By rssfeeds-admin 
May 25, 2025 – Indianapolis, Indiana
Alex Palou cemented his place among the greats of open-wheel racing Sunday by winning the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500, earning his first-ever oval victory and etching his name onto the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy.
Palou, a three-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion, took the checkered flag under caution after a late crash by rookie Nolan Siegel on the final lap sealed the victory for the Spaniard, who had passed Marcus Ericsson for the lead just 13 laps earlier. The win marks Palou’s fifth in the first six races of the 2025 season and extends his championship lead to 115 points.
“Best milk I’ve ever tasted,” Palou said after celebrating in Victory Lane with the traditional bottle of milk. “It tastes so good. What an amazing feeling.”
Driving the No. 10 DHL Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing, Palou becomes the first driver from Spain to win the Indianapolis 500.
The win is Ganassi’s sixth Indy 500 triumph, and his first since Marcus Ericsson’s victory in 2022. Ericsson, now driving for Andretti Global, finished second—his second runner-up finish in three years.
David Malukas, making a comeback after missing the 2024 race due to injury, secured a career-best third-place finish driving the No. 4 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet. Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist rounded out the top five.
The race began 43 minutes late due to passing showers and featured a chaotic first half with six cautions in the opening 108 laps. Notable crashes included NASCAR star Kyle Larson, who was attempting the Indy 500–Coca-Cola 600 double, and Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, who crashed in the opening corner.
Rookie pole sitter Robert Shwartzman’s day ended on Lap 87 after sliding through his pit box and hitting the wall, injuring several crew members in the process. He was credited with a 29th-place finish.
As the skies cleared and the race settled, strategy and fuel mileage became the decisive factors. Palou made his final pit stop on Lap 168, pushing the limits of fuel range. Malukas briefly led but lost track position in traffic. Ericsson regained the lead on Lap 170 but was caught by Palou on Lap 187, who made the race-winning move into Turn 1 with help from lapped traffic.
“I should have covered that inside,” a disappointed Ericsson said after the race. “That was painful. Second place again.”
The race saw 22 lead changes among 15 drivers. Takuma Sato led the most laps with 51, while Ryan Hunter-Reay led 48 before stalling during a crucial pit stop.
The series now shifts to the streets of Detroit for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, June 1.
Top 5 Finishers – 109th Indianapolis 500
- Alex Palou (No. 10, Chip Ganassi Racing)
- Marcus Ericsson (No. 28, Andretti Global)
- David Malukas (No. 4, A.J. Foyt Enterprises)
- Pato O’Ward (No. 5, Arrow McLaren)
- Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60, Meyer Shank Racing)
The post Gallery: Alex Palou wins the NTT IndyCar Series 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 first appeared on The Bloomingtonian.
Discover more from RSS Feeds Cloud
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
[…] Ind. — After a sellout crowd of 350,000 people cheered Alex Palou to victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, the infield and grandstands were left littered with […]