Indy 500: 2022- Present
The Hybrid and Modern Era
2022 Indianapolis 500 — The Flying Swede
Date: May 29, 2022
Circuit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5 mi asphalt oval)
Distance: 500 miles (200 laps)
Entries: 81 starters (33 qualified)
Winner: Marcus Ericsson — Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara DW12 Honda
Average Speed: 175.428 mph
Margin of Victory: 1.792 seconds
Prelude to the One-Hundred-Sixth Running
The 2022 Indianapolis 500 marked the second full-capacity race since the pandemic, and with over 300,000 fans in attendance, the Speedway once again pulsed with energy.
This was Chip Ganassi Racing’s strongest lineup in decades, with five cars:
Scott Dixon, the six-time IndyCar champion and polesitter,
Alex Palou, the defending series champion,
Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indy 500 winner,
Marcus Ericsson, the quiet Swede entering his fourth Indy 500, and
Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup champion making his long-awaited Indy 500 debut.
The Ganassi armada was powered by Honda, which had consistently edged Chevrolet on fuel economy in previous years.
Team Penske, meanwhile, arrived with an uncharacteristically modest pace. Josef Newgarden, Will Power, and Scott McLaughlin were competitive but lacked top-end speed.
The front rows were dominated by Ganassi, Ed Carpenter Racing, and Arrow McLaren SP, with Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist poised to challenge.
The weather was near-perfect: 82°F, sunny, and windless — ideal conditions for a race that would test both patience and bravery.
The Field and the Machines
Key Starters
Scott Dixon — Pole — Chip Ganassi Racing Honda — 234.046 mph (fastest pole run in Indy 500 history)
Alex Palou — 2nd — Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rinus VeeKay — 3rd — Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
Marcus Ericsson — 5th — Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Pato O’Ward — 7th — Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
Tony Kanaan, Ed Carpenter, and Josef Newgarden — all within the top ten
The UAK18 chassis continued with incremental aerodynamic refinements, and the Honda-Chevrolet balance was nearly even.
The stage was set for a technical race — one that rewarded pit discipline and clean execution over chaotic overtaking.
Race Day
Sunday, May 29, 2022.
The field roared into Turn 1 before a sold-out crowd, the Speedway alive once more.
Scott Dixon led comfortably from the start, controlling the early phases of the race with his trademark efficiency.
Behind him, Palou and VeeKay ran close until lap 39, when VeeKay spun exiting Turn 2 and crashed hard — the race’s first caution.
Under that yellow, Palou was caught by an untimely closed pit entry, forcing him to stop one lap later under green and dropping him to the back of the field.
It was the first major strategic twist of the day.
From there, Dixon, Ericsson, and Kanaan alternated at the front as Ganassi’s Hondas dominated the pace.
Dixon, leading more than 95 laps in total, appeared on course to finally claim his elusive second Indianapolis 500 victory.
Meanwhile, Marcus Ericsson — patient, clean, and precise — shadowed his teammate’s every move, waiting for opportunity.
The Turning Point — Dixon’s Heartbreak, Ericsson’s Rise
The critical moment came on lap 175.
During the final round of pit stops, Scott Dixon — still leading — locked up entering pit lane, crossing the entry speed limit line just over the allowed threshold.
The penalty was instant: a drive-through, ending his hopes of victory.
As Dixon fell out of contention, the mantle passed to his teammate Marcus Ericsson, who had emerged from the final stops in perfect position — leading with a fast but fuel-efficient Honda and a clear track ahead.
Behind him, Pato O’Ward charged forward for McLaren, his Chevrolet brimming with pace and aggression.
Tony Kanaan, running third, stood poised to capitalize should either falter.
Then, with five laps to go, a crash by Jimmie Johnson in Turn 2 brought out the red flag.
The crowd erupted — one final restart would decide everything.
The Final Laps — The Calm and the Storm
With two laps remaining, the field lined up for a sprint finish.
Ericsson led, followed by O’Ward and Kanaan.
At the green flag, Ericsson bolted immediately, weaving down the front straight to break the draft.
O’Ward closed rapidly into Turn 1 but thought better of a late-lunge pass, backing off to avoid disaster.
On the white-flag lap, O’Ward tried again — diving low into Turn 1, but Ericsson defended brilliantly, holding the high line and maintaining momentum down the backstretch.
A crash behind them involving Sage Karam froze the field under yellow, sealing the victory.
