The Bay Area had a chance to pull out a huge victory at the Indianapolis 500, but Sausalito native J.R. Hildebrand came up less than a quarter of a lap short. In the span of about two seconds, Hildebrand went from a sure thing winner to no better than second place in one of the biggest races in the world. An unexpected crash cost Hildebrand a chance at victory.
The Indy 500 race officials took their time reviewing the final results, but eventually settled in on a Dan Wheldon victory. The big question mark was whether Wheldon passed Hildebrand after the yellow flag was issued. Had Wheldon passed Hildebrand AFTER the yellow flag was waved, Hildebrand would have been declared the winner. However, the Indy racing folks decided Wheldon passed Hildebrand prior to any yellow flag. Accordingly, Wheldon was issued the checkered flag and Hildebrand came in second for the race.
If you check out the video below you can watch as Hildebrand crashes into the wall in the final lap. This allows Wheldon to pass him and secure victory in the final turn of the lap. Feel free to judge for yourself how this all played out.