In the end, maybe Dan Wheldon was at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday afternoon.
Wheldon, who was the winner of the prestigious race last year before his tragic death in October, was surely watching when Dario Franchitti took the checked flag for the third time in the Indy 500.
Franchitti was followed to the finish line by Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan, both very close friends of Wheldon.
"I think a lot of us that were close to Dan, you know, you wanted it that little bit more," Dixon said. "I guess maybe in the back of your mind, you figured he would probably help you out today, too. I think in that situation, seeing how it lined up with the top three, three of Dan's friends, it was a tough one."
It was a fitting way for a bittersweet day to end.
"Everybody up there was a friend of Dan's, and that about sums it up. Everybody loved him," Franchitti said with bagpipes playing behind him on the P.A. system.
Marco Andretti finished 24th in the race, never really being much of a factor in the afternoon.
Here's a full rundown of how the race concluded with every position noted.
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