Felix Rosenqvist (60) edges David Malukas (12) to win Sunday's 110th Indianapolis 500. (Titus Slaughter/Penske Entertainment photo)

By Thomas Hughes, SWN Staff Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (May 24, 2026) — The finish of Sunday’s 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge was one straight out of a storybook. 

Strategic divergences, late drama, and a one-lap shootout to the twin checkers all combined to create an edge-of-your-seat moment, with Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist edging out David Malukas with a last-gasp move right at the Yard of Bricks to capture the closest finish in ‘500’ history.

A fiery crash for Caio Collet on lap 193 was the first domino to fall, forcing the second red flag of the day for cleanup but ensuring fans a chance at a green-flag finish.

That began with Rosenqvist’s Meyer Shank Racing teammate Marcus Armstrong shooting from third to first on a lap-196 restart, with Malukas following him through on the outside lane.

But due to a yellow flag waved after Rahal Letterman Lannigan’s Mick Schumacher clattered into the wall exiting turn two on that restart, Sunday’s instant classic came down to a 2.5-mile showdown in a race that featured a record-setting 71 lead changes.

Armstrong, Malukas, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward and Rosenqvist occupied the top four slots heading into the winner-take-all final lap. At first, it appeared Malukas would have the edge, leading onto the backstretch as the MSR duo squabbled among themselves for second.

Yet, in the end, it was Rosenqvist who stunningly emerged victorious in the 110th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing by a scant .0233 seconds. 

In doing so, Rosenqvist tallied his second-ever Indy car victory and first with MSR.

Felix Rosenqvist drinks the milk in Indy 500 victory lane. (Josh Hernandez/Penske Entertainment photo)“I don't even know what to say,” Rosenqvist said after climbing from his car on the frontstretch. “What a car. Massive thanks to the team. … I think we were the best car. I felt like in all situations, we had it under control. That last yellow didn’t help us, but it kind of worked out the right way when I got back to third.

“Last lap, I had a flat-out lap on the high line, and it stuck. Coolest way you can win an Indy 500 right there. Unreal. I still don't believe it.”

As It Happened

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou led the field to green, though Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi pulled in the slipstream and quickly overtook the Spaniard on lap one. Palou rallied back, however, to lead laps two through four in quick succession.

With the way cars burn more fuel as the leader, the early stint became a game of cat-and-mouse between Rossi and Palou, with 10 lead changes in the first 17 circuits.

On lap 18, the race’s first caution flag was thrown when Arrow McLaren’s Ryan Hunter-Reay – the winner of the 99th Indianapolis 500 in 2014 – spun off turn two. A.J. Foyt Racing’s Katherine Legge couldn’t avoid the American, and the two were stranded on the back straight, ending their races and dashing Legge’s hopes of completing all 1,100 miles of the Memorial Day Double (Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600).

During the ensuing pit sequence, Rosenqvist and McLaughlin jumped to second and third behind Palou of those on the main strategy, while four cars, including Juncos Hollinger’s Rinus VeeKay and Dale Coyne’s Romain Grosjean, went off-plan.

The two traded the lead, but behind them, there was action. Rahal Letterman Lannigan’s Takuma Sato, occupying the high lane, came down on Ed Carpenter, spinning the American around and warranting a caution on lap 26.

From there, the drivers enjoyed a round of green-flag pit stops around the 60-lap mark. Collet led laps in his debut Indy 500, though he eventually pitted and fell a lap down due to being on an alternate strategy. 

No one enjoyed what early cautions did fall more than perhaps Chip Ganassi’s Scott Dixon, who leapt up to the fourth position. It became second after the New Zealander swept past Malukas, Rosenqvist, and Palou to lead Lap 69.

That started a fuel-saving game between the Ganassi teammates – from laps 72 through 91, the two swapped the lead each lap, bringing the lead change total to 43 after lap 91.

Soon, however, the long green-flag run came to an end. On Lap 92, Andretti Global’s Will Power had an apparent engine issue, spinning around in turn one on the warmup lane. 

Rossi’s day came to an end at that point, too, due to engine failure; the American’s car caught fire on pit road after he had already exited the vehicle. Rossi’s difficult day came after a practice crash in the run up to the race that left him unable to walk without the aid of crutches.

Palou, however, remained lurking. Though the Spaniard ceded the lead to Dixon upon yellow-flag pit stops on lap 97, he remained second when the race was red-flagged on lap 105 for rain. It was then resumed for 10 laps before undergoing another weather-related caution on lap 115. 

At the time of the second rain-related caution, Malukas was the leader. The cars pedaled around for 10 more laps before the race went green again with 75 to go.

However, the green flag was again short-lived. Heading back to the start-finish line, Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden crashed into the outside wall. Newgarden, then situated in fourth place at the time of the crash, failed to finish the ‘500’ for the second consecutive year.

From there, Malukas, Dreyer and Reinbold Racing’s Conor Daly, and Palou flip-flopped the lead over the next stint before pit cycles commenced. That brought Rosenqvist and O’Ward up to the forefront, reaching a point where they could one-stop to the finish rather than two-stop, and the two became the scintillating storyline of the race — though Malukas remained lurking.

With 30 to go, Palou took the lead but just as quickly ceded it to Malukas. At lap 177, the top three — Malukas, Palou and Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin — pitted, moving O’Ward and Rosenqvist up to first and second and putting them seemingly in control.

