2018 Indianapolis 500 results: Will Power wins

Will Power finally became an Indy 500 winner at IndyCar’s 102nd Indianapolis 500. Here are the complete 2018 Indianapolis 500 results.

The 2018 Indianapolis 500 was indeed a great spectacle, as the Verizon IndyCar Series drivers battled each other — and their new cars — with Will Power emerging as this year’s Indy 500 winner.

Hometown hero Ed Carpenter started on the pole for the third time in his IndyCar career, and held that lead through almost the first quarter of the race.

But on Lap 47 of 200, the first caution came out when Takuma Sato drove up on the rear tire of a slow James Davison, sending both of them spinning and finishing the day for the defending Indy 500 winner.

Carpenter easily reclaimed the top spot on the Lap 56 restart, with 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan in second place. Two laps later, the driver who replaced Kanaan at Chip Ganassi Racing, Ed Jones, spun into the wall to bring out another yellow flag.

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The Lap 64 restart saw Kanaan pass Carpenter, then Carpenter clear Kanaan one lap later. But they’d have to do it again as on Lap 68, Danica Patrick wrecked out of her final career race, and this time Kanaan stayed in front.

At the halfway point it was Graham Rahal in the lead while drivers cycled through pit stops (and Zach Veach’s car caught fire). Will Power assumed the front spot on Lap 109 and held it until he made his next stop on Lap 130.

Two front-runners lost their cars shortly thereafter. Sebastien Bourdais ran up front before his own single-car spin on Lap 140, followed by Helio Castroneves slamming the inside wall just in front of pit lane on Lap 146 from fifth place, ending his bid to become a four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.

The 2018 Indy 500 went green again on Lap 153, before Sage Karam crashed out two laps later for his fourth consecutive Indianapolis 500 finish of 28th or worse. On Lap 161, Power stayed ahead of Carpenter and a surging Alexander Rossi, who had improved all the way from 32nd to third.

With 12 laps to go, Tony Kanaan’s once-promising day came to an end when he spun out. That also packed up the field, with Will Power the top-running full-time IndyCar driver in fourth place. The green flag waved at the seven-lap mark, and Power reassumed the lead with five to go and kept it for good.

“This is just, I can’t describe it,” a breathless Power said in Victory Lane. “I feel like collapsing. I want to cry.”

After being so close to winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2015, the Australian finally nabbed the win three years later. He’s now achieved Team Penske’s 200th IndyCar victory and an Indianapolis 500 win in the same year. Congratulations to Will Power on what’s already a spectacular 2018 IndyCar season!

Below are the complete Indianapolis 500 results:

1 – Will Power
2 – Ed Carpenter
3 – Scott Dixon
4 – Alexander Rossi
5 – Ryan Hunter-Reay
6 – Simon Pagenaud
7 – Carlos Munoz
8 – Josef Newgarden
9 – Robert Wickens
10 – Graham Rahal
11 – JR Hildebrand
12 – Marco Andretti
13 – Matheus Leist
14 – Gabby Chaves
15 – Stefan Wilson
16 – Jack Harvey
17 – Oriol Servia
18 – Charlie Kimball
19 – Zachary Claman De Melo
20 – Spencer Pigot
21 – Conor Daly
22 – Max Chilton
23 – Zach Veach
24 – Jay Howard
25 – Tony Kanaan
26 – Sage Karam
27 – Helio Castroneves
28 – Sebastien Bourdais
29 – Kyle Kaiser
30 – Danica Patrick
31 – Ed Jones
32 – Takuma Sato
33 – James Davison

Next: Read our interview with IndyCar's Ed Jones

The next Verizon IndyCar Series race is the Dual in Detroit on June 2nd and 3rd. For complete coverage of the 2018 IndyCar season, follow the Motor Sports category at FanSided.