Simon Pagenaud, driver of the #22 Penske IndyCar Chevrolet V6, takes the checkered flag Sunday May 26, 2019, to win the NTT IndyCar Series 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500.
The 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 was clear demonstration that Chevy Indy car Engines were more powerful than ones supplied by Honda. Still in a surprising show of driving skill Honda drivers – notably Alexander Rossi who swapped the lead with a maneuvering Pagenaud during the closing 10 laps – made for an exciting finish that lived up to the ever present Indy hype at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The win is the second straight for Roger Penske – Will Power won in 2018 – who now has a total of 18 wins at the Indy 500, which is the most by any team and more than Chevrolet. It’s was the 13th Indy Car win of Pagenaud’s career and his first 500 checkered flag.
It truly was a Memorial Day Classic, having survived Tony George’s best attempts to kill the race with the ill-fated Indy Racing League fiasco. Nonetheless, the series, which used to dominate the sports pages during May is now only one racing event alongside the F1 Monaco Grand Prix (Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes-Benz) and NASCAR’s 600-mile Charlotte race (Martin Truex in a Toyota won).
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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