Indianapolis, Indiana – Despite enduring a four-hour rain delay, the clouds eventually parted to reveal an intense battle unfolding as the sun began to set over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race drew in more than 300,000 fans as they witnessed a thrilling finish.
Josef Newgarden, starting in third place, executed a remarkable last-lap pass by making a daring move around Arrow McLaren’s Patricio O’Ward into Turn 3, winning by a close margin of 0.3417 seconds. This victory marked Newgarden as the first driver to achieve back-to-back wins since Helio Castroneves did so with Team Penske in 2001 and 2002.
O’Ward, who valiantly defended against multiple late challenges before making his own bid for the lead at Turn 1 on the final lap, could only watch with his helmet in hand as he crossed the finish line as the runner-up.
Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing, the 2008 Indy 500 winner, made an impressive climb from 20th place to secure third, followed by Arrow McLaren’s Alexander Rossi in fourth and reigning two-time IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou in fifth.
The 200-lap race saw 16 different leaders throughout, with Scott McLaughlin, the polesitter, leading the most laps at 66 before finishing in sixth place.
The battle for victory intensified when Newgarden closed in on Dixon with 24 laps remaining, leading to a thrilling sequence as they jockeyed for position alongside Rossi and O’Ward.
Dixon faced challenges as O’Ward eventually passed him for third place with 13 laps remaining, with Newgarden, Rossi, Dixon, and Kyle Kirkwood rounding out the top five. Newgarden managed to maintain the lead with just 10 laps to go, setting the stage for a final showdown.
Despite facing high attrition throughout the race, the excitement never waned as drivers pushed themselves to the limit in pursuit of the prestigious title. Tom Blomqvist triggered a multi-car crash on the opening lap, involving 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson and Pietro Fittipaldi.
Colton Herta’s ambitious bid for a sixth Indy 500 victory came to an abrupt end after crashing on lap 88. The race also saw other notable incidents, including Will Power’s hard crash on lap 147 and Kyle Larson finishing in 18th place due to missing the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 because of Indy 500 delays.
The thrilling race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway showcased the resilience and determination of the drivers, culminating in Josef Newgarden’s triumph as he etched his name in the history books with a spectacular back-to-back win.