After 500 miles of racing at the 2026 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, the title was decided on the final stretch, marking the closest finish in 110 years of Indy 500 history.
The unforgettable final lap at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway saw Felix Rosenqvist overtake David Malukas to win by 0.0233 seconds and half of a car length.
The surge to the line for the Swedish sensation was the record-setting 70th lead change of the day. The previous record was 68, set in 2013.
- What's Streaming On FloRacing This Week? Checkout The Schedule
- Indy 500 2026 Qualifying: Alex Palou Takes Pole On Starting Grid
- Kyle Busch Dies After Severe Illness
- Where Is The NASCAR Race This Week? The Coca-Cola 600 At Charlotte
The sellout crowd, traditionally more than 300,000, had a plethora of storylines to keep an eye on during the action, though there was no shortage of surprises, too.
Malukas took the lead five times during the 200 laps and looked poised to earn the first INDYCAR victory of his career.
Instead, it was 34-year-old Rosenqvist picking up the second INDYCAR win for Meyer Shank Racing, both of which have come at the Indy 500. The other was Helio Castroneves in 2021.
Malukas’ teammate, Scott McLaughlin, finished third Sunday and was followed by Pato O’Ward and Rosenqvist’s teammate, Marcus Armstrong, in fifth place.
Rosenqvist’s margin of victory bested the .043-second difference between Al Unser Jr. and Scott Goodyear in 1992.
Alex Palou had the opportunity to become the seventh driver in history to win the Indianapolis 500 in back-to-back years, and he increased his odds – and probably his confidence – by earning the pole position for Sunday’s race, though only five drivers have won from there during this century.
Palou, who earned the pole in 2023 and went on to finish fourth, was a front-runner early in this year’s edition and held the lead again after the 168th lap, but that’s where the dream ended. He ended up in seventh place.
The 33-driver field included nine past winners overall, including Castroneves, who was aiming to win the race for the fifth time and break a four-driver tie atop the all-time win list with Rick Mears, Al Unser and A.J. Foyt.
The final eight laps of Sunday’s race were run under a red flag after a fiery crash brought an end to Caio Collet’s day on the track.
Who else has won the Indy 500? Here is the list of winners through 2024, with Palou then hoisting the trophy in 2025.
Watch The Exciting Conclusion Of The 2026 Indianapolis 500
After 500 miles and hours behind the wheel, the 2026 Indianapolis 500 was decided on the final lap.
THE CLOSEST FINISH IN INDIANAPOLIS 500 HISTORY!
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 24, 2026
IT'S FELIX ROSENQVIST! 🏁 pic.twitter.com/exA3UpH81b
Complete Results From The 2026 Indianapolis 500
- Felix Rosenqvist, 200 laps
- David Malukas, +0.0233, 200 laps
- Scott McLaughlin, +0.4205, 200 laps
- Pato O’Ward, +0.4271, 200 laps
- Marcus Armstrong, +0.4360, 200 laps
- Rinus VeeKay, +1.0760, 200 laps
- Alex Palou, +1.0946, 200 laps
- Santino Ferrucci, +1.5751, 200 laps
- Romain Grosjean, +2.0730, 200 laps
- Takuma Sato, +2.4507, 200 laps
- Nolan Siegel, +2.6776, 200 laps
- Conor Daly, +2.7237, 200 laps
- Marcus Ericsson, +3.3215, 200 laps
- Kyffin Simpson, +3.8061, 200 laps
- Scott Dixon, +3.8431, 200 laps
- Kyle Kirkwood, +5.2271, 200 laps
- Christian Lundgaard, +6.3017, 200 laps
- Mick Schumacher, +14.9305, 200 laps
- Dennis Hauger, 1 lap down, 199 laps
- Graham Rahal, 1 lap down, 199 laps
- Louis Foster, 1 lap down, 199 laps
- Jack Harvey, 1 lap down, 199 laps
- Sting Ray Robb, 1 lap down, 199 laps
- Jacob Abel, 2 laps down, 198 laps
- Helio Castroneves, 194 laps
- Caio Collet, 191 laps
- Christian Rasmussen, 144 laps
- Josef Newgarden, 124 laps
- Will Power, 91 laps
- Alexander Rossi, 91 laps
- Ed Carpenter, 26 laps
- Ryan Hunter-Reay, 17 laps
- Katherine Legge, 17 laps
*No. 25-33 did not finish the race.
FloRacing Is The Streaming Home For Many Racing Events Each Year
Don’t miss all the dirt, pavement, drag, action racing and more, much of which can be enjoyed live on FloRacing. Check out the FloRacing schedule for more events.
FloRacing Archived Footage
Video footage from FloRacing events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloRacing subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.