Takuma Sato won Sunday’s 2020 Indianapolis 500, making the 43-year-old driver from Japan only the 20th two-time winner in the 104-race history. Sato also won the 2017 Indy 500.
For much of the second half of the 200-lap race at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sato’s primary competition for the lead and win was 2008 Indy 500 winner and five-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, who had a dominant race.
Dixon had the lead for 111 laps and gained control of the race right away. But Sato, driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, took the lead from him on Lap 158 and never relinquished it.
But just when it looked like the Indy 500 was headed for a thrilling late shootout for the checked flag, Sato’s teammate, Spencer Pigot, lost control and spun hard into the entrance to pit road, bringing out the caution flag on Lap 196.
This ultimately was the winning move of the #Indy500.@TakumaSatoRacer passed Scott Dixon and was leading when the yellow came out late for Spencer Pigot. pic.twitter.com/0tku0rtOqk
— IndyCar on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) August 23, 2020
And after that scary crash — Pigot was taken to a nearby hospital and released later Sunday night — IndyCar made the somewhat controversial decision to end the race under a caution, and because Sato had the lead with only a few laps to go, he won the race. Dixon finished second,
For The Win spoke with Sato on Sunday evening after the race for TK quick questions about making history, ending under caution and what his celebratory bottle of milk tasted like.
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