Marcus Ericsson crossed the finish line first under caution, pumping his fist as fireworks erupted over the Pagoda.
Aftermath and Legacy
The crowd roared for the unassuming Swede who had just joined the pantheon of Indy 500 champions.
In four years, Marcus Ericsson had gone from Formula 1 castaway to IndyCar star — and now, a name etched on the Borg-Warner Trophy.
His win was the result of total discipline — no mistakes, flawless pit work, and brilliant composure under extreme pressure.
It was also Chip Ganassi Racing’s fifth Indianapolis 500 victory, and Honda’s third straight.
In Victory Lane, Ericsson — visibly emotional — said:
“It’s the biggest race in the world. It’s the dream — and it came true today.”
Pato O’Ward finished second, a bittersweet result for the young Mexican who had come within a corner of glory.
Tony Kanaan, ageless at 47, took third, completing a 1–3 finish for Ganassi.
Felix Rosenqvist, Ericsson’s compatriot, finished fourth, and Alexander Rossi completed the top five.
The race saw 38 official lead changes among nine drivers, but it was Ericsson’s tactical perfection — not sheer aggression — that won the day.
Reflections
The 2022 Indianapolis 500 embodied the modern era’s duality: controlled strategy and explosive spectacle.
It was not a race of chaos, but of calculation — proof that patience could still triumph in an age of aggression.
Ericsson’s victory validated both his personal journey and Chip Ganassi Racing’s depth of talent.
It also symbolized a new global era for IndyCar — a Swede, a Spaniard, a Mexican, and an American all fighting for the sport’s greatest prize.
For Ericsson, who once fought in Formula 1’s midfield, the Speedway offered something F1 never could: immortality through execution.
As he stood atop his car, draped in the Swedish flag, the moment was pure poetry — the quiet racer who had mastered the loudest stage in motorsport.
Sources
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Archives — Official Records of the 2022 International 500-Mile Sweepstakes (IMS Heritage Collection)
Motorsport Magazine Archive — “The Flying Swede: Marcus Ericsson’s 2022 Indianapolis 500” (May 2122 Centennial Feature)
The Indianapolis Star, May 29–31, 2022 — Race-day coverage and post-race analysis
Automobile Quarterly, Vol. 124, No. 2 (2086) — “Calculated Courage: Ericsson and Ganassi’s Perfect Execution”
Smithsonian Institution — Transportation Collections: Dallara DW12-Honda UAK18 data (2022)
IndyCar Yearbook 2022 — Lap charts, pit summaries, and restart telemetry
2023 Indianapolis 500 — At Last, Josef
Date: May 28, 2023
Circuit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5 mi asphalt oval)
Distance: 500 miles (200 laps)
Entries: 78 starters (33 qualified)
Winner: Josef Newgarden — Team Penske Dallara DW12 Chevrolet
Average Speed: 168.193 mph
Margin of Victory: 0.0974 seconds
Prelude to the One-Hundred-Seventh Running
The 2023 Indianapolis 500 began under clear blue skies, a full house of over 300,000 fans, and a field brimming with parity.
After years of Honda dominance, Chevrolet returned to form with strong performance and efficiency.
The storylines were abundant:
Could Marcus Ericsson defend his 2022 title for Chip Ganassi Racing?
Would Pato O’Ward or Felix Rosenqvist finally deliver McLaren’s first 500 win in decades?
Could Josef Newgarden, the two-time IndyCar champion, finally break through after eleven attempts?
For Team Penske, the stakes were especially high. Roger Penske’s ownership of both the Speedway and the series had placed the spotlight squarely on his team, but victory had eluded them since 2019.
Ganassi, meanwhile, fielded another powerhouse lineup — Alex Palou, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, and Takuma Sato — all capable of victory.
McLaren had arrived as a full-fledged threat, with O’Ward, Rosenqvist, and Alexander Rossi leading the Chevrolet charge.
The air crackled with anticipation; the 500 had rarely felt so balanced — or so unpredictable.
The Field and the Machines
Key Starters
Alex Palou — Pole — Chip Ganassi Racing Honda — 234.217 mph (fastest pole speed in Indy 500 history)
Rinus VeeKay — 2nd — Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
Felix Rosenqvist — 3rd — Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
Josef Newgarden — 17th — Team Penske Chevrolet
Marcus Ericsson — 10th — Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Pato O’Ward, Scott Dixon, and Alexander Rossi — all inside the top fifteen
The UAK18 chassis returned unchanged but refined, with a focus on low-downforce setups for top-end speed.
