INDIANAPOLIS — Despite all the issues, this was a day for Alex Palou.
The Spaniard won the Indy 500 under caution–a fitting end to a day marred by crashes and problems on pit lane. The win breaks the Indy 500 dry spell for the series’ most dominant driver.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver had to hold off a stiff challenge from 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson in the final laps. Ericsson finished second, with David Malukas third, Pato O’Ward fourth and Felix Rosenqvist fifth.
Storylines abounded. Rookie Robert Shwartzman of Prema Racing won the pole, becoming the first rookie to do so in more than four decades. A crash in the pits brought an end to his day.
Back-to-back winner Josef Newgarden was seeking his third straight Indy 500 win, but a penalty during qualifying sent him to the back row. He steadily worked his way through the field before a fuel pump issue foiled his chances to repeat.
Longtime 500 favorite Helio Castroneves was racing against history as he tried to become the first driver in the event’s storied history to win five times. He crept his way into the top ten and finished 13th.
Kyle Larson was chasing some history of his own, first racing in Indianapolis before heading to Charlotte for NASCAR’s Coca-Cola to make a run at “The Double.” But he wouldn’t drive 1,100 miles after crashing just after a restart just before the race’s midway point.
See how the race developed with our archived blog below.
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