Takuma Sato reflects on Indy 500 win
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — In advance of picking up his check for winning Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, Takuma Sato spoke with 24-Hour News 8.
“The last 24 hours have been absolutely crazy,” Sato said, noting the dozens of interviews he’s been doing. “In Japan, it was loaded with people screaming.”
At the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis, he said the drive to the finish against Helio Castroneves, who was seeking a fourth Indy 500 win, was intense. Hear more from Sato in the video.
Sato earned $2,458,129 from an overall purse of $13,178,359 for his victory. He won over Castroneves by 0.2011 of a second, the sixth-closest finish in Indy 500 history. Sato took the lead from Castroneves for good on Lap 195 of the 200-lap race. Sato led twice for 17 laps.
Castroneves, who dodged multiple on-track incidents and led nine laps even after receiving a drive-through penalty, earned $770,629 for finishing second. He became one of seven drivers with three Indianapolis 500 runner-up finishes.
Third-place finisher Ed Jones, who never led the race, earned $535,629.