Turbocharged, 345-horsepower, front-wheel-drive. The Ford Focus RS500 limited-edition, Europe-only hatch excites nearly all of our brain’s envy regions. These videos with WRC driver Mikko Hirvonen behind the wheel do nothing to temper the jealousy. The first video shows Hirvonen touring through the Eifel region of Germany and narrating his…

High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) – there you go. You now know how the Hummer got it’s name. For the last 20+ years Humvee’s have been carrying, transporting and protecting U.S. service men and women in regions around the globe. Their off-road capabilities are legendary and their ability to withstand combat conditions is simply incredible. There are also no less than 17 different configurations and according to Wikipedia they can be set up as the following: Cargo/troop carriers, automatic weapons platforms, ambulances (four litter patients or eight ambulatory patients), M220 TOW missile carriers, M119 howitzer prime movers, M1097 Avenger Pedestal Mounted Stinger platforms, MRQ-12 direct air support vehicles, S250 shelter carriers, and other roles. Not too shabby for a vehicle that has roots derived from the small Willy’s Jeep that first saw service in WWII.

Dario Franchitti in 2009. Photo: Manningmbd

In the end, the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500 came down to which driver was best at conserving fuel. In the final ten laps, it looked like the race could still be a toss-up between Dario Franchitti, whose Target Chip Ganassi car led the majority of race laps, Tony Kanaan, whose last place to second place run was nothing small of brilliant, or even Marco Andretti, who drove the most intelligent race of his career. When Andretti Autosport realized that neither Kanaan nor Andretti would have sufficient fuel to end the race, it looked like a sure bet for Franchitti.

But no one on the Target Chip Ganassi team knew if Franchitti had enough fuel to end the last lap, and Panther Racing’s Dan Wheldon, in second position behind Franchitti, had plenty. What could have been a nail-biter end to the bricks was cut small by a horrific accident on the last lap. Mike Conway, driving for Dreyer & Reinbold, got loose coming off pit lane. He bumped wheels with Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter Reay, then Conway’s car got airborne. In what could have easily been a career-ending or life- threatening accident, Conway’s car disintegrated as it hit the concrete retaining wall, then slid up into the catch fence. The car sheared in two at the firewall, and when the cockpit landed, it very nearly collided with the helmet of Ryan Hunter Reay; instead, both drivers were spared by inches and milliseconds.

The ensuing yellow gave the victory to Franchitti, who crossed the line followed by Wheldon. Alex Lloyd crossed the line in the last podium position, giving Dale Coyne Racing their first Indy 500 podium.

And the excellent news? Both Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter Reay walked away from their last lap accident. If I were them, I’d be stopping to buy lottery tickets on the way to the hospital.