This year’s Indy 500 didn’t exactly ease into things. A short rain delay before the green flag had everyone a little out of sync, and once the race got going, it turned messy fast.

Scott McLaughlin didn’t even get to take the green. On the pace laps before the race officially started, he spun while warming up his tires and smacked the wall. Just a costly, painful mistake. No contact, no mechanical failure, just a driver pushing a little too hard at the wrong time.

Then, right after the actual start, Marco Andretti’s day ended almost as fast. He hit the wall in Turn 2 on the first lap. Another Indy heartbreak for a name that’s had too many of them. For fans hoping this would be Marco’s bounce-back moment, it was a letdown.

From there, things didn’t calm down much. Between pit lane problems, crashes, restarts gone wrong, and cars dropping out left and right, it felt like half the job was just keeping the car in one piece. Eleven drivers didn’t finish, and the yellow flag was flying more often than anyone wanted.

But while all that was going on, Alex Palou kept his head down and avoided the noise. He didn’t force anything, didn’t fall into the traps that caught so many others. Just stayed in the mix, picked his spots, and waited for the right time to take over. It was the kind of quiet confidence that doesn’t show up on highlight reels but ends up winning you a race like this.

Palou Checks the Last Box on a Ridiculous Resume

By every measurable metric — including the eyeball test — Palou entered May as the hottest driver on the planet. Three series titles in the past four seasons. Five wins in the year’s first six events. But critics still had one stone left to throw: “He’s never won on an oval.” That talking point is headed for the shredder.

Starting sixth, the 28‑year‑old ran the opening stints like he was playing three‑dimensional chess. He never led for long stretches early, but he never fell outside the top ten, either, shuffling between fuel‑saving mode and attack mode depending on where the cautions dropped.

The decisive move came on Lap 186. Palou timed Marcus Ericsson’s run through Turn 4, ducked low into the draft, and fired up the inside of the Swede going into the north‑end short chute. Clean, clinical, lethal — that’s Palou in a nutshell.

From there, he weaponized lapped traffic like a pick‑and‑roll partner. Every time Ericsson got close, Palou used them to his advantage — ducking out from behind the other cars just enough to shake the draft and give himself some breathing room. He wasn’t trying anything flashy, just doing exactly what he needed to keep the lead and manage fuel. Then, with one lap to go, Nolan Siegel hit the wall and brought out the final caution. From there, Palou coasted it home under yellow.

Carnage, Cautions, and Career‑Deflating Moments

The Pit Lane Rodeo

Pit lane wasn’t much better than the track when it came to chaos.

On Lap 87, rookie pole-sitter Robert Shwartzman came in for a routine stop, but it turned ugly fast. He overshot his pit stall, locked the brakes, and plowed into a few of his crew members. It looked bad in real time, but thankfully everyone walked away with just minor injuries. Still, his day was done on the spot. The team had high hopes coming into the race after nabbing the pole, and it all unraveled in seconds.

A few stints later, Alexander Rossi pulled in for service, and next thing you know, the No. 7 car had flames crawling up the side. A fuel probe issue sprayed ethanol on the bodywork, and with how hot everything runs, it ignited almost instantly. Rossi jumped out while his crew doused the fire. No one got hurt, but that was the end of what had looked like a strong run for him. It was shaping up to be a top-five car before it turned into a fireball.

Rinus VeeKay had his own moment entering pit road. He came in hot, but the brakes weren’t there for him, and he slammed the right-rear into the barrier.

Larson’s Double Becomes Double Trouble

Kyle Larson came into the day trying to pull off something only one driver has ever managed: run the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day and actually finish both. It’s called “The Double,” and it’s no joke — 1,100 miles of racing, two totally different cars, two completely different tracks. It’s one of the most ambitious things a driver can even attempt.

Larson looked solid early at Indy, staying out of trouble and getting more comfortable each stint. But just 92 laps in, it all went sideways — literally. On a restart, he downshifted too aggressively heading into Turn 2, the back end stepped out, and he smacked the wall hard enough to end his day. He knew it right away. The No. 17 was done.

From there, Larson sprinted out of the garage, hopped into a helicopter, then caught a jet to Charlotte, hoping to salvage the back half of the day. But it didn’t get any better in the 600. He ended up crashing out again, capping off a long and brutal day with a big fat 0-for-2.

For all the hype, it was a reminder of how unforgiving both races can be on their own — let alone together. As of now, Tony Stewart is still the only guy to ever complete all 1,100 miles in one day. Larson gave it a real shot, but this just wasn’t his year. 

A Penske Dream Turns to Penalties and Pump‑Failures

Josef Newgarden came into the weekend with a chance to make real history. No one has ever won three straight Indy 500s, and if anyone was going to pull it off, it was him. But the drama started well before the green flag. During qualifying, Penske’s cars were flagged for an illegal rear attenuator. That knocked Newgarden to the back of the field; not exactly the momentum you want heading into the biggest day of the season.

Even with that setback, Newgarden didn’t sulk. He worked his way up from 32nd on the grid, carving through the field and finding himself inching towards the top five by the halfway point. He looked strong, like he was still going to be a factor. But then the car started to lose power, and it quickly became clear there was a fuel pressure issue. Just like that, the No. 2 was done.

How the Rest of the Field Shook Out

This had to have felt like deja vu for Marcus Ericsson. He lost the Indy 500 in gut-wrenching fashion in 2023, getting passed on the final lap by Josef Newgarden. This time, he came up just short again. Second place isn’t bad on most days, but at Indy? It stings.

It’s pretty painful... It's a winner-takes-all race here.

David Malukas was one of the best stories of the day. Just a month ago, he didn’t even have a ride. Now, he’s finishing third at Indy. After the race, he got choked up, admitting, “I was crying coming into the pits.” And you get it. That kind of moment doesn’t happen every day. He kissed the bricks, soaked it all in, and probably made himself a lot of money for the rest of the season.

Right behind them, Pato O’Ward looked like a contender for most of the day. He led 26 laps and had a shot late but couldn’t quite stretch the fuel far enough. Felix Rosenqvist stayed solid all day — never flashy, but always in the mix. And Kyle Kirkwood tied his career best in sixth, which, in a race like this, says something.

Santino Ferrucci kept things steady for A.J. Foyt Racing and brought home another top ten. That team doesn’t always get the attention, but Ferrucci’s made a habit of punching above their weight here. And Conor Daly, racing for underdog Juncos Hollinger, snagged tenth. For a small outfit like that, this finish could give everyone in the shop a boost.

The Milk Tastes Better In Indy

The 109th Indianapolis 500 was pretty much everything you expect out of this race — unpredictable, chaotic, and hard-earned. There were crashes, weird pit lane moments, strategies that worked until they didn’t, and a bunch of good cars that never saw the finish. It’s just one of those races where being fast isn’t always enough — you’ve got to keep it clean, make the right calls, and catch a few breaks too.

Palou came in with the best stats, the best form, and one big hole in his resume. Not anymore. He played it smart and finally grabbed the oval win that’s eluded him. It wasn’t flashy — it was just well-executed. Same goes for guys like Malukas, who turned a last-minute opportunity into a top-three finish, and even Ericsson, who once again was right there at the end.

There’s no formula for winning the Indy 500. That’s kind of the point. You survive the chaos, manage what you can, and hope the cards fall your way. For Palou, they finally did. For everyone else, it’s back to the drawing board.