Alex Palou passed Marcus Ericsson with fewer than 15 laps to go and then hung on with enough fuel to win his first Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.
In a race where the first half was hindered by several yellow flags, it was a yellow on the final lap that secured the victory for the three-time IndyCar Series champion. Palou became the first Spaniard to take the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
There were 22 lead changes among 14 drivers, with Palou’s No. 10 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing averaging 168.883 mph. Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner from Sweden, finished 0.682 seconds back.
David Malukas followed Ericsson in third, and Pato O’Ward of Mexico and Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden rounded out the top five.
Not only was this Palou’s first win at Indy, but it was also his first win on an oval course. He also won for the fifth time this season in six IndyCar races. The legendary A.J. Foyt last accomplished that feat 46 years ago.
Palou, who started from the second row, made his last pit stop with 32 laps to go, with him and his team gambling their tires and fuel would last against Ericsson, who made his last stop with 25 laps left.
He led for just 14 laps.
“There were some moments that I felt really good in the race, but at the end, I didn’t know if I was going to able to pass Marcus or not,” Palou said on the FOX telecast. “But yeah, (we) made it happen. First oval win. What better place.”
Ericsson, who started from the outside of the third row, said he found his car hard to drive at times on Sunday. Still, he and his team were able to fight through that and lead the race for 17 laps.
The Swede said lapped cars ahead of him on the track made it challenging late in the race. He finished second for the second time in his seven races at the Brickyard.
“I didn’t know if (Palou) was going to go for it or not,” he said. “That’s the thing I’m thinking about constantly now. I should have covered that inside. When he got by, I tried everything to get back on him, but it’s just really hard in that dirty air.”
Light rain led to race officials delaying the start of the race for more than half an hour, and then the race started under caution when Scott McLaughlin crashed out after losing control of his car while warming up his tires on the main straightaway.
That was one of three yellows that happened in the first 20 laps. Marco Andretti’s race ended on the fourth lap (and first under green) after being bumped by Ryan Hunter-Reay. The contact caused the third-generation driver to spin before hitting the outside wall.
Josef Newgarden — forced to start 32nd and in the back row along with Penske teammate Will Power after race officials found violations during an inspection before qualifying — had the best car in practices, and he methodically moved his way through the field. After 50 laps, the two-time defending winner had moved up to 14th, and he broke into the top 10 before Lap 80.
However, his day ended on Lap 136 when he was forced to pit after suffering a fuel issue during a previous pit stop.
Two-time champion Takuma Sato, who started second on the front row, led 51 laps during the first half. However, a skid into his pit led to him moving out of the lead pack.
Pole sitter Robert Shwartzman’s day ended early. On Lap 89, the Israeli rookie collided into members of his pit team and damaged the front end of his car.
Kyle Larson, who was vying to complete a rare racing double, saw his Indy 500 end early after crashing on Lap 91. He was able to exit the car and, after being checked out, he departed Indianapolis to fly to Charlotte, where he was scheduled to race in NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600.
–Field Level Media
