Josef Newgarden has become the first back-to-back Indy 500 winner since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002. However, his win did not come without controversy. Runner-up Pato O'Ward, who had secured top-five finishes at the Indy 500 in both 2021 (fourth) and 2022 (second) was visibly upset with how he finished. During his postrace interview, he expressed his frustrations.

That wasn't all though. Prior to that statement, O'Ward told reporters, "It’s hard to put it into words. I’m proud of the work that we did today. We recovered, we went back, we went forward, we went back. Some people just driving like maniacs. We had so many near race-enders. So close again. So (expletive) close."

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Pato O'Ward's frustrating finish at 2023 Indy 500

O'Ward knows a thing or two about ending a race early at the Brickyard. Just last year, O'Ward finished 24th at the Indy 500 despite leading for a race-high 39 laps. Unfortunately, he crashed out attempting to take the lead with just seven laps to go and was obviously very distraught about the whole situation, claiming a fellow racer, Marcus Ericsson, "pinched" him, causing the crash.

Now, in 2024, despite another strong finish, O'Ward is still looking for that first Indy 500 victory and is unsure how many more races like that he has in him. That's what makes it the most heartbreaking in his eyes. When asked whether or not the venue made the second-place finish more painful, O'Ward said:

"[Indianapolis] owes me nothing. I’d much rather obviously finish the race rather than compared to last year. It’s always a heartbreak whenever you’re so close especially when it’s not the first time. You just don’t know how many opportunities like that you have."

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It's hard to root against O'Ward given all the close finishes he's had. The emotion he offered fans in his postrace interview certainly adds to the appeal. At the very least, no one can say that he didn't give it everything he had. "I put that car through things I never thought it was gonna be able to do," he said. "Oh man, it’s just so painful when you put so much into it and then two laps short I guess. Or two corners short."

O'Ward has participated in the Indy 500 five times now in his career, and has recorded a top-10 finish in every race that he's completed. While it is easy to say that he will have many more opportunities and will eventually break through, it's still devastating to see someone come so close numerous times only to finish short every year.

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