Felix Rosenqvist wins Indy 500

Felix Rosenqvist won the 110th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 24, after passing David Malukas in the final moments at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The margin was 0.0233 seconds, the closest finish in the race’s history, according to Indianapolis Motor Speedway and multiple race reports. The victory gave Meyer Shank Racing its second Indy 500 win and Rosenqvist his first victory in the event. The race also set an Indianapolis 500 record with 70 lead changes over 200 laps. ### How did the finish actually unfold? Lap 200 began with Malukas taking the lead on the final restart after Mick Schumacher’s late caution had compressed the field. Marcus Armstrong had led into the one-lap shootout, but Malukas moved ahead while Rosenqvist and Armstrong battled behind him. Rosenqvist then cleared Armstrong and used the outside line exiting Turn 4 to pull alongside and then past Malukas near the Yard of Bricks. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) Indianapolis Motor Speedway said Rosenqvist’s No. 60 Honda “powered past” Malukas’ No. 12 Chevrolet on the run to the finish. The previous closest Indy 500 finish had been in 1992, when Al Unser Jr. beat Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds. ### Why was this finish historically significant? The 0.0233-second gap made this the narrowest finish in the history of the Indianapolis 500. (sports.yahoo.com) Yahoo Sports reported Rosenqvist reached the line by roughly half a car length. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said the pass came after Rosenqvist rode the high line against the wall out of Turn 4. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) The race’s 70 lead changes also set a new event record. That broke the prior mark of 68 lead changes set in the 2013 race won by Tony Kanaan, according to Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Yahoo Sports. ### Who else was in contention late? David Malukas, driving for Team Penske, came within a few hundredths of a second of his first Indy 500 victory. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) The AP report carried by the Chicago Sun-Times said Malukas looked set to win after passing Armstrong on the final restart and beginning to pull away before Rosenqvist closed. Marcus Armstrong, Rosenqvist’s Meyer Shank Racing teammate, was also in the fight at the restart and eventually finished fifth. Scott McLaughlin finished third and Pato O’Ward was fourth, while Indianapolis Motor Speedway said just 0.4360 seconds separated the top five finishers. ### What shaped the final sprint? Caio Collet’s crash with fewer than 10 laps remaining brought out a red flag so officials could clear the track and preserve a green-flag finish. (chicago.suntimes.com) Yahoo Sports reported Collet’s car caught fire after hitting the wall, and the AP account said the stoppage lasted about 10 minutes. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) Mick Schumacher then triggered another caution after brushing the wall with about 3 1/2 laps left, setting up the final one-lap restart that decided the race. That sequence turned a multi-car fight into a last-lap dash between Malukas, Rosenqvist and Armstrong. ### What does the win mean for Rosenqvist? (sports.yahoo.com) Rosenqvist, 34, earned the second IndyCar win of his career and his first on an oval, according to Yahoo Sports and the AP report. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said he became the third Swedish driver to win the Indianapolis 500, joining Kenny Brack in 1999 and Marcus Ericsson in 2022. (sports.yahoo.com) After the race, Rosenqvist told Indianapolis Motor Speedway: “It was just the coolest way you can finish and win an Indy 500.” The speedway also said the win capped a month in which Rosenqvist and his wife welcomed their first child, Stella, on May 4. Official results from Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar will frame the next points update as the series moves on from its marquee event. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com)