A rain delay hit the Indianapolis 500 this year and that set the stage for a dramatic day of racing.
Multiple caution periods punctuated the 200-lap race in Speedway, Indiana. After 500 miles of racing, Alex Palou took the checkered flag and made history as the first Spanish driver to win the Indy 500.
The Spaniard won his first Indy 500 after taking the lead with 15 laps to go and holding off 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson on the final lap.
This continues what’s been a dominant season for the two-time defending champion. Palou has won five of the first six races of the season and finished no lower than second in any IndyCar event in 2025.
There was drama even before going green. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin crashed into the wall during pace laps while trying to warm up his tires.
Once the field was good to go racing, Andretti Global’s Marco Andretti collided with Dale Coyne’s Jack Harvey. Andretti went into the wall and was out.
Robert Schwartzman started on pole and became the first rookie to do so since 1983. The Prema Racing driver didn’t see the checkered flag, though, as he lost control in the pits and hit the wall and some of his crew members on Lap 88.
He wasn’t the only driver to see drama in the pits. Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi led some of the race before his car caught fire during refueling on Lap 75.
Two-time defending Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden methodically worked his way up the field from the last row on the grid and was running in the top 10 before a fuel issue ended the Team Penske driver’s day on Lap 140.
That ensured someone else besides Newgarden won the Indy 500 for the first time since 2022. This time, Palou was a new winner crowned in Indianapolis.
Indy 500 full classification
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global (+0.682 seconds)
David Malukas, AJ Foyt Racing (+1.143 seconds)
Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren (+2.133 seconds)
Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank (+2.946 seconds)
Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global (+3.982 seconds)
Santino Ferrucci, AJ Foyt Racing (+1 lap)
Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing (+1 lap)
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren (+1 lap)
Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing (+1 lap)
Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan (+1 lap)
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren (+1 lap)
Calum Illott, Prema Racing (+1 lap)
Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank (+1 lap)
Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan (+1 lap)
Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan (+1 lap)
Colton Herta, Andretti Global (+2 laps)
Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing (+2 laps)
Will Power, Team Penske (+2 laps)
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan (+2 laps)
Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank (+3 laps)
Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold/Cusick (+3 laps)
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing (+4 laps)
Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold/Cusick (DNF – engine)
Josef Newgarden, Team Penske (DNF – engine)
Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger (DNF – collision)
Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren/Hendrick (DNF – collision)
Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing (DNF – collision)
Robert Shwartzman, Prema Racing (DNF – collision)
Rinus Veekay, Dale Coyne Racing (DNF – collision)
Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing (DNF – fire)
Marco Andretti, Andretti Global (DNF – collision)
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske (did not start)