Rosenqvist Wins Indianapolis 500 by Narrowest Margin in History

Felix Rosenqvist defeated David Malukas by 0.0233 seconds on Sunday, securing the closest finish in the 110-year history of the Indianapolis 500. The race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway also set a record with 70 lead changes.

Final Lap and Decisive Pass

The race restarted on lap 200 following a late caution. David Malukas passed Marcus Armstrong for the lead, but Rosenqvist overtook Malukas on the outside in the final 50 feet.

Marcus Armstrong, who finished fifth, stated he was given two options: lift or crash with Rosenqvist, and he chose to lift.

"I had two choices: lift or crash. I lifted." — Marcus Armstrong

Race Results and Statistics

• Felix Rosenqvist secured his second career win in 120 IndyCar races. It was his first victory on an oval track and the first for Meyer Shank Racing.
• Rosenqvist became the third Swedish driver to win the Indianapolis 500, after Kenny Brack and Marcus Ericsson.
• The previous closest finish was in 1992 when Al Unser Jr. defeated Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds.
• Alex Palou led the most laps (59) and retained the series points lead. David Malukas moved to second in the standings, 40 points behind.

Key Incidents

• A red flag was displayed with seven laps to go due to a crash involving rookie Caio Collet, whose car caught fire.
• Another caution occurred with 3.5 laps remaining when Mick Schumacher brushed the wall in Turn 2.
• On lap 18, competitors slowed to pay tribute to NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, who died at age 41 from pneumonia complicated by sepsis.

Katherine Legge's Attempt at "The Double"

Katherine Legge completed 18 laps before being unable to avoid Ryan Hunter-Reay's spinning car. She was evaluated at the medical center and released.

Legge then planned to travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, to attempt the "Double Duty"—racing both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. If successful, she would have been the sixth driver, first woman, first non-American, and oldest to do so.

David Malukas's Second-Place Finish

David Malukas finished second in the Indianapolis 500 for the second consecutive year. Driving for Team Penske, he had also placed second in 2024 while driving for AJ Foyt Racing.

Malukas stated that after reviewing the replay, he concluded there was nothing he could have done differently to prevent Rosenqvist's pass. He noted the emotional impact of the result given his history with Team Penske, specifically team owner Roger Penske's support after Malukas's wrist injury in 2024, which led to him losing his ride with Arrow McLaren before the season started.

"After looking at the replay, there was nothing more I could have done." — David Malukas

Teammate Scott McLaughlin agreed that Malukas could not have done anything more to prevent the loss.

Post-Race

After the race, Malukas was consoled by his father in pit lane. Rosenqvist celebrated by drinking milk and pouring it over his head.