The 2023 race was expected to be a pure driver’s contest — one that punished even the slightest misjudgment in traffic.
Race Day
Sunday, May 28, 2023.
Temperatures hovered around 75°F — ideal racing weather — as the 33 cars thundered into Turn 1.
From the start, Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay engaged in a high-speed chess match, swapping the lead repeatedly through the first stint.
Both drivers were untouchably quick — until lap 94, when VeeKay lost control exiting the pits and clipped Palou, sending the pole sitter into the outside wall.
Palou’s car survived, but the incident forced him to the back of the field — a cruel twist for the early favorite.
The middle stages were defined by ebb and flow:
Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, and Marcus Ericsson took turns leading.
Josef Newgarden, starting deep in the pack, methodically picked his way forward, executing perfect pit sequences.
Scott Dixon again fell victim to pit-speed penalties, a recurring heartbreak that defined his Indy struggles.
By lap 150, the race had settled into a tense rhythm — strategy, fuel, and drafting poised to decide the outcome.
Then chaos erupted.
The Turning Point — Red Flags and Restarts
At lap 184, Felix Rosenqvist spun exiting Turn 1 while battling O’Ward for position.
As he slid across the track, Kyle Kirkwood clipped his rear tire, launching his car upside down into the Turn 2 wall.
A tire sheared off and cleared the catch fence, miraculously injuring no one — a chilling reminder of the Speedway’s ever-present peril.
The race was red-flagged for cleanup.
When it resumed, Marcus Ericsson led, with Josef Newgarden, Santino Ferrucci, and Pato O’Ward lined up behind.
The green barely flew before another incident: O’Ward, desperate for the lead, attempted an inside pass into Turn 3 but lost grip, sliding into the wall.
The field scattered — another red flag.
Then, with just three laps to go, came a final caution: a multi-car crash involving Ed Carpenter, Benjamin Pedersen, and Christian Lundgaard.
Race control faced a controversial decision: end the race under yellow — or go for one last green.
They chose the latter.
For the first time in Indianapolis 500 history, the race would restart with one lap to go.
The Final Lap — The Moment of Destiny
Marcus Ericsson led the field to green, weaving furiously to break the draft as the crowd rose to its feet.
But Josef Newgarden had been studying this moment for 11 years.
Down the back straight, he made his move — diving to the outside of Turn 3, threading through the dirty air at over 225 mph.
He cleared Ericsson before the corner, sliding back down across the front of the No. 8 Honda in a decisive, fearless maneuver.
The white flag waved.
Ericsson tried to mount a counterattack down the front straight, using every ounce of slipstream, but Newgarden held his line perfectly through Turns 3 and 4.
He crossed the yard of bricks 0.0974 seconds ahead, punching his fist through the cockpit canopy as fireworks erupted overhead.
Aftermath and Legacy
Josef Newgarden screamed into the radio, voice cracking with disbelief:
“We finally did it! Yes! Oh my God, yes!”
In the chaos of emotion, he did something no winner had ever done before — instead of driving straight to Victory Lane, he stopped his car on the frontstretch, climbed through a gap in the fence, and dove into the crowd to celebrate with fans.
It was pure release — years of frustration and near-misses exploding into joy.
For Team Penske, it was their 19th Indianapolis 500 victory, further cementing their legacy as the greatest operation in the race’s history.
It also gave Chevrolet its first Indy 500 win since 2019, ending Honda’s three-year streak.
Marcus Ericsson finished second, dignified and gracious in defeat, calling the late restart “dangerous but fair.”
Santino Ferrucci, in a sensational drive for A.J. Foyt Racing, finished third, giving the legendary team its best result in over two decades.
Alex Palou, recovering from his earlier pit collision, charged back to fourth, while Alexander Rossi completed the top five.
The race featured 52 official lead changes among 14 drivers — one of the most competitive Indy 500s ever recorded.
Reflections
The 2023 Indianapolis 500 was chaos and poetry intertwined — the rare race that balanced controversy with catharsis.
It was a race of courage rewarded, and patience vindicated.
For Josef Newgarden, it was the fulfillment of destiny — 12 years of trying, of heartbreak and brilliance, culminating in the most dramatic finish in modern memory.
His move on Ericsson was pure instinct — the kind of daring that defines the Speedway’s legends.
