</s>(AP Photo/Darron Cummings). Will Power, of Australia, celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 27, 2018.

(AP Photo/AJ Mast). Will Power, of Australia, celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 27, 2018.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings). Will Power, of Australia, celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis Sunday, May 27, 2018.

(AP Photo/AJ Mast). Will Power, of Australia, celebrates with car owner Roger Penske on the start/finish line after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis Sunday, May 27, 2018.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy). Will Power, of Australia, celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis Sunday, May 27, 2018.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Will Power lost three consecutive championships before he decided a chance was in order.

He knew he must improve on oval tracks to be considered among the best in racing.

If there was any doubt how serious Power was about his turnaround, he settled it Sunday by winning on the biggest oval of them all.

Power won the Indianapolis 500 to check off one of the few empty boxes on his resume. When he stopped hating ovals, he won the 2014 IndyCar championship. When he started to appreciate Indianapolis Motor Speedway and made it a priority, he finally figured out how to win "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

"You work hard at something, it comes to you. It eventually comes to you, and (Indy) was the last box to tick to be considered as a very successful driver," Power said.

Power gave team owner Roger Penske a 17th Indy 500 victory in a sweep of the "month of May" at Indianapolis. Power also won on the road course - he's considered a specialist on road and street courses - two weeks ago and Sunday's win was his 34th, tying him with Al Unser Jr. for eighth on IndyCar's all-time list.

Power also became the winningest IndyCar driver in Penske history (31). He is the first Australian victor in 102 editions of the race and was able celebrate only a few hours after countryman Daniel Ricciardo won Formula One's Monaco Grand Prix, an extraordinary showing for drivers from Down Under on the biggest day of the year in motorsports.

Power is an emotional and expressive driver, and he's most known for getting caught on television flashing both his middle fingers at IndyCar race control. The moment made him an internet sensation. The Indy 500 victory he hopes makes him an international star.

"To be the first Australian to win the Indy 500, that's very special," he said. "Maybe they might recognize me down there now. I don't think many people know who I am down there."

And his winner's circle celebration is one that won't soon be forgotten because the wide-eyed Power could not stop screaming.

He screamed to wife, Liz, took a sip of the traditional milk, then dumped the rest over his head and around his crew. Liz Power reached for the empty milk bottle, then pointed out to her husband that he'd sprayed milk all over Indianapolis festival princess Natalie Murdock. He apologized, then started screaming again.

"I felt so bad. When I turned around, (her) glasses, she was covered in milk. I didn't realize she was behind me," Power said. "I said 'I'm so sorry.' What could I do? I didn't see (her) behind me."

It was his only wrong move of the race.

As Power held off pole winner Ed Carpenter to win his first Indy 500, the 81-year-old Penske pumped his fist in the air and clapped. Penske was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame earlier this month, but the Power victory kept him in Indianapolis and he was unable to travel to North Carolina to watch his three NASCAR drivers race in the Coca-Cola 600.

"To be able to race on Memorial Day in the biggest sporting event in the world, have America the way it is, that's what I'm going to take away from this race," Penske said. "I'm just so thrilled, 17 wins. Now I have to worry about 18. I'm not going to look back, I'll look forward. We have to be back next year."

This year's race was a strange one in that no clear favorite ever emerged and a new Indy car that has less downforce made it difficult to predict a winner. Penske's four Chrevolets were fast and so was Danica Patrick in the final race of her career. That was all that was known headed into Sunday.

Come race day, it was 91 degrees, just short of the Indy 500 race-day record of 92 set in 1937. The conditions created a slick, 2 ½-mile track, and new cars proved to be a handful for even the most experienced of drivers. Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Sebastien Bourdais and Patrick were among those who crashed in single-car spins. Defending race winner Takuma Sato was also knocked out when he ran into the back of a slower car.

Power led 59 laps but his final pit stop dropped him to fourth, behind three cars that were trying to win on fuel mileage. Kanaan's crash with 12 laps remaining set up a final restart with Oriol Servia out front. Servia didn't get a great restart and was passed by Stefan Wilson and Jack Harvey. But all three were gambling they had enough gas to get to the finish line, and it was Power who was frantically chasing them down.

Wilson and Harvey both ducked onto pit lane for gas, giving Power the lead with four laps remaining. He knew he had it won when he took the white flag all alone, and spent the final lap yelling to himself in joy as he drove away from the field.

