Here are the notable achievements of Takuma Sato that make this question worth asking: 1) Takuma Sato has now won two Indianapolis 500 mile races: one under green holding off three-time winner Helio Castroneves to drink the milk in 2017; and one under yellow where strategy and speed were both at play to put Taku in the right spot ahead of 2008 winner Scott Dixon when caution came on lap 195. This brought 43 year old Takuma Sato into an elite club of only 20 who have ever won the race more than once. 2) He almost found his way to victory lane on two other occasions: In 2012 driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan racing, in a car his owners said should not have been able to compete for the win, Sato made an attempt to pass for the lead in turn 1 of lap 200. Controversially, then two-time winner Dario Franchitti pinched Sato deep down near the grass. Takuma couldn't hold on under this durress and spun, colliding with the wall. Dario went on to win under caution while Sato placed 17th; in 2019 Takuma was back with RLL after a few uneventful years with AJ Foyt Racing, and his win in 2017 with Andretti Autosport. Early in the race Takuma was able to lead a few laps, but eventually Takuma had issues in the pits and on track and found himself a lap down. To come back from a lap down to be competitive in the 2010's era was virtually unheard of, yet Sato was able to do so. By the last two dozen laps Sato was battling for the top spots, even having a chance to take the win. It wasn't in the cards though, as his final position was 3rd. 3) He has brought more diversity to the race. His 2017 win was the first from a Japanese driver - even more than that, it was the first win from the entire continent of Asia. Additionally this win made him the first non-caucasian driver to win the race. His second win only reaffirmed these. This offers more chance to reach out to fans from his home country and continent. Additionally it can serve as an amazing inspiration to young drivers. 4) He has done all of this without having been entrenched in auto racing his whole life, and not coming to Indycar until he was 33. Takuma was a national level cyclist, but an avid race fan in his younger years. Eventually in 2002, at age 25, he began racing in Formula One, where he would continue to compete until 2008. He constantly drove for low funding teams and still performed. He even made the pass of the year in 2007 when he passed Fernando Alonso at the Canadian Grand Prix. He did not comepte in Indycar until 2010, at age 33, significantly older than most successful drivers in the sport. In just 11 races he has been a legitimate contender in the final laps 4 times, taking home the victory in two of those. These are not Sato's only achievements, but they strike as the largest reasons to consider whether Takuma Sato has yet earned the right to be called an Indianapolis 500 Legend.