As Roger Penske said afterward:
“Josef became one of the greats today. That pass — that’s what this place is all about.”
When the crowd finally quieted, and the milk was spilled, the symbolism was clear:
In a race defined by chaos, Josef Newgarden’s victory reminded everyone why Indianapolis remains the most sacred 2.5 miles in motorsport.
Sources
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Archives — Official Records of the 2023 International 500-Mile Sweepstakes (IMS Heritage Collection)
Motorsport Magazine Archive — “At Last, Josef: The 2023 Indianapolis 500” (May 2123 Centennial Feature)
The Indianapolis Star, May 28–30, 2023 — Race-day and post-race coverage
Automobile Quarterly, Vol. 125, No. 2 (2087) — “Red Flags and Redemption: The Year Newgarden Arrived”
Smithsonian Institution — Transportation Collections: Dallara DW12-Chevrolet UAK18 telemetry data (2023)
IndyCar Yearbook 2023 — Lap charts, pit sequences, and lead change analysis
2024 Indianapolis 500 — The Two-Time King
Date: May 26 2024
Circuit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5 mi asphalt oval)
Distance: 500 miles (200 laps)
Entries: 33 qualified
Winner: Josef Newgarden — Team Penske Dallara DW12 Chevrolet
Average Speed: 167.763 mph
Margin of Victory: 0.3417 seconds
Prelude to the One-Hundred-Eighth Running
The 108th Indianapolis 500 began under thunderclouds — and history already in motion.
The defending champion, Josef Newgarden, arrived not merely as a man with momentum but as a driver transformed by destiny. His 2023 triumph had erased the “best-never-to-win-it” tag that shadowed him for a decade. Now, he sought to do what no one had done since Hélio Castroneves in 2001–2002: win back-to-back.
For Team Penske, the stakes were enormous. Roger Penske’s empire — the Speedway, the series, and his legendary team — stood on the verge of its 20th Indy 500 victory. The organization came armed with a three-car juggernaut: Scott McLaughlin, Will Power, and Josef Newgarden, all blisteringly fast.
McLaughlin captured pole position at a record-shattering 234.220 mph, leading a historic all-Penske front row. It was a statement: the Captain was back in control of his own yard.
The Field and the Machines
Front Row:
Scott McLaughlin — Team Penske Chevrolet — 234.220 mph
Will Power — Team Penske Chevrolet
Josef Newgarden — Team Penske Chevrolet
Key Challengers:
Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet — hungry after heartbreak in 2022 and 2023.
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda — the strategist supreme.
Alexander Rossi and Felix Rosenqvist, each carrying McLaren’s speed.
Kyle Larson, making his much-anticipated debut, blending NASCAR aggression with open-wheel curiosity.
It was one of the deepest fields of the decade: veterans seeking redemption, young lions chasing immortality, and three Penskes looking almost untouchable.
Race Day — Storms and Steel
Race morning brought a four-hour delay as thunderstorms soaked the Speedway. When the skies finally cleared, the late-afternoon sun lit a shimmering, steam-hazed track. The green flag fell just after 4 p.m. before more than 300,000 fans, each ready to see if history would repeat itself.
From the start, Scott McLaughlin dominated. The New Zealander led the early stints with mechanical precision, his No. 3 Chevrolet slicing cleanly through traffic.
Behind him, Newgarden and O’Ward shadowed his every move, content to conserve fuel and wait for the race to unfold.
The first third of the race was nearly textbook: long green-flag runs, quick pit cycles, minimal incidents. The calm before chaos.
But as the race entered its middle stages, the rhythm fractured. Marcus Ericsson, last year’s runner-up, retired early after contact, while Colton Herta spun on pit entry, setting off the first caution that reshuffled strategies.
When the race resumed, the Penskes reasserted control — McLaughlin leading, Newgarden close behind, Power steady in third.
The Turning Point — The Final 20 Laps
As twilight approached and the field cycled through the last pit stops, strategy converged.
McLaughlin held the advantage.
O’Ward had the pace.
Newgarden had the timing.
On lap 184, McLaughlin pitted for the final time, handing the lead to Newgarden, who emerged one second clear of O’Ward.
What followed was a psychological duel — O’Ward’s raw aggression against Newgarden’s ice-cold precision.
O’Ward bided his time, closing the gap as the laps wound down. Then, on lap 199, he made his move — diving low into Turn 1 to snatch the lead with one lap to go. The crowd roared. It seemed poetic justice for two years of near misses.
