Indianapolis 500: Juan Pablo Montoya Holds Off Will Power to Win

— -- Juan Pablo Montoya outdueled Will Power and Scott Dixon over the final five laps to win the Indianapolis 500.

Montoya, who came into the race Verizon IndyCar Series points leader, won the Indy 500 for the second time -- his first coming in 2000, when he was a rookie.

He, Power and Dixon traded the lead back and forth after a caution was lifted with less than 20 laps to go, and it wasn't until there were less than three laps left that Montoya pulled ahead to stay.

Power finished second, and Dixon wound up fourth, behind Charlie Kimball, who took third.

Montoya and Hélio Castroneves are now the only drivers to win twice in their first three Indy 500 starts.

"I don't even know what to say, this is too much," Montoya said after the race.

"This is what racing and Indy car is all about," Montoya added. "All the way down to the wire."

From Jeff Gordon to David Letterman, here are some of the other biggest moments from today's 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

1. Jeff Gordon drives the pace car

NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon switched gears, acting as the official pace car driver for the Indy 500. Gordon is from Pittsboro, Indiana, but he said this was his first time at the Indy 500 since he was 11.

2. First lap setbacks

In the first lap alone, Alex Taglianai's car didn't start and Conor Daly's car caught fire, according to ABC affiliate WRTV.

Then in turn 2 of the first lap, Takuma Sato tried to pass Sage Karam, and their cars collided. Ryan Briscoe was also involved in the crash.

3. Crash takes Tony Kanaan out of the running

Tony Kanaan, who was considered one of the favorites coming in to the race, lost control and crashed into a wall with just under 50 laps remaining.

Kanaan stepped out of the damaged car and waved to the crowd, but his chances of winning a second Indy championship were gone.

4. Major crash towards the end of the race

As the race neared the end, Jack Hawksworth and Sebastian Saavedrea clipped each other and rookie Stefano Coletti crashed into them. Saavedrea was carried to an ambulance, while Hawksworth and Coletti were checked and released, according to the Indy Star's live blog.

5. David Letterman makes a post-retirement appearance

Just days after starting his retirement, Indianapolis native David Letterman came to show his support at the Indy 500.

Letterman isn't new to the racing world -- he actually began his on-camera career as a pit reporter, and he's co-owner of the car driven today by Oriol Servia:

The Associated Press contributed to this report.