ROSENQVIST WINS INDY 500 IN HISTORIC PHOTO FINISH
Felix Rosenqvist won the 110th Indianapolis 500 after one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of the race. The Swedish driver beat David Malukas by just 0.0233 seconds, making it the closest finish ever at the Indy 500.
The race started with Alex Palou and Alexander Rossi fighting hard at the front. They swapped the lead several times in the opening laps, while Felix Rosenqvist stayed close and looked fast enough to challenge later.
The first part of the race was full of action and early cautions. Katherine Legge and Ryan Hunter-Reay crashed, Ed Carpenter also went out, and later Will Power and Rossi had problems that ended their races. The field kept changing because of pit stops, fuel strategy and yellow flags.
Palou, Scott Dixon, David Malukas, Conor Daly, Scott McLaughlin and Rosenqvist all had moments near the front. At one stage, Dixon looked very strong, while Daly made a brilliant restart to briefly take the lead.
Rain also became a threat during the race. A red flag came after drops started falling at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but the race was able to continue. Once the cars restarted, the fight for victory became even more intense.
The final part of the race turned into a fuel and strategy battle. Rosenqvist and Pato O’Ward looked strong because they had stretched their fuel better, while Malukas, McLaughlin and Palou were on a different pit strategy. Rosenqvist passed O’Ward for the lead with 15 laps to go and looked in control.
Then the race changed again when Caio Collet had a heavy crash, bringing out another red flag. Collet got out of the car, and the race was set up for a final shootout.
On the final restart, Marcus Armstrong led the field, but Malukas quickly moved to the front. Rosenqvist stayed in the fight and used the high line coming out of Turn 4. In the final meters, he pulled alongside Malukas and crossed the Yard of Bricks first by half a car length.
Rosenqvist’s victory was his first Indy 500 win and made him the third Swedish driver to win the race, after Kenny Brack and Marcus Ericsson. It was also a huge result for Meyer Shank Racing, which claimed another famous Indianapolis victory.
Malukas finished second after coming painfully close to victory, while Scott McLaughlin completed the podium in third. Pato O’Ward finished fourth and Marcus Armstrong took fifth in a race where the top five were separated by less than half a second.
After 200 laps, rain delays, crashes, red flags and a final-lap fight to the line, Rosenqvist delivered a victory that will be remembered for years. The Indy 500 went to Sweden, and it happened by just 23 milliseconds.
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