( CNN ) -- Dan Wheldon was rounding the fourth turn in the last lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway , foot to the floor and focusing on passing a car when he caught something out of the corner of his eye . What was little more than a blurred glimpse for Wheldon was the center of attention for the thousands in the stands and millions more on television Sunday -- Indianapolis 500 leader J.R. Hildebrand 's car grinding against the track 's big gray outside wall as he came around the bend , moments from victory . `` As I cleared that car that I was overtaking I noticed that , just in the corner of my eye that he 'd got up in the gray and made contact with the outside retaining wall , '' Wheldon told CNN 's `` American Morning '' on Monday . `` And at that point I just focused on making sure that I did n't get caught up in any of the debris , made sure that he did n't come back across the track in front of me . '' And then ? Then , Wheldon said , he drove `` across the line like I stole it . '' The sprint gave the British driver his second Indianapolis 500 victory -- the first came in 2005 -- and a spectacular finish for a race that was once considered among the world 's premier sports spectacles , but which has seen its television ratings fall in recent years . The ratings for Sunday 's race , its 100th running , were not yet available . But viewership for the 2010 edition was the lowest since the event was first aired live in 1986 , according to the Indianapolis Star . About 4 million people watched last year , according to the newspaper . In a posting on the race 's official blog , Hildebrand said that he sensed his competition was catching up as he neared the final turn and did not want to risk slowing down to avoid a car coming out of the pits . So he opted to move outside , towards the retaining wall . The move obviously did n't pay off for Hildebrand , who was driving in his first Indy 500 race . The car slipped on what 's known in racing circles as marbles -- pieces of soft rubber shed from tires during the race , Hildebrand said . `` It 's a helpless feeling driving the race car when you get in a situation like that . It can happen on road courses , it can happen at other places . It 's most extreme at a place like this where it truly does turn into a one-groove track towards the end of the-race , '' the posting quoted Hildebrand as saying . `` That was certainly my mistake to have judged it otherwise . '' While the finish was a spectacle to remember for race fans , Wheldon said it just goes to show what Indy drivers have long known -- that letting up during a race simply is n't an option . `` With this race , you just never know what can happen , so it 's just about staying focused , '' he said . `` And you really do n't ever let off the power unless you have to . ''
Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon : I ` ` ##ed it like I stole it '' Race rookie J.R. Martin 's mistake in the final lap gave Wheldon the win . The crash left Hildebrand feeling ` ` helpless ''