"I've won so many races and poles, led more laps than anyone. I just hadn't done it here," he said. "I've be thinking, 'Am I going to finish my career without a 500 win?' I would race ovals every week now because I'm just so experienced at it, I really enjoy it, have become quite good at it. I feel like every time I go to an oval, I have a chance to win.

"That definitely wasn't the feeling at the beginning of my career. I would always think, 'Oh, it's going to suck.' I never thought I could win. Now I know every oval I go to, like a road course, I have a great shot at winning. That's the attitude you have to have."

Carpenter was second in another Chevy and noted just how much Power used to hate the speedway.

"I remember listening to him complain on the scanner, and I didn't really like him much in 2008 because he hated this place," said Carpenter, who grew up nearby. "Will and I became friends somehow. You can ask him now, like his favorite part of the schedule are the ovals. It's bizarre, but we kind of bonded since I'm an oval guy now. He likes to think of himself as an oval guy. He definitely has one up on me now."

Scott Dixon stretched his fuel to finish third and was followed by Alexander Rossi, who drove from 32nd to fourth and made some of the most spectacular moves in the race.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Will Power became the first Australian to win the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, taking the checkered flag in America's fabled race on his 11th attempt.

Power, runner-up on the 2.5-mile oval of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2015, was screaming into his radio mic as he crossed the line 3.1589 seconds ahead of pole sitter Ed Carpenter.

New Zealand's Scott Dixon, winner in 2008, was third, 2016 winner Alexander Rossi fourth and 2014 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay fifth.

"Man, I just can't believe it," said Power, the 2014 IndyCar Series champion who gave team owner Roger Penske a 17th victory in the Indy 500 -- the most for any owner.

The victory was the 34th of Power's IndyCar career, tying him for eighth place on the all-time list with two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr.

Power -- who also won the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on a multi-turn layout at the speedway earlier this month -- took over the series points lead after six of 17 races, with an 11-point edge over Penske teammate Josef Newgarden.

For a driver who once struggled on oval circuits, the victory on the most iconic oval of them all was the realization of a long-cherished dream.

"I always wondered if I was going to win it, and thoughts went through my mind, in my career," Power said.

"I've had so many wins, and so many poles, but everybody always talked about the 500. I just couldn't imagine winning a race in front of a crowd like this. It's just amazing. What an event. I love it."

Power, who started from the outside of the front row of the starting grid, was running fourth on the race's final restart from a caution and had moved up to third with five laps remaining.

Power clearly had plenty of speed in the second half of the 200-lap race, but in the end the way opened for him as race leader Stefan Wilson and second-placed Jack Harvey had to pit for fuel with just over four laps remaining.

"I'm just like 'I have to get these guys, I don't know how much fuel they've got, this is the restart of my life,'" Power said.

"And then I go on and two pit and I'm like 'Man, I think I'm going to win this!'

"I'm screaming — with one to go I'm screaming 'Man I've got this.'"

A stream of marquee names had fallen by the wayside by then. Takuma Sato's title defense ended on the 47th lap when the Japanese driver crashed into slow-moving James Davison.

Danica Patrick, who said the race would be the last of her groundbreaking 20-year racing career, hit the wall on the 68th lap.

"Today was really disappointing, for what we were hoping for and what you want for your last race," said the 36-year-old American, the only woman to win an IndyCar race and start from pole at the Daytona 500. "But I'm grateful for all of it. I wish I could have finished stronger."

France's Sebastian Bourdais, back at Indy a year after he suffered hip and pelvic injuries in qualifying last year,three-time winner Helio Castroneves of Brazil and 2013 winner Tony Kanaan of Brazil also failed to make it to the finish.

Castroneves hit the wall while running in the top five on lap 146.

"Probably went wide in turn three and probably was a little of dust in the tires and then as soon as I came to three and I tried to pass Simon (Pagenaud) but the rear just gave out," Castroneves said.

"I was not expecting (it), I never had a sign. The car was good. It was definitely tough out there."

He immediately petitioned team owner Penske for another shot saying: "Please Roger, I've got to go back."</s>Will Power can win anything now, even the Indianapolis 500, an intimidating race on an oval he hated because it marginalized his talent.

He drives for Roger Penske and nothing matters more to the boss than winning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So Power worked to change his attitude, improve his performance on ovals and respect the track.

