The month of May has all led to this. The 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 once again proved why it’s called the greatest spectacle in racing.
Crashes, fires, and a lot of action occurred at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this afternoon. It’s safe to say this year’s Indy 500 was nothing short of exciting.
Alex Palou Gets First Oval Win In The 109th Indianapolis 500
The three-time IndyCar champion has finally found success on an oval. All of Palou’s previous wins have come on road and street courses to secure his previous championship wins.
He took the lead during the late stages of the race with only 15 laps to go. It was a tight battle between him, Marcus Ericsson, and David Malukas, but it was Palou who took the win in the end.
Palou started from sixth on the grid and, after a chaotic afternoon full of cautions and crashes, emerged as the victor.
He’s won five out of the six races on the calendar thus far and also made history as the first Spaniard to win the Indy 500.
FROM BARCELONA TO THE BRICKYARD!
Alex Palou wins the 109th Running of the #Indy500! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/BVpnVDw0Uh
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 25, 2025
Marcus Ericsson and David Malukas Round out the Podium
Marcus Ericsson started the Indy 500 a row behind the race winner. It looked like Ericsson was going to get his second Indy 500 win with Palou getting stuck behind a few lapped cars. Ericsson won the Indy 500 back in 2022 and was looking to secure his second 500 win this weekend.
On the other side of things, David Malukas is a driver who went from not being able to race at all in the 500 last year to landing a spot on the podium. Malukas pulled off an impressive stint during last weekend’s qualifying session to make it into the Firestone Fast Six.
This is Malukas’ second podium finish since Portland in 2023.
A pair of Early Indy 500 Exits
Unfortunately for Scott McLaughlin, his race ended before it was able to begin. Following a delayed race start due to rain, McLaughlin ended up crashing during the pace lap.
His car swerved to the left and hit the inside wall, resulting in severe damage to the front of the car.
It was announced moments after that the damage was too extensive to repair, and allow McLaughlin to successfully rejoin the race.
Later on, during the race restart, Marco Andretti went into the wall. While going five cars wide, Andretti made contact with Jack Harvey, causing him to crash. These two incidents brought out the first couple of cautions back to back.
READ MORE: Harsher Penalties For Team Penske In Indianapolis 500
The Cautions Continue
One storyline fans were following along with all month long was whether or not this would be the year Kyle Larson does The Double. The delayed race start raised concerns that he wouldn’t be able to fly out in time for the Coca-Cola 600.
Larson was able to start racing, but his dream of completing The Double will have to be put on hold once again.
While Ed Carpenter made a move to get in front of Alex Palou, Kyle Larson spun out and went into the wall. In an effort to try and avoid the crash, Kyffin Simpson also ended up crashing out, as well as Sting Ray Robb.
Pit Stop Problems Persist
Luck didn’t seem to be on anyone’s side today when it came to pit stops at this year’s Indy 500.
Kyle Larson’s car stalled, which meant he lost valuable full seconds in his race before it came to a premature end.
Robert Shwartzman started on pole but was another entry who didn’t get to see the end of all 200 laps. While entering his pit box, Shwartzman’s car skidded.
One of the mechanics in his crew had a minor injury but was able to walk himself over to get onto the stretcher to be assessed. The crew member later returned to watch the remainder of the race from the pit lane.
Rinus Veekay fought hard to secure his spot in the 500 during last week’s Last Chance Qualifying session. He has his race cut short upon entering the pit lane as well. While struggling with brake issues, Veekay crashed out of the race while in the pit lane.
Other Notable Indy 500 Moments
The most remarkable incident happened during lap 76. When Alexander Rossi pitted, his car caught on fire. Rossi was safely able to get out of the car, and his pit crew was safe as well.
After being cleared as healthy, Rossi said he was having gearbox issues that played a role in the car fire.
Additionally, Josef Newgarden’s pursuit of a three-peat at the Indy 500 came to an early end. After dealing with a fuel pressure issue, he was forced to retire. Newgarden made a considerable amount of progress up the field after starting from the back of the grid due to Team Penske being disqualified from qualifying last week.
IndyCar’s next race takes place on June 1st. They’ll be racing in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
LWOS will continue its coverage of the NTT IndyCar Series with the Detroit Grand Prix.
Main Photo: Paul Hurley, Penske Entertainment
Recording Date: 5/25/2025
