Colombia revels in Indy 500 result, Chevrolet rules the day

Juan Pablo Montoya, of Colombia, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Rob Baker) Juan Pablo Montoya, of Colombia, celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Rob Baker)

By Associated Press May 25, 2015 4 min read

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – There were surely some parties in Colombia this weekend.

Juan Pablo Montoya roared back from some early damage sustained under caution to win his second Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, while fellow Colombian driver Gabby Chaves overcame some issues of his own late in the race to finish 16th in his debut.

“I remember being 6 years old,” Chaves said. “I woke up really early in the morning to watch (Montoya) in CART, Formula One. Congratulations to him. I’m sure the whole country is very proud and happy. Hopefully one day we can join him up there.”

Montoya needed to have his rear wing replaced early in the race after getting bumped from behind by Simona de Silvestro during a yellow flag. Chaves not only had an issue in his pit stall that resulted in a safety warning, he also had a front wing problem in the closing laps.

Chaves wound up sliding back from what could have been a top-10 finish.