It got Power into the most storied winner’s circle in history Sunday when he won the Indy 500 to give Penske a 17th victory in “The Great American Race.” Power actually swept the month of May at Indy after winning on the road course two weeks ago and the 37-year-old Australian now has 34 wins in IndyCar, tying him with Al Unser Jr. for most on the career list.

“I can’t believe it!” he screamed in the winner’s circle. “I can’t believe it.”

Penske arrived in Indy with four fast Chevrolets, and an engine builder determined to snap Honda’s two-race Indy 500 winning streak. The Chevys were the fastest cars in the field and Team Penske had four strong chances to win.

As Power held off pole winner Ed Carpenter to win his first Indy 500, the 81-year-old Penske pumped his fist in the air and clapped for his driver. Penske was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame earlier this month, and had a shot at closing Sunday with a victory in the Coca-Cola 600 in North Carolina.

“He won this race today because he was the best,” Penske said.

In the winner’s circle, Power could not contain his glee. He screamed to wife, Liz, took a sip of the traditional milk, then dumped the rest over his head and around his crew. Liz Power reached for the empty milk bottle, then pointed out to her husband that he’d sprayed milk all over one of the Indy 500 princesses. He apologized, then screamed some more.

Splashing the princess was the only wrong move Power made all day during an event that saw many of IndyCar’s top drivers make costly mistakes. James Hinchcliffe, a championship contender, failed to make the race at all. Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Sebastien Bourdais and Danica Patrick were among those who crashed in single-car spins. Defending race winner Takuma Sato was also knocked out when he ran into the back of a slower car.

Power led 59 laps but his final pit stop dropped him to fourth, behind three cars that were trying to win on fuel mileage. Kanaan’s crash with 12 laps remaining set up a final restart with Oriol Servia out front. He didn’t get a great restart and was passed by Stefan Wilson and Jack Harvey. But all three needed enough gas to get to the finish line, and it was Power who was frantically chasing them down.

Wilson and Harvey both ducked onto pit lane for gas, giving Power the lead with four laps remaining. He knew he had it won when he took the white flag all alone, and spent the final lap yelling to himself in joy as he drove away from the field.

“I was wondering if I would ever win it and thoughts when through my mind during the month, my career,” he said. “I’ve had so many wins, so many poles. Everyone talks about the 500 and I just couldn’t imagine winning a race in front of a crowd like this, this many people. It’s just amazing.”

Carpenter was second in a Chevy and noted just how much Power used to hate the speedway.

“He hated ovals and now he loves them,” he said. “He and I love racing together. Maybe someday he’ll race for me. I don’t know if we have a tampering rule in IndyCar, but congrats Will.”

Scott Dixon used strategy and stretched his fuel to finish third and was followed by Alexander Rossi, who drove from 32nd to fourth and made some of the most spectacular moves in the race. Rossi had no choice: It was difficult to pass in the 2018 car on a day that fell just 2 degrees short — it was 91 degrees — of being the hottest 500 in history.

The conditions created a slick, 2 ½-mile track, and new cars with less downforce proved to be a handful for even the most experienced of drivers.

Castroneves’ bid to win a record-tying fourth 500 ended when he spun exiting Turn 4. The popular Brazilian has been chasing Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt and Al Unser Sr. in the record books and even though Penske moved him to sports cars this year, Castroneves was given a seat for Indy.

Penske said if Castroneves won a fourth, he’d get a chance at a fifth, but Castroneves’ future in the race is in limbo. He savored his final moments Sunday and instead of taking an ambulance ride to the care center, he made the long walk down pit lane, waving to fans on the way.

“Please Roger, I’ve got to go back,” he said into a television camera.

Patrick was completing the “Danica Double” after wrecking out at the Daytona 500. She decided long ago that the race that made her famous would be her last, and while she called the outcome disappointing, she also expressed appreciation for all that Indianapolis had given her.

“Yeah, it’s an entire career,” she said, “but what really launched it was this. It’s both of them. I had a lot of good fortune here and did still have some this month. It just didn’t come today.”

Bourdais crashed a year after missing the race because of a harrowing, high-speed accident during qualifying. Bourdais had led at least one lap in every race this season, and led for the first time in his career at Indianapolis.

Honda didn’t win the race but did manage to put six of its cars in the top 10. Kanaan led at least one lap in his 14th Indy 500 to break a record he had shared with four-time race winner A.J. Foyt.</s>Castroneves is racing sports cars for team owner Roger Penske, but was given the chance to join the exclusive four-time winners club at the Indy 500. Now, he'll have to lobby Penske for another opportunity.