But Josef Newgarden had one final trick left.
The Final Lap — The Champion’s Response
Down the back straight on the final lap, Newgarden tucked into O’Ward’s draft, flicked high, and slingshotted around the outside into Turn 3 at over 225 mph.
It was the same corner, the same move, as the year before — executed with the precision of a man who had practiced it in his mind a thousand times.
He cleared O’Ward before Turn 4, held the inside through the final corner, and powered to the yard of bricks 0.3417 seconds ahead.
Two years. Two last-lap passes. Two wins written in pure adrenaline.
Aftermath and Legacy
When the checkered flag fell, the Speedway erupted. Josef Newgarden became the first driver since Hélio Castroneves to win consecutive Indianapolis 500s, and the first American to do so since Al Unser Sr. in 1970–71.
In total disbelief, Newgarden leapt from his car, vaulted the pit wall, and dove into the grandstands again — this time into the embrace of fans who knew they were witnessing history.
For Team Penske, it was victory No. 20 at Indianapolis, a milestone unmatched by any organization in motorsport.
Pato O’Ward, heartbroken yet graceful, finished second for the second time in three years.
Scott Dixon, ever consistent, brought his No. 9 Honda home third, extending his record for top-five finishes.
Alexander Rossi and Alex Palou rounded out the top five in a race that saw 49 lead changes among 18 drivers — a testament to modern IndyCar parity.
Reflections
The 2024 Indianapolis 500 wasn’t just a repeat victory; it was a reaffirmation of what makes the Speedway timeless.
Josef Newgarden drove not as a man defending a crown, but as one claiming a legacy. His last-lap bravery cemented his name alongside the sport’s legends — Foyt, Mears, Unser, Castroneves — all serial conquerors of Indianapolis.
In a race delayed by storms and defined by calm calculation, it was a single flash of courage that decided it all.
Newgarden’s pass, like his career, was measured yet fearless — proof that the best of American racing still thrives on instinct and heart.
As Roger Penske put it afterward, standing beside the Borg-Warner Trophy for the 20th time:
“He’s not just our champion — he’s the face of this generation at Indianapolis.”
Sources
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Archives — Official Records of the 2024 International 500-Mile Sweepstakes (IMS Heritage Collection)
Motorsport Magazine Archive — “Back-to-Back and Beyond: Josef Newgarden’s 2024 Indianapolis 500” (May 2124 Feature)
The Indianapolis Star, May 26–28 2024 — Race-day and post-race reports
Automobile Quarterly, Vol. 126, No. 2 (2088) — “Two-Time King: The Era of Josef Newgarden”
Smithsonian Institution — Transportation Collections: Dallara DW12-Chevrolet UAK18 telemetry data (2024)
IndyCar Yearbook 2024 — Lap charts, pit strategies, and final classification
2025 Indianapolis 500 — The Crown of Control
Date: May 25, 2025
Circuit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile asphalt oval)
Distance: 500 miles (200 laps)
Entries: 33 qualified
Winner: Álex Palou — Chip Ganassi Racing
Chassis / Engine: Dallara DW12 (UAK18 aero kit) — Honda
Average Speed: 168.883 mph
Margin of Victory: 1.1426 seconds (finished under caution)
Prelude to the One-Hundred-Ninth Running
By the spring of 2025, the Indianapolis 500 entered its first hybrid-assisted era. New energy-recovery systems changed the numbers — power deployment, fuel usage, and software control — but the underlying test remained unchanged. The Speedway still demanded balance, finesse, and emotional discipline.
For Álex Palou, Indianapolis was the last great mountain. Multiple IndyCar championships had cemented him as the benchmark of precision in modern open-wheel racing, but the Borg-Warner Trophy had remained stubbornly out of reach. He had led laps, started on pole, finished in the fight — but never completed the story.
He arrived in 2025 carrying not pressure, but inevitability.
Chip Ganassi Racing entered three Hondas:
Álex Palou — No. 10
Scott Dixon — No. 9
Kyffin Simpson — No. 8
Marcus Armstrong, previously associated with Ganassi, was now at Meyer Shank Racing and part of the Honda contingent—but not a Ganassi entry.
Arrow McLaren countered with Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi, and Kyle Larson’s high-profile “Double Duty” attempt; Andretti Global armed itself with Marcus Ericsson; and a bruised Team Penske looked to restore authority after its early-season penalty saga.