Rosenqvist nearly wrecked that very same lap but hung on and never missed a beat. O’Ward held the lead up to lap 186, while Malukas slashed his deficit to around 13 seconds at lap 188. 

However, the race was thrown into chaos when Collet smashed the outside SAFER Barrier in turn two and caught fire with eight laps to go.

That brought out the second red flag of the contest and set the stage for the theatrics that followed.

As far as that final lap, Malukas snagged the lead from the MSR duo entering turn one, and heading through the final corner, he still held the lead. 

But Rosenqvist had gotten back to second and had momentum on the outside, pulling just ahead in a side-by-side finish that topped the 1992 battle between Al Unser Jr. and Scott Goodyear as the narrowest ever.

David Malukas after Sunday's Indianapolis 500. (Aaron Skillman/Penske Entertainment photo)Despite the loss, Malukas still claimed his third podium of the season and second straight runner-up finish. But the emotion of what the Indianapolis 500 means shone through, as the Chicago native was in tears on pit lane after climbing from his race car. 

“I don’t know what else we could have done,” Malukas said. “We were the fastest car that whole race. I gave it 150 percent. I almost crashed the damn car every lap, and we still end up with a P2. I can’t believe it. I don’t know what else I can give.

“We’ve had such a stellar season [and] this whole month, they’ve given me everything I needed. I can’t believe it. Just so close. This place, man, We’re going to come back again. We’re going to give it everything. Give 160 percent next time. Incredible race. 

“Thank you, Roger Penske, for believing in me when no one else did.”

McLaughlin finished in third for his first podium since the season opener at St. Petersburg, while O’Ward and Armstrong rounded out the top five. 

Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Rinus VeeKay tied his best finish of the year with a sixth-place effort.

Notably, Meyer Shank Racing’s Helio Castroneves set the record for the most laps completed at the Speedway, eclipsing A.J. Foyt’s previous mark of 4,909. 

Castroneves finished 25th, though of course, his teammate won the race for his first oval victory. 

Though Castroneves couldn’t claim his fifth victory in the ‘500’ as a driver, he did walk away with a fifth BorgWarner Trophy overall, with one as a co-owner going alongside his four as a driver. That tied the Brazilian with Speedway legend A.J. Foyt, who also won four 500s as a driver and one more as an owner.

“What a mixed feeling. I’m right there with this guy [Rosenqvist],” Castroneves said. “I see him behind me, and I’m thinking, ‘What can I do to help this guy?’ But at the end of the day, it’s all about him, it’s all about MSR, and they did an incredible job.

“To win this race ... when I saw two cars right there, last lap, I couldn't believe it. Obviously, credit to everyone. Honda did an amazing job. Wow. … It is a mixed feeling because I want to win it as a driver, but it’s still amazing. Felix did a great job.”

The results:

Race (200 laps): 1. 60-Felix Rosenqvist, 2. 12-David Malukas, 3. 3-Scott McLaughlin, 4. 5-Pato O’Ward, 5. 66-Marcus Armstrong, 6. 29. 26-Will Power; 7. 10-Alex Palou, 8. 14-Santino Ferrucci, 9. 18-Romain Grosjean, 10. 75-Takuma Sato, 11. 6-Nolan Siegel, 12. 23-Conor Daly, 13. 28-Marcus Ericsson, 14. 8-Kyffin Simpson, 15. 9-Scott Dixon, 16. 27-Kyle Kirkwood, 17. 7-Christian Lundgaard, 18. 47-Mick Schumacher, 19. 19-Dennis Hauger, 20. 15-Graham Rahal, 21. 45-Louis Foster, 22. 24-Jack Harvey, 23. 77-Sting Ray Robb, 24. 51-Jacob Abel, 25. 06-Helio Castroneves, 26. 4-Caio Collet, 27. 21-Christian Rasmussen, 28. 2-Josef Newgarden, 29. 26-Will Power, 30. 20-Alexander Roosi; 31. 33-Ed Carpenter; 32. 31-Ryan Hunter-Reay; 33. 11-Katherine Legge.

Lead Changes: 71 among 14 different drivers

Lap Leader(s): Palou Grid, Rossi 1, Palou 2-4, Rossi 5, Palou 6, Rossi 7, Palou 8, Rossi 9, Palou 10-11, Rossi 12, Palou 13-16, Rossi 17, Palou 18-19, VeeKay 20-25, Grosjean 26, Veekay 27-28, Grosjean 29-30, Collet 31-39, Daly 40, Palou 41-61, Dixon 62, Rasmussen 63-65, Palou 66-68, Dixon 69, Palou 70-71, Dixon 72, Palou 73, Dixon 74, Palou 75, Dixon 76, Palou 77, Dixon 78, Palou 79, Dixon 80, Palou 81, Dixon 82, Palou 83, Dixon 84, Palou 85, Dixon 86, Palou 87, Dixon 88, Palou 89, Dixon 90, Palou 91, Dixon 92-109, Malukas 110, Palou 111, Malukas 112, Palou 113, Malukas 114-131, Daly 132-133, McLaughlin 134, Palou 135, McLaughlin 136, Daly 137, McLaughlin 138-139, Palou 140, McLaughlin 141, Palou 142-145, Malukas 146, Palou 147, Dixon 148-149, Simpson 150-153, Rosenqvist 154-166, Malukas 167-174, Palou 175, O’Ward 176-184, Rosenqvist 185-195, Armstrong 196-198, Malukas 199, Rosenqvist 200.