Another Indy 500 for the Ages

Last year's Indy 500 was a great race. The lead changed hands a record 34 times and provided a classic duel between Takuma Sato and Dario Franchitti. Sato spun trying to pass Franchitti, but when it's the Indy 500, you can't blame him for going for it.

I wasn't sure anything could top that.

This year's 500 put last year's 500 to shame. It was an all out, full tilt and boogie pull your guns out and go to town kind of race. The 68 lead changes amongst 14 drivers put last years numbers to shame. Marco Andretti, Ed Carpenter, AJ Allmendinger, Tony Kanaan, Carlos Munoz and Ryan Hunter-Reay put on a great show racing for the lead.

The race went green for an unprecedented 133 laps. There were no phantom debris cautions or big accidents to hinder or take away from the action, it was nothing but unmanipulated, pure racing.

It was disappointing that the race didn't end under green, but IndyCar does not need a Green White Checkered either. A green white checkered would have rendered the entire race up until that point useless and potentially wrecked a bunch of race cars -- that would have been worse than ending under caution within the allotted distance.

In the end, a great and deserving driver was in victory lane in Tony Kanaan. Kanaan led every one of his previous starts at the Brickyard, but never led the one that counted. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride -- until today. The ghost of Lloyd Ruby is smiling.

The crowd was equally as enthusiastic, they cheered their favorite drivers in driver intros and when the race ended under caution, they cheered on Tony Kanaan. Compare that to when fans have thrown trash on the track at the end of NASCAR races that have ended under caution.

The finish was no 2006, 1992, 1989 or 1982, and like I said there is no doubt the finish would have been better if it would have ended under green, but the 197 laps leading up to the finish were beyond incredible.