It was a field of champions, former winners, and unsettled grudges.
The Field and the Machines
Front Row
Robert Shwartzman — Prema Chevrolet — Pole, 232.790 mph
Takuma Sato — Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Pato O’Ward — Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Palou rolled off sixth, flanked by Dixon and Rosenqvist, right in the strike zone.
The Dallara DW12, equipped with the UAK18 aero configuration and the 2025 hybrid suite, reached its most refined balance yet: efficient, responsive, and shaped by a decade of iterative evolution rather than revolution.
Race Day — Weather, Waiting, and Release
Race day opened under unsettled skies. Light rain moved across central Indiana, prompting a delay and pushing the start into early afternoon. When engines finally fired, the tension of 350,000 people shifted instantly from waiting to anticipation.
But the race never made it to a green flag.
Before the field took the first green, Scott McLaughlin lost control during the parade laps and struck the Turn 3 wall. The event began with laps counting under caution, an extremely rare occurrence at the Indianapolis 500 and an immediate reminder that the Speedway dictates terms, not the other way around.
Once the race resumed, Takuma Sato surged forward, leading 51 laps, the most of any driver. Behind him, Palou settled into a rhythm defined by invisibility — hovering inside the top ten, conserving fuel, and staying out of trouble.
Middle Phases — Strategy Takes Over
The race unfolded into alternating stretches of long green-flag runs and sudden cautions.
Kyle Larson's “Double Duty” attempt ended on lap 92, when he spun in Turn 2 on a restart and hit the SAFER barrier.
Ryan Hunter-Reay led 48 laps on a clever off-sequence strategy.
Team Penske, despite its pedigree, remained mired outside the lead group, never fully recovering from its month-long setbacks.
Ganassi, however, executed with silent perfection:
Every pit window hit precisely
Clean air targeted at every out-lap
Fuel usage meticulously controlled
No unnecessary fights
By lap 170, the race had distilled into a battle among:
Álex Palou – CGR Honda
Marcus Ericsson – Andretti Honda
David Malukas – Foyt Chevrolet
Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
The chessboard was set.
The Turning Point — Lap 187
As the final sequence unfolded, Ericsson cycled into the lead, navigating turbulent traffic from Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster. The dirty air made overtaking treacherous.
Palou waited — disciplined, patient, calculating.
On lap 187, he finally attacked.
Exiting Turn 4 with a strong draft, he dove cleanly inside into Turn 1. The move was decisive, controlled, and timed with cold precision. Ericsson had no counter without risking catastrophe.
Palou cleared him, and from that moment forward, the No. 10 Honda took command of the race.
The Finish — Glory Under Yellow
With fewer than ten laps remaining, O’Ward mounted his final charge, trimming the gap to half a second. But Palou’s command of traffic and fuel management never wavered.
Then, on lap 200, Nolan Siegel spun exiting Turn 2, struck the inside wall, and brought out a full-course caution.
For the second straight year, the Indianapolis 500 finished under yellow.
Palou rolled across the yard of bricks in control of the race, the moment, and the legacy he had been building for years.
He was now the first Spaniard ever to win the Indianapolis 500.
Final Classification (After Post-Race Penalties)
Álex Palou — Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
David Malukas — A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet
Pato O’Ward — Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Felix Rosenqvist — Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Santino Ferrucci — A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet
Post-race technical inspections dropped Marcus Ericsson, Kyle Kirkwood, and Callum Ilott to the back of the classified order, promoting Malukas, O’Ward, and Rosenqvist.
For Chip Ganassi Racing, this was a sixth Indianapolis 500 victory.
For Álex Palou, it was the long-promised fulfillment of the driver he had become: methodical, unshakable, and utterly in command.
Reflections
The 2025 Indianapolis 500 will be remembered as a race defined not by last-lap theatrics, but by clarity of execution.
Palou won not through chaos, but through composure.
Not through chance, but through discipline.
Not through risk, but through mastery.
“We didn’t need chaos today. We just needed perfection.”
He said it with the same calm that carried him through all 200 laps.
Sources
Indianapolis Motor Speedway — Official 2025 Indianapolis 500 race results, timing & scoring
IndyCar.com — 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 race report
Associated Press — Race recap and interviews
The Indianapolis Star — May 25–27, 2025 coverage
Motorsport.com — 2025 Indianapolis 500 analysis