INDIANAPOLIS — It had everything one could want in an Indianapolis 500 – drama, thrilling racing, tremendous storylines, heartbreak, disappointment and a four-hour rain delay before the race ever started.
In the end, it was Josef Newgarden who conquered some of the fiercest racing at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway to claim victory in back-to-back years in Sunday’s 108th Indianapolis 500.
Dixon took the lead in lap 170 but had to make one more pit stop. Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin pitted for the final time on lap 171.
Arrow McLaren drivers Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi were both in contention for the victory in the closing laps.
Dixon made his final pit stop on lap 172 but entered the pits locking up his wheels. Meantime, Rossi got ahead of Newgarden on the track but Dixon was pulling out of the pit area ahead of the two main contenders on track.
Newgarden made the move to the inside of Dixon’s Honda coming down the main straightaway on lap 174.
Dixon passed Newgarden one lap later as more pit stops were made by the nine cars head of the main contenders.
Newgarden passed Dixon for position to regain the advantage on lap 176.
With 20 laps to go, NASCAR 2021 champion Kyle Larson was the leader but still had to make a final pit stop.
That sent up the frantic battle to the checkered flag in an Indianapolis 500 that finished just before 7:45 p.m. ET.
Rossi took the lead back from Newgarden with nine laps to go, before Newgarden made a daring dive down the frontstretch to regain the advantage two circuits later. Coming to five to go, O’Ward soared past Newgarden on the yard of bricks to pull ahead.
With four to go, Newgarden swapped back to the lead on the frontstretch. O’Ward remained in second and appeared to have a run down the backstretch coming to one to go, but he held off. Instead, he flew past Newgarden taking the white flag.
Newgarden didn’t go away easy. He pulled back past O’Ward on the high side entering Turn Three and pulled away from O’Ward for his second consecutive triumph.
Six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon was the leader on a restart on lap 155, but Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi made him the meat of a sandwich heading into Turn One.
O’Ward went to the inside and Rossi to the outside heading into Turn One. By the time they came out of the turn, Rossi was the leader followed by teammate O’Ward and Dixon. Last year’s winner, Josef Newgarden of Team Penske, was fourth followed by two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou.
Rossi is the leader after 400 miles. The final 100 miles will determine whose face will be on the famed Borg-Warner Trophy.
Pole winner Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske was the leader after 300 miles of Sunday’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
McLaughlin leads Arrow McLaren’s Alexander Rossi by 0.257 seconds. Reigning Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden of Team Penske is third followed by AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci’s Chevy.
Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing is fifth in the No. 10 DHL Honda.
On lap 106, 2014 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay was squeezed off the track by Scott Dixon’s No. 9 Honda on the backstretch. He was able to control the car and get it onto the pit access road in Turn Three to avoid mayhem, but his car had suspension damage.
That was the seventh caution period of the race.
“I was shocked on both fronts that he didn’t get penalized and I had an incident with Scott Dixon,” Hunter-Reay said. “I’m shocked. How is that not a penalty?
“My car was a handful today. We were moving forward and had a good time this month, but a confusing situation with Scott and with race control.”
Josef Newgarden, the 2023 Indy 500 winner, is the leader at the halfway point of Sunday’s 108th Indianapolis 500 – lap 100.
The race is now official, but the will continue until 500 miles are completed or 8:15 p.m. ET, according to IndyCar Series officials.
Newgarden’s No. 2 Shell Chevrolet for Team Penske led lap 100, the first time he has led laps during Sunday’s rain-delayed Memorial Day Speed Classic.
Santino Ferrucci of AJ Foyt Racing is second in the No. 14 Chevrolet followed by Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, Sting Ray Robb’s Chevy and Conor Daly’s Chevrolet.
In a wild battle on restarts, pole-winner Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske is back in the lead at the 200-mile mark of the 108th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.
McLaughlin’s No. 3 Chevrolet leads Andretti Global’s Bryan Herta. Reigning winner Josef Newgarden of Team Penske is third in the No. 2 Shell Chevrolet followed by Santino Ferrucci’s No. 14 Chevy and Alex Palou’s Honda.
But just five laps later, Herta crashed his Honda into the south chute wall between Turns One and Two. He got low in Turn One and lost control before sliding up the track. He did not make hard contact with the wall and brought out the yellow flag.
IndyCar announced prior to the race that per rule 7.3.2.1. the race will go 200 laps or until 8:15 p.m. ET in agreement with local law enforcement officials to “ensure race fans are able to leave and return home safely tonight.”
Conor Daly of Noblesville, Indiana brought the crowd of over 300,000 to its feet when he took the lead on lap 36 of the 108th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. Daly, driving for Cusick Motorsports, took the lead going into Turn One.
Daly was the leader at the 100-mile mark on lap 40 before he pitted on lap 44.
After 100 miles, Daly’s No. 24 Chevrolet led pole winner Scott McLaughlin’s No. 3 Chevy. The No. 14 Chevrolet for Santino Ferrucci was third followed by teammate Sting Ray Robb and Alexander Rossi, the highest Chevrolet at that point.
Daly pitted four laps later and that put McLaughlin in the lead.
The start of the race was delayed until 4:52 p.m. – four hours late – because of a lightning storm and heavy rain.
On the first lap, Scott Blomqvist got too low on the track, clipped the Turn One apron and drifted up the track. Callum Ilott and Pietro Fittipaldi were both involved, and 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson slammed into Fittipaldi’s Honda for the first yellow of the race.
Ericsson was seen and released from the IU Health Infield Hospital.
The green flag waved to restart the race on lap 9 with the three Penske drivers in the top three – McLaughlin, Will Power and Josef Newgarden.
There was a second yellow when Katherine Legge’s Honda erupted in a plume of smoke on lap 23. Three laps later, it was back to racing and Robb was the leader because he did not pit.
Daly took the lead on lap 27 when he passed Robb. One lap later, Linus Lundqvist crashed in the chute between Turns One and Two for another caution.
When the green waved on lap 32, Daly led the field off Turn Two. McLaughlin was scored the leader on lap 33 before Daly brought the crowd to its feet on lap 36 when he passed McLaughlin heading into Turn One.