Felix Rosenqvist Secures Victory at the 2026 Indy 500
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The checkered flag has been waved at the 110th Indianapolis 500, with Felix Rosenqvist being declared the winner for 2026.
Despite the threat of rain hanging over the weekend, the race commenced on time. Pole sitter Alex Palou took an early lead in his No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, while Alexander Rossi in second place (No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing) kept up the chase for the initial 14 laps. The 2016 Indy 500 champion passed last year's winner heading into Lap 2, only for Palou to regain the advantage into Lap 3. This led to an intense battle, with both drivers exchanging the lead nearly every lap.
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The first caution occurred on Lap 18 due to a collision between Katherine Legge and Ryan Hunter-Reay. RHR lost control of his car and hit the wall, sending up smoke that Legge could not avoid, leading her to hit the inside wall to steer clear of Hunter-Reay. Fortunately, both drivers were unharmed as they were extricated from their cars, and the caution opened the pit window, which nearly all drivers except four took advantage of.
The race resumed on Lap 27, but Ed Carpenter soon crashed into the wall after attempting a three-wide move into Turn 1 and lacking enough space. Romain Grosjean led for the first time in his Indy 500 career.
As the race approached the 200-mile mark, another fierce battle unfolded, this time between Palou and his teammate Scott Dixon, with both drivers trading positions. This back-and-forth continued until a long caution occurred on lap 91 when Will Power’s No. 26 Andretti Global Honda experienced a mechanical issue, slowing down before stopping at the pit exit.
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During this, Rossi entered the pits due to a smoking engine, almost facing a repeat of his pit stop fire from 2025. Thankfully, he exited the car safely, but his hopes for another Indy 500 victory came to an end.
It wasn't until lap 97 that the Nos. 26 and 20 were successfully removed from the track, at which point pit lane opened, prompting most of the field to come in for tire changes or refueling. Dixon won the race off pit road, which proved crucial as the event was red-flagged shortly after on lap 106 due to rain.
Race control instructed teams to restart engines after a brief pause, and the race resumed with 91 laps remaining. David Malukas, starting from the front row in the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet, took the lead, but Palou challenged him immediately, with the two exchanging positions until race control issued another caution for moisture, placing Malukas at the front.
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The weather cleared up once more, and the race got back underway with 75 laps to go, but only briefly. Josef Newgarden's No. 2 hit the outside wall in Turn 1 from a restart due to losing control after hitting the curb.
Another round of pit stops occurred under yellow on lap 130 before the race went green again on lap 133. A four-wide restart propelled Conor Daly into the lead, but he was closely followed by Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 Team Penske Chevy and Palou, creating a three-wide contest that lasted several laps. Daly fell back on lap 140, placing Malukas in third to join the battle between Palou and McLaughlin. Malukas moved into second on Lap 146 and closed in on Palou for the lead the following lap. However, as had been the theme throughout the weekend, the contest was not concluded, and the other Team Penske drivers headed into the pits; McLaughlin emerged ahead off pit road. Palou and Daly pitted the following lap, continuing the fight for the net lead.
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Malukas returned to the lead with 33 laps to go after alternate strategy drivers completed their pit stops, keeping the battle with Palou alive. McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward, and Felix Rosenqvist occupied spots in the top five, with O’Ward and Rosenqvist confident they could reach the finish without needing to pit, while the other trio suspected they might have to stop for fuel.
Malukas pitted from the lead with 25 laps remaining, briefly giving the lead to Palou before the reigning champion stopped for fuel. O’Ward then moved to the front, although he had less fuel than Rosenqvist. Rosenqvist surged to the lead with 15 laps left and began to pull away from the competition due to his fuel advantage over O’Ward
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