Alex Tagliani makes a pit stop during the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. (Seth Rossman/Associated Press)
Canadian Alex Tagliani has been selected Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year.
The 37-year-old driver from Lachenaie, Que., for Conquest Racing started 33rd as a late replacement for veteran Bruno Junqueira and steadily improved to an 11th-place finish, the biggest gain by any of the 33 drivers in Sunday's race.
He received a prize of $295,305 US at the victory dinner Monday night, including a $25,000 bonus as the race's top newcomer. The other first-year drivers were England's Mike Conway, who wound up 18th; Brazil's Raphael Matos, who ran as high as fourth before a late crash left him 22nd; France's Nelson Philippe, who was 25th; and Robert Doornbos of the Netherlands, who was 28th.
The 2008 rookie of the year, Ryan Hunter-Reay, crashed on the 20th lap Sunday and finished 32nd.
The race was won by Helio Castroneves, the third Indy victory for the Brazilian.
