Ken de la Bastide: Rookie shows savvy of veteran in Little 500 victory

Ken de la Bastide

What a weekend for racing in Indiana.

There were three major events in the state with the USAC Silver Crown Hoosier Hundred, the Lucas Oil Little 500 and the Indianapolis 500.

All three races afforded fans of open-wheel racing an opportunity to enjoy the sport.

A teenager from Massachusetts has gone from a name maybe not many fans have known to a recognizable one in the course of the weekend.

Jake Trainor started an incredible week on CB Fabricating Pole Day by earning a starting spot on the outside of the front row next to Kody Swanson and Tyler Roahrig.

The next day Trainor dominated a national Midget race at Indianapolis Raceway Park on the same night Bobby Santos III captured the Hoosier Hundred.

But Trainor's exploits were not done.

It takes a lot of luck to not only win but to finish the Little 500.

As the race progressed, drivers expected to compete for victory fell by the wayside — Santos, Bryan Gerster and Shane Hollingsworth among them.

But fans were treated to some great racing action in the middle stages of the race between Roahrig, the defending race winner, and Tanner Swanson.

Lap after lap, the two raced nose-to-tail until Swanson's day ended with an engine problem.

It was the second year in a row Tanner Swanson was a contender for the victory but mechanical gremlins ended his day.

It was then a battle between Roahrig and Caleb Armstrong that had everyone watching. That fight ended when Armstrong ran out of fuel.

A problem on a pit stop late in the race with a wheel nut knocked Roahrig out of contention and put three-time winner Kody Swanson on the point.

But Swanson was dealing with a car leaking power steering fluid onto his leg.

While all this was taking place, the teenager from the Northeast was showing the savvy of a Little 500 veteran.

Trainor ran most of the night in the top five, the crew conducted two perfect pit stops and their driver was able to stay out of trouble.

He took the lead on Lap 445 and pulled away from Swanson and Armstrong, who got back on the lead lap.

A late-race caution set up a five-lap shootout, but Trainor was not to be denied with Armstrong passing Swanson on the last lap to claim second.

Trainor became the first rookie driver to win the race since Greg Leffler accomplished the feat in 1981 and only the sixth in the 75-year history of the race.

Always exciting to see a first-time winner, but the weekend at Anderson Speedway also had a reason to reflect on the race.

Former three-time winner Jeff Bloom failed to find the speed during qualifying to make the starting grid.

Bloom has been coming to Anderson since winning the race as a rookie in 1972 and along with his wife, Linda, are two of the nicest people in the pit area.

They plan to return in 2024 to make another attempt at a Little 500. Hoping a real champion exits under his own terms.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.

Ken de la Bastide

Senior Reporter covering Anderson and Madison County government, politics and auto racing for The Herald Bulletin. Has been working as a journalist in central Indiana since 1977.

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