Indy 500 Recap: Watch Thrilling Ryan Hunter-Reay Vs Helio Castoneves Battle For Indianapolis 500 Victory [VIDEO]

The battle is special for many reasons as Brazilian phenom Helio Castroneves was hungry to become the only man to ever win the Indy 500 a record four times. That said, Castroneves was in the hunt. With 10 laps to go, Hunter-Reay had to dig deep to handle the immense pressure from the daring Brazilian.

"It was a great fight," Castroneves smiled. "I tell you what, I was having a great time. Unfortunately second. It's good, but second sucks, you know what I mean?"

Marco Andretti completed the podium in third. However, Andretti had never been close enough to challenge for first or second.

"Ryan's just been a huge part of our team, a great guy, a friend," said Michael Andretti, who won for the third time as a team owner and watched his son finish third. "To have him get a win here is awesome, he deserves it, he deserves to have his face on that trophy. If it couldn't be Marco, he's the next guy I wanted."

Carlos Munoz was fourth, and Juan Pablo Montoya was fifth. Nascar driver Kurt Busch managed an impressive sixth and follows up with the Coca Cola 600 race for Sunday afternoon.

"All in all, I'm very pleased. I cannot believe the execution of this team," Busch said before hustling away to a helicopter ride to his waiting plane. "I tried to enjoy it. My throat's real dry because I was smiling the whole time and the fresh air was coming in my mouth."

In the final moments of the race, Castroneves and Hunter-Reay had swapped positions for the lead three times. Finally, the breathtaking inside pass on Turn 3 put Hunter-Reay in the lead with just a lap to go.

''At the end of the day there's stupid and bravery, and I think we were right there on the edge, both of us," said Castroneves. "I'm glad we both come out in a good way. I'm sad it did not come out the way I wanted."