History books officially credit Helio Castroneves as the winner of the 2002 Indianapolis 500. Paul Tracy, however, has never accepted that verdict. Two decades later, he still insists: "We got robbed."

The finish of that race remains one of the most controversial in Indy 500 history. Tracy can still replay every detail—the pass he made on Castroneves during the 199th lap, the flash of the yellow caution light, the roar of the crowd. For a moment, he believed he had crossed the finish line first and won the greatest race in American motorsport.

"I'm screaming on the radio. I'm screaming in joy," Tracy recalled in May 2022. "And then all of a sudden, there is this confusion."

The confusion centered on a yellow flag thrown after a crash in Turn 2. Had Tracy completed his pass before the caution light came on? As he drove what he thought was a victory lap, he radioed in: "Where do I go to the winners' circle?" The response was puzzling. He was told to return to the pit box. When he asked why, the answer was blunt: "Come to the pit box. Castroneves is climbing up the fence."

Tracy couldn't believe it. In a split-second decision, Indy Racing League officials had initially declared Castroneves the winner. But nothing was official. Tapes needed review. Rulebooks needed study. For six agonizing hours after the checkered flag, no one knew who had actually won the 2002 Indianapolis 500.

As evening fell over Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, 2002, the engines had long gone silent. Crowds had dispersed. Concession stands were shuttered. Cleaning crews finished their work. Yet hundreds of reporters lingered, waiting for an answer. Tracy stayed. Castroneves stayed. Both men waited to be declared the victor.

Castroneves had already climbed the fence in celebration, drunk the winner's milk, and posed with the wreath. But that was just for show. The real decision came hours later, after Brian Barnhart, the IRL director of operations, had watched and re-watched the finishing seconds of video and pored over every line of the rulebook.

Twenty years on, the trophy sits in Castroneves' home. The history books bear his name. But Paul Tracy doesn't care what the records say. In his mind, he won that race—and he always will.