INDIANAPOLIS — Vitor Meira entered Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 with seven second-place finishes in his career and no victories.
Make that eight second-place finishes after he chased Scott Dixon to the checkered flag.
“It’s very close,” Meira said of that first victory. “I mean, this feels like a victory for us. How many, even in the grandstands here, how many of you guys counted me as leading lap 160 or whatever? Not many.
“We did, and we believed it and we’re always going to. We always, no matter what, are going to do our best. When I got out of the car, I saw that everybody on the team was very happy. The National Guard people were happy, Delphi people were happy, I was very happy. And the reason is we took everything out we had. Looking at the beginning of this year and the end of last year, this is a very, very good result. I will never take it for granted.”
Meira finished second to Dan Wheldon in the 2005 Indy 500 and has become the “Bridesmaid” of the IndyCar Series. With so many second-place finishes, Meira has done practically everything possible to win a race without getting into victory lane.
After struggling with Panther Racing last year, the team cut back to a one-car team to focus all its attention on Meira.
It appears to have paid off as Meira has been competitive most of the season, but Sunday at Indy, Meira was ready to make a statement.
“I think it’s the right place to come back,” Meira said. “I’m really happy with the Delphi National Guard team, the crew most of all, for having great pit stops and putting me there in front. That’s what we needed, actually, according to our setup and everything.
“We were a little light on downforce, and we needed a little clean air. So that certainly made our day. I’m really proud of everybody. We did our best today. I certainly did my best today, and so did the crew, the engineers, everybody. That’s what we need. I’m really proud of everybody.”
Meira likes to describe Panther Racing as the “team that can.” It has proven competitive against the top teams in the series. But in Meira’s mind, that’s still not enough.
 “I think, if I’m not mistaken, it was Dixon, me, Marco Andretti and Helio Castroneves at the end of the race,” Meira said. “So it’s right there, Ganassi, Panther, which is the first way that we are there, AGR (Andretti Green Racing) and Penske. We are among the big three. We are ahead of two of them. Just time, a matter of time until we come back and are better.
“I’m really confident of the team. We have only one car; let’s not forget we have only one car. So that hurts a little bit, but with good people we are making a difference, and that’s how we’re going to continue.”