Ryan Hunter-Reay

After his first IndyCar victory since 2015, Ryan Hunter-Reay could look back on some of the most frustrating moments of the drought.

The finish at the Indianapolis 500 was worth the wait for Ryan Hunter-Reay. He used a series of daredevil moves to deny Helio Castroneves a chance at history on Sunday and became the first American since 2006 to win "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

Tony Kanaan had one more lap, one anticlimactic last lap under the yellow caution flag, to end 12 years of frustration in the Indianapolis 500. Kanaan is Indy's hard-luck loser no more. He is its champion at last, fittingly with a dose of good luck for a change.

In finishing fourth, Ryan Hunter-Reay beat Will Power by three points for the IndyCar title, the first for an American since Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006.