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In Driver’s eye with James Hinchcliffethe six times INDYCAR The Winner will take you into the mind of a runner while breaking down the inner workings of the sport for fans.
Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow.
I’m not sure what you expected from this year’s Indianapolis 500, but I have to be honest: a record-breaking, heart-stopping, screaming-to-the-finish drag race was way more than I thought we had in store!
As always, the Indy 500 had no shortage of stories. From the weather being a constant threat throughout the day, to multiple red flags, to a fuel-sharing strategy and a one-lap shootout for all the glory, the 110th edition of auto racing’s greatest spectacle had all the dramatic bases covered.
But I want to focus on something very specific. I want to talk about the last round.
I want to talk about how difficult, dangerous and terrifying it is to race outside the four corners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, inches from another car going 220 miles per hour…with the added complication of your teammate being in that other car.
Enter Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong.
Let’s start by running side by side for an entire lap. It’s not uncommon on a restart, while you’re still gaining speed, to see a car hanging in turns 1 and 2. Then, when you get to turn 3, there may be a big control line in the low lane, and maybe you can still hold on.
But when both cars are in pretty clean air – the leader had a solid gap on them at this point – trying to stick to the guy on the inside is mind-boggling. Indy is a one-groove song once you get the hang of it, but I guess no one told Felix that!
There’s a reason every driver who raced on the 2.5-mile speedway was cheering at this final lap move. We all know how incredibly difficult it is to do this.
Rosenqvist not only had to trust his car and his abilities, but he also had to trust the guy he was racing with.
(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
The golden rule in motorsport is not to hit your teammate. When you and your teammate are both out to win the biggest race in the world, it gets complicated.
Rosenqvist and Armstrong know the rule. But they also know that a victory at the Indy 500 within your reach doesn’t happen every day and that you have to give it your all. The respect that both guys showed for each other was truly spectacular to see.
Instantaneous, life-altering, future-defining decisions were being made several times per second at over 200 miles per hour.
As impressive as Felix’s final lap was, you have to give Armstrong a ton of credit for how he rode those last 2.5 miles.
But the racing gods were on Felix’s side. Indy, it is said, picks the winner. Felix was the chosen one.
There was nothing Marcus could have done differently to come out on top. And making sure he didn’t destroy his teammate ensured he wouldn’t have to answer any tough questions from the bosses when he returned to the pits.
[WHO IS? Indy 500 Winner Felix Rosenqvist On Fatherhood, Being Too Nice]
SPEAKING OF ANYTHING YOU COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY…
And David Malukas? When he took the lead into the first corner of that final lap, he reportedly checked his mirrors and saw the two Meyer Shank Racing teammates chasing him.
And that was exactly what he wanted to see. Cars racing side by side won’t catch up to you as quickly as a single car being towed.
David Malukas after finishing second by 0.0233 seconds in the 2026 Indy 500. (Matt Fraver/INDYCAR)
Even with this ideal scenario, it wasn’t enough to keep Rosenqvist at bay. David did everything right – everything in his power in the situation he found himself in – to win this race. But when it’s not your day, there’s nothing more you can do.
He’ll rewatch that last trick 100 times, trying to see if he could do anything differently. But for a young driver fighting at the front of the biggest race in the world, he kept his cool, executed to perfection, but it still wasn’t meant to be.
Malukas should (eventually) sleep well knowing it wasn’t his time, but a performance like that means his time is surely approaching.
The bad news for Malukas is that the replay of the ending is part of the tradition and will be the hot topic for decades to come.
We’ve never seen a final lap like this in the history of the Indy 500. We haven’t seen a finish this close in 110 years.
But rather than seeing this as a painful reminder of what almost was, I hope he looks back on it as a privilege to have been part of a historic moment at the iconic circuit.
SOUND LIKE AN INDYCAR EXPERT
The Indy 500 had three key moments that set the stage.
The first was the strategic split on lap 130. The teams in the pits thought they could reach the finish with one extra stop. Those who stayed away didn’t think they could get the fuel number and would rather drive hard than save.
Pato O’Ward after finishing fourth in the 2026 Indy 500. (Aaron Skillman/INDYCAR)
As the race progressed, it appeared that those who made the lap 130 stop had made the right choice, as Rosenqvist, Pato O’Ward and Armstrong were comfortably ahead of the chasing pack of drivers who made the extra stop.
BUT… that advantage was negated when the caution, then the red flag on lap 192, came out for Caio Collet’s accident. This closed the chasing pack down to the leaders and put everyone on equal footing.
Of course, the final act came when the early warning was issued for Mick Schumacher brushing the wall in Turn 1 and led to the green flag on the final lap.
What seemed like a battle of strategic brains turned into a good old gloveless race to the checkered flag. This is the kind of racing that drivers and their fans love.
LIVE FROM THE STAND
You may have seen the clip of my pit mates and I on that final lap, the one where I deployed all the practice I had compartmentalizing emotions in the race car to stay calm and not miss a second of the action. I hope our many reactions have shown the world how much we all love this sport and how much we enjoy calling the show these drivers put on for us every weekend.
I have to say: it was so much fun calling this race from the pits. After a marathon month, being treated to a unique arrival was a real honor.
And while I have you, thanks to the entire FOX Sports production team, who at every position on the team did an outstanding job bringing you all the action during a grueling May schedule.
1 FOR THE ROAD
Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward and Marcus Armstrong finish third, fourth and fifth in the 2026 Indy 500. (Doug Mathews/INDYCAR)
Now, watching the closest Indy 500 finish in history, you may have missed the crazy finish of third, fourth and fifth through the Yard of Bricks. That’s understandable, given all the breathless post-flag stuff.
But kudos to Scott McLaughlin for timing, to perfection, a turn 4 exit to move from fifth to third on the line. Just.
And while we were talking about the smallest margin of victory in history — 0.0233 seconds between first and second — right behind them, third, fourth and fifth were covered by only 0.0115 seconds! After 200 laps, 500 miles, three positions adjusted to the nearest centimeter.
Man, this race is awesome. I’m ready to start again. Is it May already?
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