INDIANAPOLIS -- The year 2011 was the second in a row that Butler University reached the men's basketball National Championship and lost. This time it was to the University of Connecticut, 53 to 41.
It was also the year the "Donald" created drama for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The track named Donald Trump as the pace car driver for the 95th Indianapolis 500 and almost immediately the selection evoked criticism.
A Facebook campaign called for his dismissal as the driver. Shortly after May began, Trump bowed out citing his presidential bid and increasingly busy schedule.
Four-time winner AJ Foyt took his place.
On race day, the drama continued on the track all the way until the last lap.
All rookie J.R. Hildebrand had to do was safely negotiate the final turn, and he would have won. But Hildebrand's car drifted high on the final turn of the last lap and he hit the wall, allowing Dan Wheldon to pass by him with ease and claim his second Indy 500 victory with an average speed of 170.265 miles per hour. Hildebrand finished second in his wrecked car.
It was Wheldon's last victory as tragically, five months later he lost his life in a crash at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He will always be known as a two-time Indy 500 champion.
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Tune in to RTV6 News at 6 p.m. every night for our Road to 100, where we take a look back at each of the races leading up to the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
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