Freedom 100 Video: Watch Peter Dempsey Win Race in Wild Finish

Irishman Peter Dempsey had never won an Indy Lights race in his career before the green flag waved at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday afternoon for the 2013 Firestone Freedom 100.

His first win on the circuit couldn't have come in more dramatic fashion.

A four-wide finish at the most historic track in racing history transpired down the backstretch, with Dempsey hovering behind Gabby Chaves, Carlos Munoz and Sage Karam when things started to get heated.

Dempsey then made his own move to the outside as the racers approached the finish line, edging out Chaves at the checkered flag in what was the closest finish ever at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Better yet, four drivers crossed the line a fraction of a second apart.

The track's official Twitter account posted that Dempsey had won the race by the closest margin ever in an oval-track race at IMS:

"

The 4-wide finish of today's Firestone Freedom 100 is the closest oval finish in @ims history! @peterdempsey won with a margin of .0026!

— Indy Motor Speedway (@IMS) May 24, 2013"

Dempsey's finish was one for the books, and one that racing fans everywhere will be talking about for years to come.

As Dempsey, who races for Belardi Auto Racing, put it, "It was unreal" (h/t Miami Herald). It was his third career race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one that will be hard to top when he returns to Indiana each racing season.

Dempsey took to Twitter after the race express his excitement and thank fans for their support:

"

Thanks everybody for all the awesome tweets! I can't believe how much support I have got! #lovethefans

— Peter Dempsey (@peterdempsey) May 25, 2013"

"

Thanks again everyone for all the mentions! Glad I could entertain everyone today!

— Peter Dempsey (@peterdempsey) May 25, 2013"

Make sure you watch the video above to see just how impressive Dempsey's late-race heroics were, and take a second to gander at the majesty that is the four-wide finish at this event on Friday afternoon. As the announcers note over and over again during the tape, you won't see anything quite like this on your run-of-the-mill afternoon at the track.

Especially not at IMS.