Indy 500 Winner: Tony Kanaan Wins 97th Edition of Historic Race

Tony Kanaan made history on Sunday afternoon, as he was the first to cross the finish line at the 97th Indianapolis 500 after the race saw the lead change a record 68 times.

According to the public relations Twitter account for IndyCar, the number of lead changes was nearly double the previous record of 34, set just a year ago:

Kanaan took the lead in the 197th lap after Dario Franchitti, who sought the fourth Indy 500 win of his career, hit the wall. From there, it was relatively smooth sailing—or driving—for one of the race’s fan favorites, who finished first under caution.

Here's a look at Kanaan drinking the celebratory bottle of milk after winning the race.

Kanaan had been unsuccessful in 11 previous attempts at the Indy 500, despite starting in the first five spots on six occasions. He finished in second place back in 2004 and has finished third a pair of other times, most recently in 2012.

Kanaan hasn’t had the best year and entered Sunday’s race in 17th place in the IndyCar standings. That, and the fact that he started in the No. 12 position for the race, didn’t matter at all.

Here's a glance at Kanaan crossing the finish line, provided by the Indianapolis Star:

Kanaan tweeted Sunday morning how excited he was for the race:

Many were quick to congratulate the Brazilian, including Danica Patrick, via her Twitter account:

Jimmie Johnson also had kind words for Kanaan, sharing his thoughts with a tweet:

Rookie Carlos Munoz finished in second place with Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti and Justin Wilson following shortly behind.

Ed Carpenter, who is from Indiana and won the pole for the race, held the lead for most of the first half, but he eventually slowed and lost the advantage. Carpenter finished in 10th place.