Felix Rosenqvist Claims Victory in Historic Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS — Felix Rosenqvist maneuvered to the outside of David Markus, successfully holding off the Team Penske driver to seize the closest Indianapolis 500 ever, winning by just 0.0233 seconds on Sunday.

As the final lap approached, it seemed like Markus might pull off a win after overtaking race leader Marcus Armstrong during the last restart. However, Meyer Shank Racing teammates Rosenqvist and Armstrong were locked in a fierce battle as they navigated through the fourth and final corner.

Rosenqvist found the strength to surge ahead of Armstrong, slip behind Markus, and make a pivotal outside pass in the final moments.

This marked the closest finish in the race’s history, surpassing the 1992 finish when Al Unser Jr. narrowly beat Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds.

“For the past five years, I’ve often found myself near the front, with a car capable of winning, but today was even more satisfying,” remarked Rosenqvist, who had been fast all month. “It felt like an absolute rocket this time around, and that speed was evident during the race.”

This victory was Rosenqvist’s second in 120 IndyCar races and came just after he welcomed his first child. His previous win was in July 2020 at Road America, marking his inaugural win on an oval. He’s now joined the ranks of fellow Swedes Kenny Black and Marcus Eriksson as winners of this race.

The thrilling finish was ignited by a red flag with seven laps remaining, following a serious crash involving rookie Caio Colletto, whose car came to rest in the grass while catching fire.

Once the race resumed after a brief 10-minute pause, Armstrong and Markus quickly moved past the top two—Rosenqvist and Pato O’Ward. Yet, just three and a half laps later, Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, crashed into the wall at Turn 2, prompting another yellow flag.

On the 200th lap, during the final restart, Markus darted past Armstrong to take the lead and began to create distance from the other two Meyer Shank Racing drivers. However, Rosenqvist managed to outpace Markus, clinching the most significant win of his career during the same month he became a father.

After the race, Markus expressed helplessness, saying he couldn’t pinpoint anything he could have done differently to keep his lead.

Choosing between lifting off the gas or colliding with Rosenqvist, Armstrong opted for the former, finishing fifth. “I don’t think I could have approached it any other way,” he commented.

The 24-year-old was seen comforted by his father in the pit lane, while Rosenqvist celebrated, sipping milk and pouring it over his head.

Markus’s teammate Scott McLaughlin finished in third, while Rosenqvist’s close friend, O’Ward, crossed the line in fourth place—O’Ward has had two seconds and a third-place finish in the last four years.

“I really don’t know what else I could have tried,” Markus shared. “We were giving it our all, had the fastest car, and felt confident throughout the race. I’ve never pushed myself like that before.”

The day turned out to be quite unusual at the 4.5-mile brickyard.

A 12-minute rain delay interrupted the race around the halfway point, with the threat of more rain influencing strategies throughout the afternoon. Thanks to strategic pit stops, Rosenqvist and O’Ward gained a favorable position for the final 25 laps.

However, Markus and McLaughlin fought their way back into contention, while other competitors, including defending Indy champion and pole-sitter Alex Palou, fell to seventh.

Palou led the most laps (59) and made the highest number of on-track passes (60), maintaining his points lead. Meanwhile, Markus climbed to second in the rankings after overtaking Kyle Kirkwood, now 40 points behind the four-time series champion and 2025 Indy winner.

Surprisingly, the rain held off until after Rosenqvist’s victory celebration.