INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Takuma Sato captured his second career Indianapolis 500 victory Sunday after pulling away late from Scott Dixon and Graham Rahal under caution.
With five laps to go, Spencer Pigot hit the wall, putting the remainder of the race under a yellow flag, CBS Sports reported.
Meanwhile, Dixon led for 111 laps but finished second for the third time in his career.
.@TakumaSatoRacer is a two-time #Indy500 winner, and he's loving that milk! pic.twitter.com/Cb7QI71kj5
— IndyCar on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) August 23, 2020
Sato, who is from Japan, is the only Indianapolis 500 winner from Asia, and last kissed the bricks on Memorial Day weekend 2017, the network reported.
“”It’s great ... worldwide, this is a mega-sport and I’m really proud to be part of the winners again. I hope this gives [Japan] a little boost of energy, and thank you for a lot of support,” Sato said.
Sunday’s victory also marked the second Indy win for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
According to The Indianapolis Star, Sunday’s race was not the first time the 500-mile race finished under caution, with yellow-flag finishes coming in both 2012 and 2013.
In 2012, it was Sato who crashed on the final lap while challenging Dario Franchitti. In 2013, a Franchitti crash caused the final three laps to be run under caution. Tony Kanaan won that race, the Star reported.
After the race, Sato talked to NBC Sports about holding off Dixon in the closing laps prior to the yellow flag: “We knew in terms of the fuel strategy, it was a little tight. I couldn’t use max power, so I had to switch back and forth,” Sato said. “And Scott was coming right through out of turn four...he was screaming coming and I just held on.”
After the race, NBC Sports reported that Pigot would be taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation and that he was alert.
The 2020 Indianapolis 500 was delayed by three months in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The event was held without spectators at the 235,000-seat track.
2020 Indianapolis 500 results:
1. Takuma Sato
2. Scott Dixon
3. Graham Rahal
4. Santino Ferrucci
5. Josef Newgarden
6. Pato O'Ward
7. James Hinchcliffe
8. Colton Herta
9. Jack Harvey
10. Ryan Hunter-Reay
Cox Media Group
