[autotag]Pato O’Ward[/autotag] thought he had finally accomplished his dream. In Turn 1 on the final lap of the 2024 Indianapolis 500, O’Ward passed Josef Newgarden for the lead, which is the turn where he lost the 2022 event. However, the Arrow McLaren driver’s dreams faded quickly after Newgarden pulled off a remarkable pass in Turn 3, winning his second straight Indy 500.
O’Ward climbed out of his No. 5 car in devastation. The 25-year-old driver was in tears as he thought the 2024 Indianapolis 500 was his to lose. Then, O’Ward talked to NBC Sports about the defeat and didn’t hold back his emotions.
“It’s hard to put it into words,” O’Ward said. “I’m proud of the work we did today; we recovered, we went back, we went forward, we went back. Some people were just driving like maniacs. We had so many near-race ends and were just so close again, so [expletive] close.”
Pato O’Ward speaks after finishing 2nd in the #Indy500. pic.twitter.com/yMUW4MqM0N
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 27, 2024
“I put that car through things I never thought it was going to be able to do. Sometimes I said, ‘Aw, that’s it,’ and somehow I came out of the other side of the corner. Oh, man: It’s just so painful when you put so much into it, and then two corners short.”
The words don’t do it justice. O’Ward was absolutely devastated, and everyone could see it after the race and during the interview. The Arrow McLaren driver was so close to winning the biggest racing event in the world. Instead, O’Ward has to settle for another second-place finish and wait for his turn at winning the Indianapolis 500.
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