INDIANAPOLIS - For most of the month of May, we’re told what’s wrong with open-wheel racing and its marquee event, the Indianapolis 500. And, the harsh fact is, it’s all true, every last bit of it.

Open-wheel racing has been in a free fall since the great IRL-CART split in 1996. The result has been a diluted product that has failed to capture the American imagination, leaving the once-proud sport of Foyt and Andretti to suck on NASCAR’s fumes.

The Indianapolis 500, the crown jewel, has also taken its lumps. Once upon a time, May was a month-long gearhead celebration in Central Indiana, with massive crowds showing up for practices, for Pole Day, for Bump Day. Now, the biggest non-race-day draw has become Carb Day, a beer-soaked affair that this year featured a concert by Kid Rock.

But there’s one element to the Indianapolis 500 that has retained its old majesty.

That’s the Indianapolis 500 itself.

Race day is still magic. Race day still has its moments that make you tingle. The perpetually middle-aged Florence Henderson belting out “God Bless America.’’ The mournful playing of "Taps." The singing of "Back Home Again In Indiana," although Jim Nabors was forced to miss the race because of illness. The F-14 flyover.

And there was the not-so-traditional moment when Peyton Manning, who looked more nervous than he did in the Super Bowl, ascended the ladder to the starter’s perch and waved the green flag.

Good stuff.

And then there’s the race.

What didn’t happen at Sunday’s Indy 500?

There were 24 lead changes – in just 166 rain-shortened laps --  five short of the all-time record.

There was manic racing the first 113 laps, followed by a three-hour rain delay, followed by another frantic sprint to beat the second round of bad weather.

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There was a spectacular crash – well, spectacular as long as you’re not the one turned upside down – with Marco Andretti going airborne and somehow walking away with nothing more than a limp.

This was the eighth time in history the race ended short of the requisite 500 miles, but what it lacked in length, it made up for in drama.

Ordinarily, the Indianapolis 500 is an automotive marathon. The sole strategy is to survive and stick around until the end. It’s about managing fuel, staying out of trouble, hanging around and giving yourself a chance to win at the finish.

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This race, though, recalled rush hour, with 33 drivers who were running late to an important meeting.

This race had a special urgency because the weather, which had been so warm and dry all month, was turning surly. In a sport known for all its bold, cutting-edge technology, the most important instrument Sunday was the weather radar.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your Double Dopplers.

Every decision, on the track and in the pits, revolved around figuring when the rains would come. The result was, the first 113 laps were run as if the next lap would be the last. And then, after a three-hour rain delay – and incredibly, most of the crowd stuck it out – there was another mad sprint to the finish, wherever and whenever the finish might come.

“Hats off to the Indy Racing League, they did a great job getting the track back to racing (condition),’’ driver Buddy Lazier said. “I looked out and saw all of those fans, and they were waiting. Those are Indiana fans. I mean, those guys are hardcore. So I think for the fans and also for the competitors, the Indy 500 is not the Indy 250. I thought it was great that they got the race back up and going.’’

After all lead changes, all the madness, it came down to a lucky break, as it often does at this race. An earlier cut tire forced Dario Franchitti to take a pit stop at lap 114, so at lap 155, when most of his competitors were in pit row, he continued on. It was a calculated risk. His crew chief felt he could get through roughly 177 laps on his limited reserves.

On the restart on lap 156, Franchitti sprinted to a lead,  behind him, Tony Kanaan and Jacques Lazier were spinning out, bringing out the yellow. That allowed Franchitti to conserve fuel.