All articles tagged with #indianapolis 500
A veteran motorsport journalist who has covered Monaco and Le Mans attends the Indy 500 for the first time and finds it a personal renaissance as well as the culmination of the Triple Crown, praising the race’s nail-biting finish, the welcoming paddock, and the event’s enduring spectacle that leaves him eager to return.
Felix Rosenqvist won the 110th Indianapolis 500 in the closest finish in race history, beating David Malukas by 0.0233 seconds after a chaotic race with seven cautions and two red flags; Josef Newgarden spun on a Lap 125 restart, while Malukas led 30 laps for a career-best Indy 500 performance. Kyle Kirkwood faded to 16th; Rinus VeeKay earned Juncos Hollinger Racing its best Indy 500 finish with sixth; and Ed Carpenter Racing endured a tough day with Rossi retiring due to a mechanical issue, Carpenter crashing, and Rasmussen out.
Felix Rosenqvist earned his first Indianapolis 500 win in a historic photo‑finish as the 110th running posted a record $30.906 million purse—the largest in Indy 500 history—with a $4.34 million winner’s payout; the race featured the closest finish ever and a new high for average INDYCAR driver pay at $936,500, aided by sellout Month of May crowds.
The Indianapolis 500 set a new all-time purse record of $30,906,400, with winner Felix Rosenqvist earning a record $4.34 million; the race also delivered the highest average driver payout to date (about $936,500) and capped a May with record crowds and the closest finish in Indy 500 history, with Detroit next on the schedule.
Katherine Legge became the sixth driver to start both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, but a Turn 2 crash at Indy ended her Indy 500 after 17 laps. She then continued at Charlotte with the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevy, but a right-front wheel failure near the end of Stage 3 and a rain-shortened Coke 600 left her 31st, after 361 laps and 541.5 miles in the race and a total of 585 miles across the two events (well short of the planned 1,100). Legge called the day a “calamity of errors” but said there were positives and that the team would regroup and reflect on what could have been done differently.
Felix Rosenqvist edged to victory in the 2026 Indianapolis 500—the closest finish in the race’s history—after a chaotic, rain-delayed finale with red flags, restarts and tense fuel- and tire-driven battles among the leaders.
Felix Rosenqvist beat David Malukas by 0.0233 seconds to win the Indianapolis 500 in the closest finish in the race’s history, giving Meyer Shank Racing a second IndyCar win as 70 lead changes and a chaotic late race with red flags led to a one-lap shootout. The finish followed Caio Collet’s fiery crash and Mick Schumacher’s wall contact, and the event paid tribute to Kyle Busch while British driver Katherine Legge attempted a rare Double Duty in Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600, a feat only Tony Stewart has completed.
Felix Rosenqvist won the 110th Indianapolis 500 in a dramatic photo finish over David Malukas, following late lead changes, a high-profile crash for Caio Collet, and tense fuel-mileage strategy as the field sprinted to the checkered flag.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is buzzing with pre-race activity ahead of the 110th Indianapolis 500 on May 24, 2026, featuring a national-anthem flyover, a Mass at trackside, Purdue marching band escorting the Borg-Warner Trophy, fireworks, a drone show, and teams and drivers preparing in Gasoline Alley and pit lanes as gates open for the event.
Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the winningest driver across NASCAR’s three national series, died at 41 after a severe illness, with no cause released. He had just won a Truck Series race at Dover and was set to race in the Coca-Cola 600 before hospitalization. The news drew condolences from rivals and teammates—Denny Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano—and tributes from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and others; donations to the Bundle of Joy Fund surged in memory of his family.
Alexander Rossi’s No. 20 car smashed into Turn 2 in Indy 500 practice, with Pato O’Ward’s No. 5 slamming into Rossi while trying to avoid the wreck and Grosjean spinning into the backstretch wall. Rossi was transported to a local hospital for evaluation after being described as awake and in good spirits; O’Ward and Grosjean were checked and released from the infield care center. IndyCar medical officials said Rossi remained under evaluation, while storms ended the session with Josef Newgarden fastest on the day.
IndyCar penalized Caio Collet (AJ Foyt Racing) and Jack Harvey (Dreyer & Rein Bold Racing) after post-qualifying inspection found unapproved modifications to EMS covers and mounting hardware. Both will start at the rear of the 110th Indy 500 grid—Collet from 10th to 32nd and Harvey from 29th to 33rd—also forfeiting their pit boxes. Palou earned pole, Dixon moved into the top 10, and Schumacher became the top rookie among the reshuffled lineup.
Alex Palou earned the pole for the 110th Indianapolis 500, sharing the front row with Alexander Rossi and David Malukas as the full 33-car grid was set. Post-qualifying penalties shuffled the back of the pack, with Caio Collet and Jack Harvey moved to 32nd and 33rd, and Katherine Legge achieving her best Indy 500 starting position at 26th. The grid runs from Palou in 1st to Harvey in 33rd, spanning teams and manufacturers from Honda and Chevrolet across the field.
Alex Palou earned his second Indy 500 pole with a four-lap average of 232.248 mph in the Firestone Fast Six, becoming the first reigning Indy 500 winner to take pole since 2010. He’ll lead a front row that also features Alexander Rossi in second, with David Malukas, Felix Rosenqvist, Santino Ferrucci and Pato O’Ward rounding out the top six, after a rain-delayed qualifying format that pared the field to a single attempt per round."
Felix Rosenqvist posts the early top speed in Indy 500 qualifying (232.599 mph) as Dixon, Daly, Lundgaard, VeeKay and Newgarden post roughly 230–231 mph in evolving minute-by-minute updates toward pole.