The 2026 Indianapolis 500 was a classic. As soon as Felix Rosenqvist crossed the yard of bricks ahead of David Malukas in the closest finish in history, the race was immediately vaulted up the ranks as historic, one of the best ever. The impact of that result was instantly known, as fast as Rosenqvist’s slingshot overtake for the win.
Whew. Caught your breath yet? How many times have you watched the finish, either from the in-car camera or the call by Fox Sports? A dozen? Perhaps 50 times? Its impossible not to take it in.
Besides the finish, this year’s 110th Running of the Indy 500 was full of stories. For the third year in a row, there was a rain delay, but only a short one as sprinkles hit the track at the half-way point. The sun never really peeked out, so the race run under mostly cool and cloudy conditions. As in years past, the UAK18 aero kit produced swapping up front, but made track position a premium as the race came to the final 100 miles.
That’s when things got interesting, as competing strategies played out. Rosenqvist and Pato O’Ward led a group on a fuel save run, while primary contenders Malukas and defending winner Alex Palou tried to hunt them down.
All that changed with a late yellow, followed by one more brief caution, that set-up another one-lap shootout that created one of the greatest finishes in motorsports history.
Breathe.
While Rosenqvist and Malukas were the talk after the race, there were 31 other drivers with a story to tell. A quick bit on the entire field, to recap one of the best Indianapolis 500’s ever.
Winner — Felix Rosenqvist
Rosenqvist won his first Indianapolis 500 in such a way, that no matter how his career plays out from here, the last lap dash will play forever in the history of marketing this great spectacle. His unbelievable willingness to stay side-by-side with his teammate Marcus Armstrong for the whole final lap impressed drivers, both contemporary and long retired.
When you get kudos from a man like Al Unser Jr., then you’ve done something inspiring.
While the race came down to that final circuit, his crew put him in that position when they pitted on lap 130 from fifth. Saving fuel over the next stint ensured one more stop, and he leapfrogged most of the competitors that were in front of him. If the yellow hadn’t come out on lap 192 for Caio Collet, then Rosenqvist was going to win on strategy. Instead, the race played out in more memorable fashion, with him earning his face sculpted in silver.
Second — David Malukas
One of the most heartbreaking moments in sports played out when Malukas got out of his car while Rosenqvist celebrated over the yard of bricks. In the current UAK18 aero package, this is becoming a common display from the runner-ups, drivers who did everything they could to win the greatest race in the world, fighting car control issues and handling that put them on the edge, and losing out in the end.
As many said at the Indianapolis 500 celebration banquet, Malukas’ win will come. He respects the Speedway’s mystery too much to be forsaken. He can take solace in knowing he was the best Team Penkse car all day, leading 30 laps. With his fans’ numbers sure to increase now, he can turn his attention on winning his first IndyCar race later this year.
Third — Scott McLaughlin
Any result that ensured Scott McLaughlin finished the 110th Running was better than 2025, after he crashed on the parade lap. Third is his best career result at Indianapolis on a day when he didn’t have the speed like his pole-winning car in 2024. From the start he hung around the top 10 before climbing to the top five around lap 30. He led five laps, but didn’t really battle up front too much. However, the three-wide finish at the end for third was closer than the battle for the win, so he did it with flair. In his post-race comments, he showed a respectful acceptance in making it to the end in this one, knowing that Indy can knock you out whenever she desires.
O’Ward was up front again, but it was due to strategy than anything else. His Arrow McLaren team pitted him with Rosenqvist on lap 130, and he and the Swede cycled to the front when they made their final stop on lap 164. Had the yellow not come out for Collet, it wasn’t clear O’Ward had the fuel to hunt down Rosenqvist who had already got around him. Due to the stoppages though, it ensured he made it to the finish in fourth, to earn his sixth top six in seven tries.
Armstrong came one lap short of winning his first IndyCar race on the world’s biggest stage. While Frontstretch’s IndyCar Content Director Alex Gintz discussed the possible controversial use of the green and white flag restart in the post-race conversation from Indy as it was the second time in four years it’s been used, that consistency will ensure the problematic nature of it dissipates. But that doesn’t help Armstrong, he saw his chances at victory plummet, as he was bested by McLaughlin and O’Ward at the line, to fall to fifth.
