Inside The Indy 500's Dramatic, Terrifying And Impressive Side-By-Side Last Lap

In Driver's Eye with James Hinchcliffe, the six-time INDYCAR victor volition bring you wrong the caput of a racer portion breaking down the nuts and bolts of the athletics for fans.

Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow. 

I americium not definite what you were expecting from this year’s Indianapolis 500, but I person to beryllium honest: A record-breaking, hair-raising, crowd-screaming resistance contention to the decorativeness was acold much than I thought we had successful store!

As always, the Indy 500 was not abbreviated of storylines. From upwind being a changeless menace each time long, to aggregate reddish flags, to a divided substance strategy and a one-lap shootout for each the glory, the 110th Running of the Greatest Spectacle successful Racing had each the melodramatic bases covered.

But I privation to absorption connected thing precise specific. I privation to speech astir the past lap. 

I privation to speech astir however tough, unsafe and terrifying it is to tally connected the extracurricular of each 4 corners of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, inches distant from different car doing 220 miles per hour… with the added complication of your teammate being successful that different car.

Enter Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong. 

Let’s commencement with racing side-by-side for a full lap. It’s not uncommon connected a restart, erstwhile you are inactive getting up to speed, to spot a car bent it retired done Turns 1 and 2. Then, erstwhile you get down to Turn 3, determination tin beryllium a large enactment checking up connected the debased lane, and possibly you tin inactive clasp it retired there.

But erstwhile some cars are successful beauteous cleanable aerial — the person had a coagulated spread connected them astatine this constituent — trying to instrumentality it to the feline connected the wrong is mind-boggling. Indy is simply a one-groove way erstwhile you’re up to speed, but I conjecture nary 1 told Felix! 

There is simply a crushed that each operator who’s raced astir the 2.5-mile speedway was applauding that last-lap move. We each cognize however unbelievably pugnacious it is to do.

Not lone did Rosenqvist person to spot his car and his abilities, but helium besides had to spot the feline helium was racing.

(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

The aureate regularisation successful motorsports is don’t deed your teammate. When you and your teammate are some successful with a outcry to triumph the biggest contention connected Earth, it gets complicated. 

Rosenqvist and Armstrong cognize the rule. But they besides cognize an Indy 500 triumph being wrong your grasp doesn't travel astir each day, and you person to springiness it everything. The respect that some guys showed for 1 different was genuinely spectacular to see. 

Instantaneous, heart-pounding, future-determining decisions were made respective times a 2nd astatine 200-plus miles an hour.

For arsenic awesome arsenic Felix’s past thigh was, you person to springiness Armstrong a tremendous magnitude of recognition for however helium raced those past 2.5 miles. 

But the racing gods were successful Felix’s corner. Indy, they say, chooses the winner. Felix was the chosen one. 

There was thing Marcus could’ve done otherwise to travel retired connected top. And ensuring helium didn’t wreck his teammate guaranteed helium wouldn't person to reply immoderate pugnacious questions from the bosses erstwhile helium got backmost to the pits.

[WHO IS? Indy 500 Winner Felix Rosenqvist On Fatherhood, Being Too Nice]

SPEAKING OF NOTHING YOU COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY…

How astir David Malukas? When helium took the pb successful the archetypal crook of that last lap, helium would’ve checked his mirrors and seen the 2 Meyer Shank Racing teammates chasing him. 

And that would person been precisely what helium wanted to see. Cars racing side-by-side aren’t going to drawback you arsenic accelerated arsenic 1 azygous car successful tow.

David Malukas aft finishing 2nd by 0.0233 seconds successful the 2026 Indy 500. (Matt Fraver/INDYCAR)

Even with that perfect scenario, it wasn’t capable to support Rosenqvist astatine bay. David did everything close — everything successful his powerfulness with the concern helium was successful — to triumph that race. But erstwhile it’s not your day, there’s thing much you tin do. 

He volition rewatch that past thigh 100 times, trying to spot if determination was thing helium could bash differently. But for a young operator battling up beforehand of the biggest contention successful the world, helium kept his composure, executed to perfection, but it inactive wasn’t meant to be. 

Malukas should (eventually) slumber good knowing that it wasn’t his time, but a show similar that means his clip is surely coming.

