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| - Brazil's Helio Castroneves on Sunday won his fourth career Indianapolis 500, matching the all-time record for victories in the race, which was the largest sporting event held since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Castroneves -- who also won in 2001, 2002 and 2009 -- joined US legends AJ Foyt, Al Unser Sr and Rick Mears as four-time winners over 200 laps at the famed 2.5-mile (4km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. A sellout crowd of 135,000 -- a capacity that was nevertheless smaller than usual, a Covid precaution decided by local officials -- watched Castroneves hold off Spain's Alex Palou over the final laps to take the victory at age 46. "I love Indianapolis," Castroneves said. "The fans, they give me energy. This is absolutely incredible." Castroneves passed Palou on the first turn of the penultimate lap, then held him off as he came upon slower cars on the final lap before taking the checkered flag to capture the fastest Indy 500 in history by 0.4928 of a second. "Right now, I'm just excited," said Castroneves. "I knew I was going to get a fight. I put the elbows out. It was incredible. I still got it, don't you think?" A tearful Castroneves continued his "Spider-Man" tradition, established in his earlier triumphs, by climbing the safety fence along the outside of the front straightaway as spectators roared with delight. Once he descended, rivals and legends congratulated him, including racing legend Mario Andretti, and Castroneves' crew shared a joyful embrace. Palou was second with France's Simon Pagenaud third, edging Mexico's Pato O'Ward. Castroneves, who made his 21st Indy 500 start from the middle of the third row, celebrated his accomplishment as the latest in a series of wins by golden oldie sports champions that included 43-year-old Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady and 50-year-old PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson. "Tom Brady won the Super Bowl. Phil Mickelson won the PGA. The old guys still got it," Castroneves said. "We're still kicking the young guys' butt. We'll teach them a lesson. We've still got it." Castroneves, who had raced at Indy for 20 years on the Roger Penske Racing team, won this time on a special one-off entry from upstart Meyer Shank Racing. "No one ever gave up. They gave me an incredible car and we did it," said Castroneves. "It's not the end of it. It's the beginning." Palou took the lead with 38 laps remaining with Castroneves just behind him, and the two exchanged the lead over the final laps as the tension mounted. Castroneves seized the lead with seven laps remaining but Palou passed the South American on the front straight with five laps to go, setting the stage for the last dramatic Castroneves pass. "I didn't let him past but once you get a good run, there's nothing you can do," Palou said. "It hurts to finish second. But we'll be back stronger. It's only my sixth or seventh race on an oval." Palou, 28th last year in his Indy 500 debut, took his only IndyCar victory in this year's opener at Alabama. Palou took the lead in the IndyCar season points series with 248 to 212 for previous leader Scott Dixon, a six-time series champion from New Zealand who finished 17th after starting from the pole. js/sst
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