Indy 500 Results 2015: Post-Race Quotes from Juan Pablo Montoya and Top Drivers

"This is what racing and IndyCar is all about, awesome racing all the way down to the wire." That's how Juan Pablo Montoya described his thrilling late run from 30th to win the 99th edition of the Indianapolis 500, per ESPN.com.

The 39-year-old Colombian also used words like "fun" and "awesome" after he surprised the field and took advantage of a slight clash between the more fancied drivers, Scott Dixon and Will Power, per AutoSport.com's Mark Glendenning: "That was fun. I knew I had a good car when I came through the field. But the fight at the end was hard. It's awesome. I'm looking for the words; it's too much."

Montoya passed the pair to complete a 15-lap sprint to the finish line. It was a late surge that seemed to catch both Power and Dixon by surprise. Indeed, the two drivers seemed a little more concerned with each other and didn't keep a close enough watch on Montoya until it was too late.

His win puts him in rare company among IndyCar drivers, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

Yahoo Sports From the Marbles blogger Nick Bromberg dubbed the win the "crowning moment for Montoya in his return to open-wheel racing after a stint in NASCAR." Bromberg also detailed the "insane outside move" Montoya used to pass first Dixon then Power.

It was particularly bitter blow for Dixon to absorb. A winner in 2008, he led this year's field for a "race-high 84 laps" but eventually was left in fourth, per IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Afterward, a frustrated Dixon lamented problems with his car, per TVNZ.com: "When I really needed to go, I just couldn't turn the car. We were fighting a little bit with the car overheating, there was definitely a lot going on."

Dixon concluded by emphasizing the pain of losing in Indy, saying, "This one always hurts."

Meanwhile, Power could afford to be a little more magnanimous after watching a teammate win. He joked he'd perhaps taken it easy on fellow Team Penske driver Montoya, per ESPN.com.

But like the winner, Power also described how exciting the finish was: "Montoya got that last run, and maybe I was a bit nice to him into [Turn] 1 and lifted. That was some serious racing there, a lot of fun."

Power's gracious support for Montoya is admirable. But it's Dixon who will really be left to rue the events in Indianapolis.

He'd entered the race owning pole position, usually a major advantage. Sports Illustrated's Andrew Lawrence had also detailed his comfort with some of the modifications made to the cars for this year's race.

In particular, he cited how well Dixon had handled the altered outer shells, the oval aero kits designed to induce greater speed, during qualifying races. Those are advantages top drivers very rarely waste.

Dixon's complaints about his car in the race's aftermath don't exactly reflect well on Chip Ganassi Racing. Perhaps they also raise doubts about the effectiveness of a streamlined exterior.

But Montoya's win is a commanding statement from Team Penske, who provided this image of the finish, per its official Twitter feed:

Having a pair of its drivers take the two top spots serves as a major endorsement of the team's vehicles and preparation.

A former Nascar driver coming back to IndyCar and winning such an exciting race is an endorsement of the latter's enduring appeal and spectacle. It was left to the winner to say it best, per ESPN's Ryan McGee: "I think what we saw here today is all the proof people should need that IndyCar racing is the most exciting racing in the world."

After this thrilling a finish, few would disagree with his assessment.