Japan's Takuma Sato wins crash-filled Indy 500

A crash at the 2017 Indy 500
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/F1 Drivers)

On Sunday, Takuma Sato won the 101st Indianapolis 500, beating three-time winner Helio Castroneves by three car lengths in a wild, crash-filled race, with Ed Jones coming in third. Sato, the first Japanese driver to win the Indy 500, is a 40-year-old former Formula One driver who had won just one of his 123 IndyCar races. "Hopefully, the crowd enjoyed it," Sato said "It's beautiful. I dreamed of something like this since I was 12." A number of one-time race leaders were sidelined by seized-up engines and spectacular crashes, the most memorable being Scott Dixon's car being thrown through the air after being by Jay Howard's car. There was a lot of destruction but no serious injuries in the race. You can watch the Howard-Dixon crash, with ESPN commentary, below. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.