I’m not sure why it’s taken me this long to write about the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race because it was the most exciting race I’ve seen, other than the 40+ times I attended it in person. So much excitement, so much strategy, so many lead changes, and new records in so many categories that keeping track of it all is challenging. Google and the IndyCar web site have done a great job compiling all the information and have provided me with what I need to share accurate data. Hopefully you’ll find it as compelling as I did.
Think of this; thirty three race cars with 33 drivers coming down the 0.625 mile long, 50-feet wide, front straightaway three abreast at over 200 miles an hour, all headed for the same narrow left turn, hoping to make it through without spinning or hitting the wall. The roar of the engines is incredible. Dust flies, drivers pass other drivers, taking the “inside line” or the “outside line” hoping to make it through unscathed. The first 10-20 laps of the Indy 500 you can’t breathe, can’t hear, but you can see 33 cars bunched together roaring by. It’s the most exciting thing imaginable when you’re standing in the grandstand watching it in person.
This excitement repeats itself 200 times over the nearly 4 hours the race lasts. Where is my driver? He’s the best of the three I drew in the race pool the night before. He just passed several cars! And on it goes.
I doubt if I’ll get much disagreement about this statement, but this year’s Indy 500 was the most exciting ever! It certainly was one of the most competitive, if not the most competitive 500 ever. More records were broken, and new records set in this race than any before. For Felix Rosenqvist it was his first ever IndyCar win. To make your first win the biggest race in the world is incredible. What a boost to his career.
To do it, though, Fro, as he’s known, had to come from behind, outmaneuvering two other cars and passing race leader David Malukas on the outside of the main straightaway to win by 0.0233 seconds, the closest finish in Indy 500 history. The previous record was 0.043 seconds when Al Unser Jr edged Scott Goodyear for the win in 1992.
Passing and lead changes were the order of the day. There were a record 70 lead changes in this race, surpassing the 68 that occurred in 2016. Fourteen different drivers led this race. But Alex Palou led the most laps crossing the start-finish line first 59 times. Sir Scott Dixon, who has led in 17 races, led 32 laps in this race and set a new all-time total laps leader record at 709. Palou and Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing teammates, exchanged the lead 26 times! And Helio Castroneves, going for his fifth Indy 500 win, surpassed AJ Foyt and set a new record for the most miles driven in the Indy 500 at 12,480 miles. WOW!
Santino Ferrucci, driving for AJ Foyt Racing, finished the entire 500 miles for a record eighth consecutive year. He’s going to win the Indy 500 one of these years. Three drivers led the race for their first time ever; Caio Collet, Marcus Armstrong, and Romain Grosjean. Grosjean was also the biggest mover in the race starting in 24th position and finishing 9th. Catherine Legg was the third racer in-a-row, and first woman, to try the “double” (race in both the Indy 500 and NASCAR Charlotte 600 race the same day) and fail. She was taken out on lap 10 when Ryan Hunter Reay spun in front of her and she couldn’t avoid hitting him.
After the race, two more records were set. At the awards banquet on Monday night, Felix Rosenqvist and his Meyer-Shank Racing team, took home a record $4.34 million winner’s portion of the record $30,906,400 total purse. This purse exceed last year’s by $10.6 million. WOW, again.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its owner, Roger Penske, won, too! For the second straight year, 235,000 grandstand seats were completely sold out, and an additional 115,000 general admission tickets (you stand or sit on the ground) were sold bringing the total attendance to over 350,000. The improvements to IMS and the race made by Roger Penske and IndyCar have improved the whole event magnificently. It is the biggest and greatest one day sporting event in the world.
As long as current IMS and IndyCar leadership remain in place, more records will be set and future races will be as competitive and as fascinating as was the 2026 edition. Stay tuned for more excitement from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the Indy 500.