In his return to Indianapolis in a Chevy entry, Rinus VeeKay earned his best result, of sixth as well as the highest for Juncos Hollinger Racing. Surprising considering VeeKay’s quality runs and speed when he was with Ed Carptenter Racing. He was a lap 130 pitter, so cycled up front, and on the lap 196 restart, jumped four spots with an outside pass before the yellow came again.
The defending Indy 500 winner Palou looked like he was on his way to doing just that. Leading 59 laps and clearly dominant up front, overcoming challenges from multiple cars, including Malukas, he seemed too strong to beat. Prior to he and Malukas pitting for the final time, the Team Penske car was excelling at putting lapped traffic between him and the Spaniard. When they made their last stop, Malukas built up a comfortable gap, which ensured a chance at the finish on the lap 196 restart. Meanwhile Palou was jumped and fell to seventh, unable to recover.
Santino Ferrucci did it again. In eight Indy 500 attempts, he has finished in the top 10 in all of them. The first half of the race, he seemed like a top-five car, but lost track position during his second pit stop. From there he hung around the outside of the top 10 most of the day, surviving to the end and jumping up to eighth.
In his return to the Indy 500 after one year out of a seat, Romain Grosjean notched his best finish, ninth, and led three laps. On a day of remembrance for NASCAR Cup Champion Kyle Busch who passed away early in the week, the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing entry, carrying a newly stylized number font, he paced the field to the crowd’s delight. His team leveraged the stops lap 130 to get their first top 10 at Indy since 2020.
Two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato didn’t have a great one-off entry like in 2025, when he led the most laps. He reported the car wasn’t great in traffic and required multiple stops to get it working. By the end, he was able to climb into the top 10. The real story of his race was a maneuver on lap 26 restart that caused Ed Carpenter to crash in turn one, and then use some unflattering language at him when he got out of the car. At the banquet, the two hashed it out to reconcile the incident.
Nolan Siegel held on to 11th, completing his first 500 miles after wrecking on the last lap in 2025. He raced clean and was the second-highest finishing Arrow McLaren driver.
Indy favorite Conor Daly had another fast car at his hometown track, but finished a disappointing 12th. He paced the field for four laps, was in the top two for most of the second stint, and around the top five before pitting on lap 148 under green. From there he dropped too far behind the Malukas and Palou pack, and alternate strategy cars leapt him when the field bunched back up under the Collet yellow.
Former Indy winner Marcus Ericsson finished 13th, after running in the top 10 all day, having the best race for an Andretti Global car. But like Daly, when he pitted under green for the final time, he was stuck too far back in traffic behind the alternate strategy, lap 130-stoppers, never able to recover. He also lost out on being the only active Swedish driver with an Indy 500 win, with fellow countryman Rosenqvist joining that club.
Kyffin Simpson experienced the same result as those two places in front of him. He ran in the back half of the top 10 with a good car, cycled up to the lead for four laps during green flag stops, but then was overcome by the alternate strategy cars, finishing 14th.
Scott Dixon added to his record leading lap count in the Indianapolis 500 history books, with 32, second best on the day. However, even with that total, there is still one fact remains – he has just one victory in the race. While his car didn’t look as dominant as teammate Palou, he got up front and battled hard for the top spot mid-way through the race, and was even at the point when yellow came for a light sprinkle. His final pit stop put him too far behind and he finished 15th.
This was not the Month of May Kyle Kirkwood wanted. He never got comfortable in his No. 27 Honda and wasn’t able to challenge. Due to the lap 130 pitters, he hopped into the top 10, running as high as fifth, but then fell back to 16th. It was a bad May for him, losing ground in the points to Palou.
Christian Lundgaard started the month great, with his first win at Arrow McLaren at the Sonsio Grand Prix, but lacked speed in the race. He ended up 17th.
Mick Schumacher survived his first Indy 500, completing every lap and winning Rookie of the Year. His 18th was the best result by one of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s full-time cars.
Fellow rookie Dennis Hauger finished one spot behind Schumacher in 19th, the first car one lap down. The Dale Coyne driver stayed out of trouble, mostly as he was one of two cars penalized during the 500 miles, and got the experience to take on to future ovals.