After the restart, Sage Karam hit the wall to knock him from the race. He had been running seventh, and radioed to his crew, "I really don't know what happened, man."

Sebastien Bourdais has crashed out of the Indy 500, a year after a horrific wreck during qualifying left the Dale Coyne Racing driver with a fractured pelvis and other major injuries.

Bourdais said this week that he thought his Honda-powered car was good enough to run with all the Chevrolets up front. He was strong in the early part of the race, too, before what appeared to be a tire puncture sent him sliding across the track and backward into the outside wall.

Will Power and Ed Carpenter have been the class of the field as the race approaches 50 laps to go, while Simon Pagenaud and rookie Zachary Claman De Melo have also been up front.

Danica Patrick, defending race champion Takuma Sato and Ed Jones also crashed out.

The temperature has hit 93 degrees at the Indianapolis 500, and that is causing serious concern for medical officials at the infield care centre.

Dozens if not hundreds of fans have been treated for heat-related illnesses already. About a dozen ambulances have been cycling through, golf carts are depositing fans at the facility, and there are even stretchers being used to carry people seeking help.

There is little shade around the racetrack, especially in the stands. And with no breeze and plenty of sun, the heat index has been hovering around the triple digits.

It was 89 when the green flag was dropped, making it one of the hottest races in history. The official record of 92 was set during the 1937 race.

Team Penske is flexing its muscles as the Indianapolis 500 crosses the 300-mile mark.

Will Power is running out front, Simon Pagenaud is third and Helio Castroneves is fifth to give Roger Penske three of the top five.

The Chevy-powered Penske stable has been strong all month, landing Power and Pagenaud on the front row in qualifying. And all four drivers made the fast nine with Newgarden starting fourth and Castroneves starting eighth.

Castroneves is in the familiar "Yellow Submarine" livery that Johnny Rutherford and his spotter, four-time winner Rick Mears, made famous for Team Penske.

Tony Kanaan has set a record by leading his 14th Indianapolis 500, breaking a tie with his boss, A.J. Foyt.

Kanaan has been running up front all day after starting inside Row 4. As usual, the crowd roared when the popular Brazilian and 2013 race winner moved to the front of the pack.

Meanwhile, Ed Jones has been transferred to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after his hard wreck earlier in the race. Jones was complaining of head and neck pain.

Danica Patrick says crashing out of the Indianapolis 500 was hardly the way she wanted to finish her racing career, but she's "grateful for all of it."

Patrick crashed in Turn 2 when she lost control and slid into the outside wall.

She said that her team wasn't sure what caused the crash, but the data showed "a little lift in the middle, a little understeer, then back to it and it just swung."

Asked whether she was emotional because of Indianapolis, where she became a star, or because it was the end of her career, she replied: "Yeah, it's an entire career, but what really launched it was this. It is both of them. I've had some good fortune here and did still have some this month. It just didn't come on race day."

Danica Patrick's racing career has ended with a crash in Turn 2 of the Indianapolis 500.

Patrick lost control of the car and hit hard in the outside wall, sliding back down across the track and into the inside barrier.

The rest of the field managed to miss Patrick as she came to rest on the grass. Despite the hard hit, Patrick managed to climb out of the car on her own.

Patrick announced months ago that she would retire after the Indy 500, the second half of the "Danica Double." She also raced the Daytona 500.

Defending champion Takuma Sato is out of the Indianapolis 500.

Sato ran into the back of James Davison, who was well off the pace, and the two collided in Turn 4 to bring out the first caution of the day.

Davison had been off the pace earlier in the race, and he was clearly slower than the rest of the field as they tried to zip by him. Sato was unable to dodge him on Lap 47, but the rest of the cars were able to avoid their debris.

Sato held off Helio Castroneves to become the first Japanese winner a year ago.

A short time later, Ed Jones brought out the second caution flag of the race after hitting the wall coming out of Turn 2.

Jones finished third as a rookie a year ago, which means two of the podium finishers were out of the race by Lap 58.

Takuma Sato, the defending champ, crashed into James Davison earlier in the race.

The power all month at Indianapolis belonged to Chevrolet and that hasn't changed on race day.

