It was a day of speed, drama, and history at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.
In a thrilling finish, Alex Palou made headlines as the first-ever Spaniard to win the iconic Indianapolis 500.
After 200 grueling laps around the legendary 2.5-mile oval, Palou emerged victorious—securing not just a win, but his first-ever triumph on an oval track.
And it wasn’t just any win. This moment marked the breakthrough he’d been chasing across 29 oval starts.
With five wins already under his belt this season, Palou is clearly in a league of his own in 2025.
“What an Amazing Day” – Palou Reflects
As he soaked in the win, an emotional Palou couldn’t hide his disbelief.
“I cannot believe it. What an amazing day.
What an amazing race,” he said, beaming after crossing the finish line under caution. “It’s amazing to win.”
That caution came after American driver Nolan Siegel crashed toward the back of the field, sealing Palou’s win and sending him into celebration mode.
His season has been nothing short of dominant, and he gave full credit to his crew: “The team I have around me, they make me look good on track.”
Strategy and Nerves in the Final Laps
The final laps were intense. Marcus Ericsson of Sweden, who won the race in 2022, made a late fuel stop with 24 laps to go and returned to the track just ahead of Palou.
But Palou, who started on the second row, wasn’t done yet.
With 14 laps to go, he made his move—slipping past Ericsson on the inside of Turn 1.
From there, he carefully managed fuel while navigating slower traffic.
“It was tough out there, especially if you were third or fourth in the pack,” he admitted.
“Even leading, fuel consumption was crazy high.”
As the final lap approached, Palou had a comfortable lead.
Then came the caution flag, and the rest was history.
“I Didn’t Know If I’d Get Him”
Palou admitted there were doubts as the race neared its end.
“There were moments I felt really good,” he said. “But I didn’t know if I could get past Marcus or not… but yeah, made it happen.”
Ericsson had to settle for a frustrating second place finish—for the second time.
“That was painful to miss out so close again,” he said.
“This place is winner-takes-all, so yeah, really painful.”
Malukas Left in Tears Over Close Call
David Malukas, the American who finished third, was heartbroken by how close he came to a career-defining win.
“I’m not going to lie, I was crying coming into the pits,” he said. “We were just so close.”
Celebration with the Crew
Palou wasn’t about to contain his joy. He stopped the car and sprinted down pit row to hug his crew and team owner Chip Ganassi.
“Amazing. Best celebration ever,” he said, clearly overwhelmed with emotion.
Ganassi, who’s seen plenty of racing greatness, had nothing but praise for his driver.
“This guy is unbelievable,” Ganassi said. “It’s going to make his career, his life—and it’s made mine, too.”
Mechanical Heartbreak for Newgarden
Defending two-time champion Josef Newgarden saw his bid for a historic third straight Indy 500 title end early due to a fuel pressure issue on lap 135.
“It’s tough not to have a shot at the end,” he said.
“We didn’t even get to see what we had.”
Crashes and Chaos: The Race That Had It All
The day didn’t start smoothly. After a short rain delay, several drivers ran into trouble almost immediately.
Marco Andretti, grandson of racing icon Mario Andretti, crashed on the first lap, hitting the outer wall in Turn 1.
Japan’s Takuma Sato, a two-time winner, led early but overshot his pit stop and dropped back in the field.
Meanwhile, Israeli rookie and pole sitter Robert Shwartzman had a terrifying moment.
He lost control entering the pits and struck four members of his crew.
“I locked both front tires,” he said. “Luckily nobody was seriously hurt.
It was really scary. When I braked, I was just a passenger.”
Larson’s Indy-NASCAR Double Attempt Cut Short
Kyle Larson’s ambitious plan to compete in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race on the same day came to a crashing halt.
On lap 92, he hit the outer wall in Turn 2 during a restart and was out of contention.
Other incidents included Rinus Veekay of the Netherlands crashing into the pit lane entry wall and American Alexander Rossi’s car catching fire while refueling—thankfully with no injuries reported.
New Zealand’s Scott McLaughlin didn’t even make it to the starting green.
He crashed during the warm-up lap.
“Worst moment of my life,” he admitted.
Dixon Breaks Andretti’s All-Time Start Record
Despite the chaos, there was a big milestone for New Zealand’s Scott Dixon.
He made his 408th career IndyCar start—breaking Mario Andretti’s all-time record.