Graham Rahal’s 20th place result was disappointing, but that is about where he ran most of the race after moving up from his 28th starting position.
Louis Foster rounded out RLLR’s cars, coming home 21st. He ran in the 20s most of the day, before going down a lap late in the race.
Jack Harvey’s Indy-only effort started with a lot of promise, with great speed, but after his qualifying penalty he didn’t quite recover during the race. His 22nd finish was the best he could get on a trying Sunday afternoon.
Sting Ray Robb’s 23rd was a result of a steady, hang-in-there type of race. He hung in the back and climbed as other cars dropped out.
Jacob Abel finished his first Indy 500 in 24th, bringing his dad’s car home in one piece. The American was never a factor, and like Robb, made progress up the field as attrition occurred.
Four-time winner Helio Castroneves finished 25th, and still went to victory lane. The co-owner of Meyer Shank Racing joined Rosenqvist for the celebrations, but his race was frustrating, ending due to a mechanical issue with several laps to go. He did run up in the top 10 after the lap 130 alternate stops, but cycled back during his final stint before dropping out entirely. With his 194 completed circuits though, he passed AJ Foyt as the all-time laps completed record holder in Indy 500 history.
Caio Collet was in the hunt for Rookie of the Year, leading nine laps, before his crash near the top 10 while exiting out of turn two put him 26th. It was a bad crash, so the good news that he walked away was all that mattered after a good run was over.
Christian Rasmussen carried the remaining torch for ECR, but it flamed out at lap 144 when a mechanical issue ruined his day. He finished 27th. It was a rough race day for the whole operation. The on-the-rise oval master wasn’t a factor, but expect that will change at Gateway in a few weeks time.
Josef Newgarden was in the mix, running up near the front all day and biding his time. It wasn’t clear if he was as good as teammate Malukas, but that will never be known as he wrecked coming to the restart on lap 124, placing 28th position. After winning back-to-back Indy 500’s, Newgarden has now earned back-to-back DNFs.
Will Power’s first Indy 500 with Andretti Global was starting to come together, as the 2018 winner was up to 13th before his mechanical woes struck, knocking him out. He finished 29th.
At the same time that Power’s issues occurred, Alexander Rossi’s day concluded. The gutsy drive by the American, appearing during his introductions with the help of front row mates Palou and Malukas, showed his grit to run the race on an injured foot. He led early, pacing the field for six laps over the first stint. But bad pit stops pushed him mid-pack and then the car decided to burn. It was 30th place for the 2016 winner.
Carpenter’s day ended on the lap 26 restart, when Sato went around him on the outside and he crashed as a result. It’s the third time he has finished 31st at the Indy 500 in his career.
Ryan Hunter-Reay’s first foray at Indianapolis with Arrow McLaren was over on lap 17 when he crashed coming out of turn two, finishing 32nd. It matched his worse finish in the race from 2009, and was his third straight DNF.
Katherine Legge’s Double attempt was shortchanged when she swerved to avoid the wrecked Hunter-Reay, and hit the inside backstretch wall herself. The maneuver likely saved Hunter-Reay from additional injury but ended her day. She finished last on the grid, but was able to make the driver’s meeting in Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600, where she ended 31st in the rain shortened event. Of the possible 1,100 miles, she completed 584.
Tom is an IndyCar writer at Frontstretch, joining in March 2023. Besides writing the IndyCar Previews and frequent editions of Inside IndyCar, he will hop on as a fill-in guest on the Open Wheel podcast The Pit Straight. A native Hoosier, he calls Fort Wayne home. Follow Tom on Twitter @TomBlackburn42.
Was quite happy Rosenqvist won, and did so with the Little Team That Could, Meyer Shank.
At the same time, was saddened for Malukas and Armstrong. Malukas breaking down after the finish showed just how much Indy means to him, and there’s no guarantee he’ll ever come that close again. I have little use for how Penske handled the transition from Will Power to Malukas, but that faul lies with Penske, not Malukas. Motorsports history is littered with greats who never quite won the biggest race in their respective series.
Had Armstrong managed to prevail in the side by side with Rosenqvist leading up to the finish, it likely would have been Armstrong pulling the remarkable sling shot coming to the line. Rosenqvist showed incredible courage holding the line on the outside for so long.