As the drivers approached the 100-mile mark, seven of the top eight cars had the bowtie engines in them. The only Honda-powered car breaking up the train was driven by Sebastien Bourdais.

Ed Carpenter in his Chevy-powered ride led every lap until the first pit stop.

Danica Patrick was the first to hit the pits, but everybody else was soon cycling through their first stops. The 90-degree heat may cause shorter runs than normal because of tire wear.

The Indianapolis 500 is under way with Ed Carpenter leading the field to the green flag for the 102nd edition of the storied race.

Danica Patrick is back for her final race, while Helio Castroneves is once again trying for his record-tying fourth victory.

Kelly Clarkson sang the national anthem and Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo was in the pace car. Actor Chris Hemsworth waved the green flag and Olympic medal-winning skier Nick Goepper of Indiana was the grand marshal.

The temperature was approaching 90 degrees when the green flag dropped. If it climbs three more degrees, it would surpass the record of 92 set during the 1937 race.

It is the final race on ABC before the broadcast moves to NBC next year.

It is the end of an era at the Indianapolis 500: ABC is bringing its coverage of the race to a close after 54 years.

The Indy 500 will be carried next year by NBC, the first time it will air on any other network, as part of a sweeping new multimedia rights package.

The ABC era began in 1965 with black-and-white, tape-delayed packages on the Wide World of Sports, and ushered in colour a couple years later. The broadcasts helped elevate the careers of icons like Jim McKay and Keith Jackson, and produced innovations that are still a staple in motorsports to this day: in-car cameras, high-definition TV and second-screen experiences.

They still love Danica Patrick at the Indianapolis 500.

Patrick received a massive ovation when she was introduced prior to her first Indy 500 since 2011, and the last race of her career.

Patrick shot to the public's attention her rookie year of 2005, when she started and finished fourth for Rahal Letterman Racing. She finished a career-best third in 2009 for Andretti Green Racing, then left for NASCAR a few years later.

She announced that she would do the "Danica Double" before retiring this year, beginning with the Daytona 500 and ending with the Indy 500.

She has a strong car, too. She starts from seventh for Ed Carpenter Racing.

James Hinchcliffe says it's "weird" being at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and not sitting in a car, but he plans to help his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports teammates as much as possible during the Indianapolis 500.

Hinchcliffe sat on the pole two years ago and was in the thick of the IndyCar title hunt. He was bumped from the field during qualifying last weekend along with Pippa Mann.

So, the popular Canadian driver was wearing a short-sleeve shirt rather than a firesuit Sunday.

Said Hinchcliffe: "Today is going to be tough, no doubt about it, but I'm really proud of this team, really proud of my teammates. I'm going to cheer them on the best I can, but I know it's going to be tough."

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia has won the Monaco Grand Prix, the crown jewel race on the Formula One schedule.

It's the second win of the season for the Red Bull driver, who also won the Chinese Grand Prix. It's his seventh career victory.

Ricciardo led throughout from the pole position.

Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari finished second and Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton was third.

There's no shortage of star power on the red carpet at the Indianapolis 500, where Kelly Clarkson is poised to sing the national anthem and Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo will drive the pace car.

Actor Chris Hemsworth will wave the green flag for the 102nd running, shortly after two-time Olympic medal-winning skier and Indiana native Nick Goepper concludes his duties as grand marshal.

Also spotted at the track have been comedian Adam Carolla, Miss America Cara Mund, and Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Ben Higgins from various seasons of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette."

Racing innovator and world-class driver Dan Gurney has been honoured with a tribute lap around Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Gurney, the first driver with victories in Formula One, IndyCar and NASCAR Cup series, died in January from complications of pneumonia. He was 86.

Gurney earned fame for winning the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix in the Eagle-Weslake, a car he created. He was a master engineer who found new ways to make cars faster and safer. He developed the Gurney flap, the Gurney bubble and was one of the first to wear a full-face helmet with a protective visor.

Gurney's also widely credited with starting the tradition of spraying champagne from the podium at that race.

The two-time Formula One champion pulled his McLaren onto the side of the track after 53 of 78 laps when he was pushing hard for a top-eight finish.

He immediately informed his team over radio it was a gearbox problem.

The Spanish driver skipped the race last year to take part in the Indianapolis 500.

Daniel Ricciardo is struggling to hold onto the lead halfway through the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver has the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel right behind him after 39 of the 78 laps.

