Race Recaps - 90th Running in 2006 - 1 for Sam Hornish - 14 for Roger Penske
On one of the hottest days in race history, Sam Hornish, Jr. won the race with the first final-lap pass for victory in race history, by overtaking, on the final straightaway, rookie Marco Andretti, whose father Michael Andretti finished third. The margin of victory was 0.0635 seconds, the second-closest finish in the history of the 500.
Hornish had earned the pole in qualifying with a four-lap average of 228.985 mph. Although defending champion Dan Wheldon dominated much of the race, leading 148 of the race’s 200 laps, a punctured tire forced him to make a final pit stop earlier than planned, dropping him too far in the standings to recapture higher than fourth position by race’s end.
One of the best racing intros ever!!!!
Other Notes:
Teammates Jeff Bucknum took out P. J. Chesson with a wreck on lap one, taking each other out of the race.
Helio Castroneves struck Buddy Rice from behind on lap 110, taking out both cars. It was the first time two former winners had been involved in the same crash in the 500 since 1992
On Lap 149 Hornish began to leave his pit with the fuel pump still attached to his car; he was penalized by race officials with a “drive-through”–being required to drive through pit road, obeying the pit road speed limit, on a future lap. Team owner Roger Penske accepted responsibility for the error, having told Hornish to go before the fueling was complete. But Penske then made a shrewd decision which salvaged the race for Hornish–just a few laps later he ordered another pit stop for fuel only, before Hornish served the drive-through penalty. Although the mistake and subsequent penalty dropped Hornish from second to eighth, he would not need to pit again for the rest of the race, while many of the drivers ahead of him would need another pit stop for fuel, allowing Hornish to pass them.
Michael Andretti Raced again, finishing 2rd, Dan Wheldon was 4th and Tony Kanaan was 5th.
