reay passed Castroneves on the outside. Castroneves gave it all he had to become the fourth member of the four-time Indy 500 winner club coming down the front straightaway with the checkered flag in his sights, but he ultimately came up just short.

Hunter-Reay’s margin of victory over Castroneves was only 0.0600 seconds, making the winning margin for this race the second closest margin of victory in Indy 500 history. The closest winning margin in Indy 500 history was and still is Al Unser Jr.’s winning margin of 0.043 seconds over Scott Goodyear in second place in the 76th running of the race back in 1992.

The lead change total of the 2014 Indy 500 was 34, which was tied for second place on the all-time Indy 500 lead changes list. A total of 11 drivers led at least one lap of the race.

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Who will end up taking the checkered flag in this year’s Indianapolis 500? This race, which is the sixth race on the 17-race 2019 IndyCar schedule, is scheduled to take place tomorrow, and it is set to be broadcast live on NBC from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. It is scheduled to get underway slightly after 12:30 p.m. ET.

Indy 500: On this date in 2014 – Ryan Hunter-Reay wins by a nose

By Asher Fair | May 25, 2019

On Sunday, May 25, 2014, Ryan Hunter-Reay earned his first career Indy 500 victory after starting farther back than any Indy 500 winner had started in 27 years.