Ricciardo's Red Bull team urged him to "stay focused" but Vettel is waiting for the right moment to pounce. His team kept him informed of Ricciardo's worsening situation.

Two years ago, Ricciardo also took pole position here and missed out on victory after his team botched a pit stop.

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton remains in third place but has complained of his tires degrading.

Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari is fourth but losing ground on Hamilton.

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton made an audacious move, pitting for softer and faster tires after just 12 laps at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver came out in sixth place, behind Force India driver Esteban Ocon. But Hamilton quickly passed the Frenchman to move into fifth behind teammate Valtteri Bottas.

The move prompted a flurry of tire changes as the top five drivers came in. By the 20th lap Ricciardo was back in front of Vettel, Hamilton and the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.

Those were the top four positions in qualifying.

The Monaco Grand Prix is under way, kicking off the biggest day in motorsports.

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo has made a clean start from the pole position. Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was in second place after holding off Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes heading into the first turn.

Starting from last place after a crash ruled him out of qualifying, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen quickly jumped up six places to 14th after just eight laps.

After days of unbroken sunshine, the weather is cloudy and somewhat windy before the start of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Still, it takes more to deter the Champagne-swilling fans waiting for F1's most glamorous race to start. They are perched on apartment balconies overlooking the track or watching from yachts as the loud music reverberates around the famed harbour.

Sebastian Vettel won last year and the Ferrari driver needs another good performance to claw back his 17-point deficit to championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

The Mercedes driver has won the past two races of the season, but has his work cut out seeing as Monaco's tight 3.4-kilometre (2.1-mile) course is the hardest to overtake on in F1.

Hamilton starts from third on the grid, while Vettel goes from second place and Daniel Ricciardo is on pole position, just like in 2016.

Max Verstappen — Ricciardo's Red Bull teammate — is last on the grid after crashing before Saturday's qualifying. He will look to carve his way through the field with his trademark aggressive driving.

One of the busiest days in motorsports has arrived.

The Formula One series kicks things off with the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, the jewel in the F1 calendar. After a difficult start to his title defence, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has won the past two races and leads Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by 17 points.

Hamilton starts from third place on the grid behind Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo and Vettel. Ricciardo took the pole position.

The 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 sees the career finale of Danica Patrick at the biggest race on the IndyCar calendar. She has stolen the spotlight for "The Great American Race" — but Helio Castroneves is chasing a record-tying fourth victory in the twilight of his IndyCar career.

NASCAR wraps things up Sunday night with one of its biggest races of the year, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Kyle Busch is on the pole. He has won a Cup points race at every track on the NASCAR circuit except Charlotte. Kevin Harvick has won the last three Cup races.

By The Associated Press</s>INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Danica Patrick’s racing career ended with a wreck in Turn 2 at the track that made her famous.

Patrick had been running near the middle of the pack in the Indianapolis 500 when she lost control, slid hard into the outside wall, then caromed across the track and hit the inside barrier.

The rest of the field missed Patrick as she came to rest on the infield grass.

Patrick, who shot to prominence by finishing fourth as a rookie in 2005, announced earlier this year that she would step away from racing after Sunday’s race. The race capped her “Danica Double,” which began at the Daytona 500, where she also crashed out well short of the finish.

Patrick has been a polarizing figure, and that only increased when she moved from IndyCar to NASCAR. She struggled to run up front despite driving for a powerhouse Stewart-Haas Racing team much of her career, and she wound up with just seven top-10 finishes.

Still, she is respected and in some cases revered at Indianapolis, where fans still remember her leading the 2009 race before finishing third. She was surrounded by autograph-seekers all month, and she got one of the loudest ovations during driver introductions Sunday.

Patrick said earlier this week she had no regrets about her career, and that she doesn’t think she will have the itch to ever come back. Instead, she plans to spend time on her burgeoning business empire and with her boyfriend, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.</s>INDIANAPOLIS — Danica Patrick's racing career ended with a wreck in Turn 2 at the track that made her famous.

Patrick had been running near the middle of the pack in the Indianapolis 500 when she lost control, slid hard into the outside wall, then caromed across the track and hit the inside barrier before coming to a stop on the infield grass in Lap 68 out of 200.

Patrick, who shot to prominence by finishing fourth as a rookie in 2005, announced earlier this year that she would step away from racing after Sunday's race. It was supposed to triumphantly cap her "Danica Double," which began at the Daytona 500, where she also crashed out well short of the finish.

