Indy 500 notebook: Lady Gaga takes drive with Mario Andretti

INDIANAPOLIS – Already a regular singing partner with Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga found another golden oldie chart topper to pair with: Mario Andretti.

Gaga was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 100th running of the Indy 500 on Sunday, though she kept a fairly low profile, dressed down in jean shorts with her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail.

Gaga and 1969 Indy 500 winner Andretti rolled onto the track with the field of 33 drivers before Sunday’s race in a custom-built, two-seat Indy car. Gaga was a late substitute for country star Keith Urban, who was unable to participate after injuring his back.

Gaga gave Andretti and team owner Michael Andretti kisses on the cheek before the start of the race.

“Travel to any corner of the globe and people know exactly who Lady Gaga is,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles said.

Bridesmaid again

Carlos Munoz has twice been a bridesmaid in the Indianapolis 500.

After losing to Andretti Autosport teammate Alexander Rossi on Sunday, the Colombian was crestfallen.

He also wanted to know how Rossi beat him to the checkered flag in the historic 100th running of the Indy 500.

Rossi used fuel strategy and stretched his final tank almost 90 miles. Munoz, who was much faster, couldn’t make it to the finish and had to stop for gas. It allowed Rossi to inherit the lead and Munoz couldn’t catch him as Rossi coasted on fumes to the finish.

“I knew I didn’t have enough fuel,” he said. “I don’t know how my teammate did it without stopping. If I’m honest, I want to know what he did. I will look. I am second, why he’s not stopping? He’s supposed to stop. I have to look and see what he did. I don’t know what he did.”

Munoz, who qualified second and finished second as a rookie in 2013, thought he was going to battle Josef Newgarden over the closing laps for the win, only to see Rossi steal it with his strategy.

“I think me and Newgarden had the win, we were so strong,” said Munoz, who did help Andretti Autosport and Honda to a 1-2 finish. “I cannot say I’m really happy. I’m just really sad and disappointed.”

Newgarden was just as frustrated as Munoz after finishing third.

“It’s really heartbreaking, to be honest,” he said. “The reason is because I think we had a car to win. I’m not saying we should have won the race definitely because we had the best car, I just think we had a car that could have won.”

But after he also had to stop for fuel, he never got a shot at Rossi.

“What I wanted was an opportunity to try to race those guys at the end,” he said. “We didn’t get that. That’s no fault to my guys. I think that’s just how the race fell. Sometimes it doesn’t fall your way.”

Dave can keep his beard

Ice-T was pulling for “my homey Marco.” David Letterman vowed he would shear his Santa Claus beard if Graham Rahal won the Indianapolis 500.

Not even a dose of star power was enough to help Marco Andretti and Rahal in their bids to join their famous families in the winner’s circle.

This time, something as simple as tire pressure forced Andretti off the pace and into the pits out of sequence, leaving him a lap down with a quarter of the race remaining in the 100th running of the race Sunday.

Andretti started near the back but had climbed into the top 10 before his tires began showing a reading of too much pressure. He was almost 15 mph off the pace when he was forced to pit. In more than 70 attempts, his family has only Mario Andretti’s victory in 1969.

Marco Andretti finished 13th and Rahal, son of 1986 winner Bobby Rahal, was 14th.