IndyCar's forgotten near-hero of the decade

Too often, certain sports figures are forgotten, especially after nearly pulling off historic feats or winning championships. No IndyCar driver has faded into the history books of this past decade quite like 2011 Indy 500 near-winner Bertrand Baguette.

Three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Unser once stated that “Nobody remembers who finished second but the guy who finished second.”

In IndyCar, that’s usually true.

But that could not possibly have been more false than it was following the 2011 Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

On Sunday, May 29, 2011, J.R. Hildebrand took the race lead with three laps remaining in the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana, and he had a huge lead over second place.

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By the time the white flag flew, the 23-year-old rookie from Sausalito, California was several seconds clear of Dan Wheldon, the 2005 race winner who hadn’t led the race all day after starting in sixth place.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Hildebrand crashed in turn four on the final lap. His car stayed relatively straight, heading toward the finish line, and it looked as though he may become the first rookie winner of the Indy 500 since Helio Castroneves in 2001 — in a demolished race car.

Unfortunately for him, Wheldon got past him just before the finish line to take the checkered flag.

As far as the most memorable finishes in Indy 500 history are concerned, this is a no-brainer for number one.

Second place on that day, who still hasn’t won an Indy 500 or even a single IndyCar race, will never be forgotten.

And yes, Hildebrand is the near-hero of the decade. Nobody else comes even remotely close.

But he certainly isn’t forgotten.

With that being said, one driver is, thanks to this whole mind-blowing sequence.

How did Hildebrand find himself in a position to win after leading just seven laps all race long?

Because of someone who was not only forgotten but never heard from again on the IndyCar circuit.

Hildebrand passed Dario Franchitti, one of the favorites to win the race for what would have been a third time throughout the entire month of May, for second place as Franchitti began to fade toward the end, needing to save fuel. Franchitti, who led 51 laps of the race, ended up settling for 12th place.

Hildebrand, who had already been saving fuel with the end goal in mind, took the lead when Bertrand Baguette needed to pit late for fuel with just three laps remaining.

Baguette led the race for 11 laps after starting in 14th place in what was just his second Indy 500 start. He inherited the lead with 12 laps remaining by passing Danica Patrick, who absolutely needed another pit stop.

The average green flag run for this race was 22.86 laps. When Baguette inherited the lead, that average was 20.83, and the active green flag had been out for 23 consecutive laps.

There was doubt that Baguette would have enough fuel to make it to the end of the race. But when he took the lead, he led the race by half a straightaway over Dario Franchitti. Franchitti also needed to save fuel, and after pacing five or so miles per hour faster than Baguette, he dropped to roughly 10 miles per hour slower.

With five laps remaining, Baguette led the race by more than 10 seconds over Franchitti. With four laps remaining, Hildebrand passed Franchitti while Baguette now led the race by roughly 15 seconds.

If a caution flag would have come out, it would have been over; Belgium would have had its first Indy 500 winner with the 25-year-old Baguette, and his name would have forever been etched into the history books. Hildebrand would have finished in second place.

And notably, he probably would have been forgotten.

Had Baguette saved more fuel, which, when factoring in his speeds, the speeds of the other contenders and the huge gap he had over everybody else, certainly seems possible, the same can probably be said.

Instead, Baguette finished in seventh place.

Next. Top 10 IndyCar drivers of all-time. dark

Bertrand Baguette, now 33, has never been back in the Indy 500.

He has never even competed in another IndyCar race.

IndyCar’s forgotten near-hero of the decade

By Asher Fair | Jan 5, 2020

Too often, certain sports figures are forgotten, especially after nearly pulling off historic feats or winning championships. No IndyCar driver has faded into the history books of this past decade quite like 2011 Indy 500 near-winner Bertrand Baguette.