Some races are remembered for their glory. Others are remembered for their controversy. The 2002 Indianapolis 500 falls squarely into the latter category—a finish so disputed that two decades later, the man who crossed the finish line first still insists he was robbed.
Paul Tracy can replay every second of that fateful day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The pass on Lap 199 that put him ahead of Helio Castroneves. The yellow caution light that flickered on. The roar of the crowd that sounded like victory. In his mind, he won the Indianapolis 500. And he'll never change that story.
"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."
That confusion centered on a single question: Did Tracy complete the pass before the caution flag waved for a crash in Turn 2? It was a split-second judgment call that would spark one of the most debated finishes in motorsports history.
As Tracy drove what he believed was his victory lap, he radioed his team: "Where do I go to the winners' circle?" The response stopped him cold. "Come back to the pit box," he was told. Confused, he asked why. The answer was surreal: "Come to the pit box. Castroneves is climbing up the fence" to victory.
"What do you mean? Why?" Tracy asked, the realization dawning that something had gone terribly wrong.
In the immediate aftermath, Indy Racing League officials made a snap decision: Castroneves was declared the winner. But it was far from official. Tapes were reviewed. Rulebooks were consulted. For six agonizing hours, the racing world waited to learn who had actually won the 2002 Indianapolis 500.
When the final decision came down, it was Castroneves who was handed the trophy—the first of his record-tying four Indy 500 victories. But for Tracy, the official record means nothing.
"We got robbed," he said, and he's never wavered from that belief. Even with the trophy sitting in Castroneves' home, even with the history books listing the Brazilian as the champion, Tracy insists that on that May afternoon in 2002, he was the first driver to cross the finish line.
As evening fell on Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, 2002, the roar of engines had long faded. Hundreds of reporters milled about with nothing to report. Cleaning crews finished their work. Concession stands were shuttered. And two drivers stayed, waiting—one for a trophy he'd been denied, the other for a victory that would never be fully settled in the eyes of his rival.
Twenty-two years later, the debate continues. And for fans of racing history—and the merchandise that celebrates it—the 2002 Indy 500 remains a fascinating chapter in the sport's storied legacy.