INDIANAPOLIS — Swedish driver Felix Rosenqvist captured his first Borg-Warner Trophy on Sunday afternoon, edging out David Malukas in a breathless, one-lap shootout to secure the closest finish in the 110-year history of the Indianapolis 500.
The driver of the No. 60 Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian Honda, who started the day from the fourth position, pulled side-by-side with Malukas on the final lap, executing a thrilling last-second pass to cross the yard of bricks just 0.0223 seconds ahead of his rival. The razor-thin margin eclipsed the previous record set in 1992, when Al Unser Jr. defeated Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds.
In addition to the historic finish, the grueling 500-mile race broke the record for the most competitive track action in Indy 500 history with 70 official lead changes, surpassing the previous milestone of 68 set in 2013.
Weather and high-impact crashes dictated the rhythm of the afternoon, forcing race officials to deploy the red flag twice to halt the field.
The opening stanza of the race belonged to Arrow McLaren’s Alexander Rossi and Chip Ganassi Racing’s reigning champion Alex Palou, who aggressively traded the lead. The clean racing dissolved on Lap 20 when veteran Ryan Hunter-Reay spun out in Turn 1. Katherine Legge, attempting to complete “The Double” by racing in both the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, went low to avoid the wreckage but made contact. Both were cleared by medical staff, and Legge immediately departed for Charlotte.
Just moments after a Lap 26 restart, Ed Carpenter crashed heavily in Turn 1 after being forced three-wide and clipping Takuma Sato, ending his day.
As teams eyed approaching storm radars, pit road became a hazard zone. Team Penske’s Will Power spun while exiting the pits, leaking fluid onto the track. Under the resulting caution, Alexander Rossi’s car spectacularly caught fire in his pit box, ending his strong run.
The sky finally opened on Lap 106, forcing a 15-minute red-flag stoppage due to track conditions. When racing resumed, the track remained treacherous. Two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden, who had charged from 23rd on the grid into contention, clipped an inside rumble strip on Turn 4, spinning violently into the wall.
A lengthy green-flag stretch followed, sending the brickyard crowd into a frenzy as local favorite Conor Daly surged to the front to lead several laps before ultimately finishing 12th.
The Dramatic Finish
Rosenqvist controlled much of the final stanza through a masterclass in fuel-saving strategy, but a late-race crash by rookie Caio Collet on Turn 2—which saw his car hit the wall hard and catch fire—prompted a second red flag to set up a clean, multi-lap sprint to the finish.
The subsequent restart was immediately aborted when rookie Mick Schumacher clipped the wall, triggering a yellow flag and setting the stage for a dramatic, high-stakes one-lap shootout.
Malukas, driving the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet, appeared poised to hold off the charging Honda. However, Rosenqvist timed his draft perfectly, using his final reserve of overtake assistance to draw even down the straightaway and win by less than half a car length.
An emotional Malukas tore up during the post-race broadcast on FOX, visibly distraught over losing the lead in the final seconds. Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin finished third, with Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward and Chip Ganassi’s Marcus Armstrong rounding out the top five.
110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Unofficial Results
- Felix Rosenqvist
- David Malukas
- Scott McLaughlin
- Pato O’Ward
- Marcus Armstrong
- Rinus VeeKay
- Alex Palou
- Santino Ferrucci
- Romain Grosjean
- Takuma Sato
- Nolan Siegel
- Conor Daly
- Marcus Ericsson
- Kyffin Simpson
- Scott Dixon
- Kyle Kirkwood
- Christian Lundgaard
- Mick Schumacher
- Dennis Hauger
- Graham Rahal
- Louis Foster
- Jack Harvey
- Sting Ray Robb
- Jacob Abel
- Helio Castroneves
Did Not Finish (DNF): Caio Collet, Christian Rasmussen, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Katherine Legge.
