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Felix Rosenqvist has won the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 in a thrilling race.
Rosenqvist overtook David Malukas, spoiling the American’s first-ever IndyCar victory with a fantastic move on the final stretch to win it all.
It was also the closest finish in Indy 500 history, as Rosenqvist finished 0.023 seconds ahead of Malukas.
Scott McLaughlin finished in third place, followed by Pato O’Ward, who has now finished second, third and fourth place in three straight Indy 500 runs respectively.
Toward the end of the race, Brazilian Caio Collet wrecked his vehicle with just seven laps to go, forcing a stoppage out on the track. Collet overcorrected his turn into the wall, and his car went ablaze as it ran into the grass in the middle of the track.
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As Collet walked out physically unscathed, the front of the pack got to breathe a bit. But despite the red flag, drivers were only allowed to get fans in the car, a drink of water, and some new batteries. No fuel or tires can be replaced on the vehicle.
At the time, Rosenqvist made a great move to push past Pato O’Ward for first place. O’Ward, a nine-time winner in IndyCar, has come up short despite owning leads in past races here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but his vehicle wasn’t at tip-top shape compared to others. He called himself a “sitting duck” post-race considering where his vehicle was compared to others on the track.
But it was full push for everyone on the track with less than 10 laps to go to the finish line.
When the green flag finally came out with four laps to go, Marcus Armstrong, Rosenqvist’s teammate, bounced to the front with a fantastic move. But so did Malukas, who moved into second place, with Rosenqvist and O’Ward falling to third and fourth, respectively.
Once again, though, a caution flag came out and the race slowed down. As a result, the final lap of the race was a green and a white flag — one single lap to decide the 110th running of the Indy 500.
As every car pushed the gas pedal to the floor, Malukas was out front with Armstrong and Rosenqvist battling behind him. But McLaughlin joined the pack with a push of his own, moving up to third place.
Malukas, who said after the race that he felt his No. 12 was “the fastest car that whole race,” saw victory in sight down the final stretch.
But Rosenqvist made a move to his right and gunned it just enough to reach the finish line before his opponent, as the Swedish star celebrated over his headset with his team.
“I gave it 150%. I mean, I almost crashed this car every damn lap, and we still finished P2,” Malukas said through tears after the race.
Meanwhile, Rosenqvist couldn’t believe the finish, thanking the crowd for sticking through rainy weather and the delays on the track for a finish worth the wait. Rosenqvist also said how much he wished his wife, Emille, and their baby girl who was just born could be there to witness this monumental win for his career.
It’s also a big one for Meyer Shank Racing, marking the second time the team has won the Indy 500. The first was Hélio Castroneves’ historic fourth win at the Indy 500, and he just so happens to be an owner of the vehicle as well.
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