The 110th Indianapolis 500 had everything in it. The chaos from start to checkered flag was the perfect example of why it’s called “the greatest spectacle in racing.” The 200-lap race can bring out the best performances but also the not-so-good ones, and we wanted to highlight some of the winners and losers of this year’s Indy 500.
Winner: Meyer Shank Racing
Either of the full-time Meyer Shank Racing drivers could’ve taken the Indy 500 victory, showing the steps they’ve taken as a team.
Throughout the Month of May, Felix Rosenqvist was one of the fastest drivers on track throughout each session. The Swede was fastest on Fast Friday and in the opening round of Indy 500 qualifying. He was fastest again in the Top 12 session before qualifying fourth for the race. With the speed, you knew he was going to be in the fight for the win if there was an opportunity. And on the last lap, there was one, and he did not miss. He crossed the line in first to win the 110th Indianapolis 500 and earned a spot on the Borg-Warner Trophy.
After starting 16th, teammate Marcus Armstrong worked his way forward, spending much of the race inside the top 10. He took the lead on a restart with seven laps remaining, putting himself in position for the win. But another late caution erased his advantage and led to a last-lap showdown that left him in “an impossible situation.” Ultimately, he finished 5th, his best finish in this event.
Losers: Ed Carpenter Racing
On the opposite side of things was ECR. All three drivers had a nightmare of a race. The battle for Alexander Rossi started well before the race. One day after Rossi had qualified P2 for the race, he hit the wall hard at Turn 2, resulting in a hand and foot injury. Both of which required procedures. Rossi, still in crutches, hobbled over to his car, hoping to have a clean race. That did not happen, for the second year in a row, he had to retire as his car caught fire due to a mechanical failure.
Reliability caught them again, as Christian Rasmussen retired with a mechanical problem after 144 laps. As for Ed Carpenter, the driver and team owner made contact with Takuma Sato, ending his race after just 27 laps.
Winner: Mick Schumacher
Mick Schumacher was one of four rookies taking on the Indy 500 for the first time. The former Formula 1 driver started 27th and throughout the afternoon managed to work his way up. It wasn’t all clean, as in the closing stages of the race, the 27-year-old had a brush with the wall but kept going and saw the checkered flag, completing the full 200 laps of the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, the only rookie to do so.
He managed to finish 18th, ending up as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s second-best finisher behind two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato in 10th. His performance was enough to earn him Rookie of the Year.
Loser: Josef Newgarden
After Josef Newgarden went back-to-back in 2023 and 2024, the Indy 500 hasn’t been friendly to the American. Last year, Newgarden started at the rear of the field for the race. He managed to move up to P6 before retiring on lap 135 due to a fuel pressure problem.
This year was similar. After a disappointing qualifying, he started the race in 23rd, but it was quickly rectified as he jumped to 10th in just 31 laps. He seemed like he was in contention, running as high as fifth. That was until lap 125, after the rain delay, Newgarden clipped the inside curb of Turn 4, spinning and hitting the outside wall.
The crash left not only a sting of what could’ve been but also a minor injury as he was seen walking in a boot on Monday after the race.
The Indy 500 tests teams and drivers and pushes them beyond their limits. With that come the ‘winners’ and ‘losers,’ but as they say, ‘there’s always next year.’ So, regardless of whether they found themselves on the winning end or not, everyone has time to reset until the next Month of May.