"I mean, today was really disappointing for what we were hoping for and what you want from your last race," she said, "but I'm grateful for all of it. I just wish I could have finished stronger."

Patrick has been a polarizing figure in racing, and that increased exponentially when she moved from IndyCar to NASCAR. She struggled to run up front despite driving for a powerhouse Stewart-Haas Racing team much of her career, and she wound up with just seven top-10 finishes in five full seasons.

Still, she is respected and in some cases revered at Indianapolis, where fans still remember her leading the 2009 race before finishing third. She was surrounded by autograph-seekers all month, and she got one of the loudest ovations during driver introductions Sunday.

"I was definitely nervous," she said, "but I found myself most of the time on the grid feeling confused. 'What part of prerace are we in? I don't remember this. Where are the taps? When is the anthem?' But I had a lot of my people around me so I was in good spirits."

She was in very good spirits early in the race, when she started on the inside of Row 3 and was running near the top 10. But the new body of this year's IndyCar combined with temperatures soaring into the 90s made the cars hard to drive, and Patrick joined everyone else trying to figure things out.

Turns out she wasn't able to do that before disaster struck.

Patrick said earlier this week she had no regrets about her career, and that she doesn't think she will have the itch to come back. Instead, she plans to spend time on her burgeoning business empire and with her boyfriend, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.</s>Will Power, considered by many to be the best active IndyCar driver never to have won the Indianapolis 500, put that label to bed forever.

Power took the lead with only a handful of laps remaining to claim his first Indy 500 victory Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Power, the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion, finished a career-best second in 2015 for his first podium finish at the iconic race. Now, the Team Penske driver goes one better and will drink the traditional milk in victory lane.

Race leaders Stefan Wilson and Jack Harvey were forced to put with five laps remaining with their fuel running low, allowing Power to take the lead.

"I just can't believe it," an elated Power said after climbing out of his car. "I got to thank Roger Penske, Verizon, and my parents for allowing me to get to this point. I can't describe it. I feel like collapsing. I want to cry. I couldn't stop screaming.

"I always wondered if I was going to win it, and thoughts went through my mind, in my career. "I've had so many wins, and so many poles, but everybody always talked about the 500. I just couldn't imagine winning a race in front of a crowd like this. It's just amazing. What an event. I love it."

Pole winner and Indiana native Ed Carpenter finished second and four-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon came home third. Alexander Rossi, the 2016 winner, may have had the best race beyond Power. Rossi climbed from a starting position of 32nd to finish fourth.

Danica Patrick, completing the back end of the "Danica Double" which began with February's Daytona 500 — NASCAR's crown jewel — finished 30th in her final scheduled professional race after crashing on Lap 68. Patrick spun out driving through Turn 2 and hit the wall as her day ended in disappointment.

Patrick, who hadn't competed in the 500 since departing for NASCAR after the 2011 IndyCar season, had recorded six top-10 finishes in seven attempts at Indy prior to Sunday's race.

"I'm not sure really what happened," Patrick said to TV reporters after being checked and released from the infield medical center. "It just seemd to come around. I mean, today was really disappointing for what we were hoping for and what you want for your last race. I'm grateful for all of it. I wish I could have finished stronger.

"I've had a lot of good fortune here and still had some this month. It didn't come on race day, but we had some good moments."

Helio Castroneves, one of the best drivers to take the wheel in Indianapolis 500 history, saw another chance to tie the all-time record slip by when he crashed on Lap 147. The Team Penske driver spun off Turn 4 and hit the inside wall.

Castroneves, who had won three Indy 500s (2001, 2002, 2009) in 17 prior attempts, came home 27th after starting eighth. The Brazilian was attempting to tie the record of four wins set by A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears.

"Probably went wide in Turn 3 and probably was a little of dust in the tires and then as soon as I came to 3 and I tried to pass Simon (Pagenaud) but the rear just gave out," Castroneves said after he was released from the infield medical center. "I was not expecting; I never had a sign. The car was good. It was definitely tough out there."

Castroneves, who had moved over to Penske's sports car operation folliwing the end of the 2017 IndyCar season, was given a seat in the 500 by his longtime boss, Roger Penske, and he lobbied his team owner to bring him back to Indianapolis next year.

"Please, Roger, let me go back," Castroneves said.

