Tributes and tradition at Indy 500

The greatest race in the world is over and done with for another year. The 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 was Sunday, and Dario Franchitti became a three-time winner of the greatest spectacle in racing. One piece was sorely missed this year though: Defending race champion Dan Wheldon was absent from the race field, though he was on the minds of the racing teams and thousands of fans.

It's hard to believe that a year ago, Wheldon drove to the checkered flags and past JR Hildebrand who hit the wall in turn four on the last lap of the 2011 race. It was the second Indy 500 win for Wheldon, and sadly, it also became his final career win. He died in the IndyCar season finale in Las Vegas last October.

This race day was filled with tributes to Wheldon. Franchitti also invited Dan's wife Susie to ride in the convertible for the parade lap after his victory. Credit where credit is due, Mr. Franchitti.

Tributes aside, this was still the Indianapolis 500. It has so much history and so much tradition that any race fan can't help but get a little excited in anticipation. I was pretty curious to see what the day would hold, being that it's 2012 and that the races 10, 20 and 30 years ago all were pretty memorable.

10 years ago
In 2002, veteran driver and a CART/Champ Car favorite Paul Tracy was robbed. Yes, Helio Castroneves won the race, one of the three he has under his belt at Indy. But the win didn't come without controversy. Tracy passed Castroneves around the same time as a crash which caused a caution flag to fly with just a few laps to go.

Tracy thought the pass stuck, which would make him the winner since the race would finish under caution. That didn't end up being the case, however. The powers that be declared the pass came after the caution. I was really pulling for Tracy on this one.

20 years ago
Twenty years ago was the closest finish in Indy 500 history, though others have come close. I was just a little kid at this point, but the story of this epic finish isn't lost on a race fan. My dad attended this race and was there to witness the history. Al Unser Jr. and Scott Goodyear battled until the end. Goodyear tried to make a move near the line, but he didn't have enough.

30 years ago
Another memorable race was in 1982. It started and ended with a bang. A crash before the race even started brought out the red flag to stop the race. Kevin Cogan's car suddenly went sideways in the middle of row one, causing a chain reaction. It got IndyCar legends Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt pretty upset, that's for sure.

The race ended with a great battle during the last few laps between Rick Mears and Gordon Johncock. Mears tried a pass at the line, but it was Johncock who won. You can't feel too bad for Mears though; he's in the elite class of four-time Indy 500 winners.

So, with all the great racing Indy has seen, I was expecting another gem for 2012. I wasn't wrong, even if the result wasn't my first choice for the winner.