The 101st edition of the Indianapolis 500 went exactly as the motorsports experts predicted. They said a veteran driver would win. They said a driver from the five-man Andretti Autosport stable would wear the wreath. They said a Honda-powered machine would push its driver into the winner's circle. They said a racer with Formula One pedigree would sip the milk.
Their predictions were correct, across the board. Except one. No one foresaw that the racer who would make them look so smart would at the same time make them look so wrong. They'd envisioned a Scott Dixon win from the pole or maybe an Alexander Rossi repeat or even a rookie run to the front from Fernando Alonso, the F1 world champ who skipped Monaco to spend May in Indiana.