In the closing stages of the race, fan favorite and 2013 champion Tony Kanaan spun out in Turn 2, bringing out a late caution with 12 laps remaining.

Sunday was also not a good day for last year's podium finishers, including 2017 winner Takuma Sato, who was taken out in a Lap 48 crash. Sato ran into the back of a struggling James Davison, who had been steadily losing speed. Ten laps later, Ed Jones, who finished third as a rookie last year, spun an hit the wall in Turn 2.

Also crashing out Sunday was Sebastien Bourdais, who missed last year's Indy 500 after he was injured in a horrible qualifying crash, and Sage Karam.</s>Click HERE if you’re having trouble viewing the gallery on your mobile device.

By JENNA FRYER | The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Will Power took the lead in the Indianapolis 500 with four laps to go, knew he had it won when he took the white flag all alone and spent the final lap yelling to himself as he pulled away from the field.

“Man,” he said, “I think I’m going to win this!”

The 37-year-old Australian did just that in a dominant performance for Team Penske. He managed his fuel strategy perfectly as Oriol Servia and Jack Harvey had to pit in the closing laps, and then made all the right moves to hold off pole winner Ed Carpenter to win his first Indy 500.

“I was wondering if I would ever win it and thoughts when through my mind during the month, my career,” he said.

“I’ve had so many wins, so many poles. Everyone talks about the 500 and I just couldn’t imagine winning a race in front of a crowd like this, this many people. It’s just amazing.”

Power extended team owner Roger Penske’s record of 17 wins in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” and it completed a sweep of May in Indianapolis for him. Power also won the road-course event.

He has 34 wins in IndyCar now, tying him with Al Unser Jr. for most on the career list.

“He hated ovals and now he loves them,” said Carpenter, the local boy who had dominated the early stages of the race. “He and I love racing together. Maybe someday he’ll race for me. I don’t know if we have a tampering rule in IndyCar, but congrats Will.”

Near-record temperatures at the start created a slick, 2 ½-mile oval, and new cars with less downforce proved to be a handful for even the most experienced of drivers.

Defending race winner Takuma Sato crashed out early in IndyCar’s most prestigious race. Danica Patrick’s career ended when she lost control and slammed into the wall. Sebastien Bourdais, three-time winner Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan also lost control and wrecked.

Patrick was completing the “Danica Double” after wrecking out at the Daytona 500. She decided long ago that the race that made her famous would be her last, and while she called the outcome disappointing, she also expressed appreciation for all that Indianapolis had given her.

“Yeah, it’s an entire career,” she said, “but what really launched it was this. It’s both of them. I had a lot of good fortune here and did still have some this month. It just didn’t come today.”

Bourdais crashed a year after missing the race because of a harrowing, high-speed accident during qualifying, while Castroneves — who is now driving sports cars for Penske — was going for a record-tying fourth victory in the Indy 500 in a brief return to open-wheel racing.

Moments after climbing out of his wrecked car, he begged Penske for another chance.

“We’ll certainly take a good luck at that for sure,” Penske said. “He got a good run and got a little high there. You don’t see a guy like that lose it very often.”</s>Danica Patrick's professional driving career came to a close on Sunday after crashing out of the Indianapolis 500. Patrick started the race seventh and ran inside the top 16 before getting loose and hitting the wall on Lap 67. The 36-year-old was able to climb out of the car under her own power before making a visit to the medical center.

Patrick also wrecked of her final race in NASCAR at the Daytona 500 earlier this year.

Despite the disappointing finish to her career, Patrick has accomplished many milestones in auto racing since joining IndyCar in 2005. Patrick became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race in 2008 when she won the Indy Japan 300. Her highest finish in the Indianapolis 500 was third in 2009.

Following her career in IndyCar, Patrick made the move to NASCAR, racing in both the Cup and XFINITY Series over seven years. Patrick became the first woman to clinch a pole position and holds the most starts, laps led and top-tens for a woman in the Cup Series in NASCAR. Patrick also won the XFINITY Series Most Popular Driver Award in 2012.

She won one race with 21 top-10 finishes and three podiums in her 367 races in all circuits.

Last year, Patrick announced that she would retire after running the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500. She plans to focus on her business and entrepreneur opportunities in retirement. Patrick also has not ruled out a potential broadcasting opportunity.
2014 IndyCar Series champion Will Power of Australia wins the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500. It is Danica Patrick's final race before her retirement.