the company said. Mr. Ghosn said: "The appointment of Carlos Tavares is a first step in strengthening Renault's management." The appointment followed the resignation in April of Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pelata, who took responsibility for a debacle in which the company was misled into firing three executives--including a member of its management committee. It accused them of selling proprietary information outside the company, but eventually exonerated and compensated them. Police are now investigating a plot to defraud the company by members of the auto maker's internal security service, three of whom have been fired. The incident badly damaged staff morale, and Mr. Pelata's departure left a large gap in senior management, as he had been effectively running Renault's day-to-day operations since the 2008 financial crisis. Renault also faces business challenges. Renault-branded cars have struggled against the brands of French rival PSA Peugeot Citroen. Sales have risen strongly for Renault's low-cost brand Dacia, but these are mostly made in Romania, leading to complaints from the French government that Mr. Ghosn is shifting production out of France. Mr. Tavares arr't protest the result. That gave the Brit another spot on the Borg-Warner Trophy. Not bad, considering he doesn't even have a full-time job. "I just felt a lot of relief. It's an incredible feeling," Wheldon said. "I never gave up." He took the traditional swig of milk and headed off on a triumphant lap around the speedway -- a lap that Hildebrand should have been taking. Instead, the youngster stopped by the garage to get a look at his mangled car, which was hauled through Gasoline Alley instead of being wheeled into Victory Lane. He's now in the company of athletes such as Jean Van de Velde, who squandered a three-shot lead on the last hole of the 1999 British Open, and Lindsey Jacobellis, whose hotdogging wipeout at the 2006 Winter Olympics cost her a certain gold medal. They had it in the bag -- and threw it all away. "I'm just frustrated. It's not because we came in here with the expectation of winning and we didn't," Hildebrand said. "I felt like I just made a mistake and it cost our boys. I guess that's why rookies don't win the Indianapolis 500 a whole lot, and we'll be back next year, I guess." After losing his ride from last season -- with Hildebrand's team, no less -- Wheldon had plenty of time to hang out with his wife and two young children, while also dealing with the burden of his mother being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He longed to get back behind the wheel, and when May rolled around he had a one-off deal with retired driver Bryan Herta's fledgling team. They came up with a winning combination, which may well lead to a bigger gig. For now, though, there are no guarantees -- even for the Indy 500 champion. "I think my contract expires at midnight," Wheldon said, managing a smile. The 200-lap race was dominated much of the day by Chip Ganassi's top two drivers, defending champ Dario Franchitti and 2008 winner Scott Dixon. But after a series of late pit stops, things really got interesting. Second-generation racer Graham Rahal spent some time up front. Danica Patrick claimed the lead but had to stop for fuel with nine laps to go. Belgium driver Bertrand Baguette had already gotten past Patrick, but he didn't have enough fuel, either. When Baguette went to the pits with three laps to go, the lead belonged to Hildebrand. All he had to do was make it to the end. He came up one turn short. "My disappointment is for the team," Hildebrand said. "We should've won the race." Not that Wheldon isn't a deserving champ. He has 16 career wins and finished in the top 10 of the series standings seven years in a row, capturing the title in 2005. But in the peculiar world of auto racing, which runs on sponsorship dollars and not necessarily credentials, Wheldon was squeezed out of his ride at Panther. He sat out the first four races of the year, but no way was he going without a ride at Indy. He's had too much success around this place. "Dan Wheldon, he's a great winner," Patrick said. "And what a great story. He hasn't run this year. ... That's really cool." Still, it was a bitter disappointment for Patrick, who ended up 10th. "It's more and more depressing when I don't win the race," said Indy's leading lady, who might be heading to NASCAR next year. Patrick knows about misfortune leading to victory for Wheldon. His first victory came when she led late in the race, only to have to back off the throttle to save enough fuel to make it to the finish. This time, Wheldon never led a lap until the last one, the first time that's happened since Joe Dawson won the second Indy 500 in 1912. It was the second time a driver lost the lead on the last lap -- it happened to another rookie, Marco Andretti, in 2006 -- and it's something Hildebrand will always remember. "Is it a move I would do again?" he said. "No." Rahal finished third, followed by hard-charging Tony Kanaan, who came all the way from the 22nd starting spot to contend for his first 500 win, just a year after leaving Michael Andretti's team. Dixon was fifth, followed by Oriol Servia, while Franchitti lost speed in the closing laps and slipped all the way to 12th. Right from the start, the Ganassi cars showed just how strong they would be on a sweltering day at the Brickyard, where the temperature climbed into the upper 80s and the heat on the track was well over 100 degrees. From the middle of the front row, Dixon blew by pole-sitter Alex Tagliani before they even got t