Felix Rosenqvist wins 110th Indy 500

Felix Rosenqvist won the 110th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 24, after a last-lap move on David Malukas in a one-lap sprint to the finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IndyCar said Rosenqvist beat Malukas by 0.0233 seconds, the closest margin in the race’s history. The 200-lap race also produced a record 70 lead changes, according to IndyCar and Yahoo Sports, surpassing the previous mark of 68 set in 2013. Rosenqvist, a 34-year-old Swede driving for Meyer Shank Racing, started fourth and gave the team one of the biggest results in its IndyCar history. IndyCar said he reached the Yard of Bricks just ahead of Malukas after the final restart. Yahoo Sports reported the winning No. 60 Honda crossed the line by roughly half a car length. ### How did the race turn into a one-lap dash? (indycar.com) Mick Schumacher’s late crash set up the final shootout. Yahoo Sports reported Schumacher hit the wall with five laps remaining, bringing out a yellow that bunched the field for a restart and left one lap to decide the race. (indycar.com) David Malukas grabbed the lead after the restart, according to Yahoo Sports, with Rosenqvist and Meyer Shank Racing teammate Marcus Armstrong also in contention. Rosenqvist then surged from third to first over the closing lap and completed the pass before the finish line. (sports.yahoo.com) ### What made this finish historically unusual? IndyCar said the margin of 0.0233 seconds made it the closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history. The previous card briefing figure of 69 lead changes appears to have been overtaken by final official and race reports listing Rosenqvist’s winning move as the 70th lead change of the day. Yahoo Sports said the race’s 70 lead changes set a new event record, breaking the 2013 race mark of 68. (sports.yahoo.com) That meant the final pass did more than decide the winner; it also pushed the race into the record book on the same lap. (indycar.com) ### Who else was central to the day? Alex Palou started from pole for the 110th running, according to IndyCar’s event page and pre-race coverage cited in the briefing. The race drew a sellout crowd at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyStar reported, extending a run of sold-out grandstands that had already lifted the local television blackout before race day. (sports.yahoo.com) David Malukas’ runner-up finish came in his first season with Team Penske, according to his IndyCar driver profile. Marcus Armstrong also featured prominently in the final laps for Meyer Shank Racing, giving Rosenqvist’s team two cars in the fight for the win. ### Was there another major incident before the finish? Caio Collet’s fiery crash caused a red flag late in the race, according to the source briefing’s Fox News report. (indycar.com) That stoppage reset the field and contributed to the sequence of restarts that left the closing laps open to another major lead change. IndyCar’s official race result and championship standings pages are expected to be the next reference points after Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (indycar.com) The series standings page and Indianapolis 500 event page were both live on Sunday night. (indycar.com 1) (indycar.com 2)