The atrocious quality for Malukas is that the replay of the decorativeness is the worldly of lore and volition beryllium item reel fodder for decades to come. 

We’ve ne'er seen a past thigh similar that successful Indy 500 history. We’ve ne'er seen a decorativeness that adjacent successful 110 years. 

But alternatively than seeing it arsenic a achy reminder of what astir was, I anticipation helium looks backmost astatine it arsenic a privilege to person been portion of a history-making infinitesimal astatine the iconic speedway.

SOUND LIKE AN INDYCAR EXPERT

The Indy 500 had 3 cardinal moments that acceptable the stage. 

The archetypal was the strategy divided connected Lap 130. The teams that pit thought they could get to the extremity connected 1 much stop. Those that stayed retired didn’t deliberation they could get the substance fig and wanted to tally flat-out, alternatively than conserve. 

Pato O'Ward aft finishing 4th successful the 2026 Indy 500. (Aaron Skillman/INDYCAR)

As the contention unfolded, it seemed similar those who took the Lap 130 halt made the close call, arsenic Rosenqvist, Pato O’Ward and Armstrong were comfortably up of the chasing battalion of drivers who took the other stop.

BUT… that vantage was nullified erstwhile the caution, and past the reddish emblem connected Lap 192, came retired for Caio Collet’s accident. That closed the chasing battalion close up to the leaders and enactment everyone connected adjacent footing.

Of course, the last enactment arrived erstwhile the speedy caution came retired for Mick Schumacher brushing the partition successful Turn 1 and led to the greenish emblem flying connected the past lap. 

What looked similar it was going to beryllium a conflict of the strategy brains turned into a bully old-fashioned, gloves-off tally to the checkered flag. That is the benignant of contention that drivers, and their fans, love.

LIVE FROM THE BOOTH

You whitethorn person seen the clip of my booth mates and maine connected that past lap, the 1 wherever I deployed each the signifier I had compartmentalizing emotions successful the contention car to enactment calm and not miss a 2nd of the action. I anticipation our wide-ranging reactions showed the satellite however overmuch we each emotion this athletics and however overmuch we emotion calling the amusement that these drivers enactment connected for america each weekend.

I’ve got to say: It was truthful overmuch amusive calling this contention from the booth. After a marathon month, to beryllium treated to a once-in-a-century decorativeness was a existent honor. 

And, portion I’ve got you, outcry retired to the full FOX Sports accumulation crew, who, successful each presumption connected the team, did an outstanding occupation bringing you each the enactment implicit a grueling Month of May schedule.

1 FOR THE ROAD

Scott McLaughlin, Pato O'Ward and Marcus Armstrong finishing third, 4th and 5th successful the 2026 Indy 500. (Doug Mathews/INDYCAR)

Now, portion watching the closest Indy 500 decorativeness successful history, you mightiness person missed the chaotic decorativeness for third, 4th and 5th crossed the Yard of Bricks. Understandable, fixed each the breath-catching aft the flag. 

But props to Scott McLaughlin for timing, to perfection, a tally disconnected of Turn 4 to spell from 5th to 3rd astatine the line. Just. 

And portion we were talking astir the smallest winning borderline successful past — 0.0233 seconds betwixt archetypal and 2nd — conscionable down them, third, 4th and 5th were covered by conscionable 0.0115 seconds! After 200 laps, 500 miles, 3 positions settled by inches.

Man, this contention is awesome. I americium acceptable to bash it again. Is it May yet?

MORE DRIVER'S EYE:

• Why INDYCAR At Barber Punishes Drivers And Tests Their Bravery
• Christian Lundgaard, INDYCAR Strategy And The 'Agony' Of Botched Pit Stops
• Why INDYCAR's 2-Week Break Is Anything But A Vacation — And How Teams Capitalize
• How INDYCAR Drivers Navigate The Grand Prix Of Long Beach's Unique 11-Turn Track
• Chasing Alex Palou, INDYCAR Drivers Have 2 Choices: Acceptance Or Anger
• How INDYCAR Drivers Can Win The Month Of May — And Contend For The Indy 500
• Why INDYCAR Drivers Don't Sleep On The Indy GP — And You Shouldn't Either
• Inside The Isolating But Thrilling Pressure Of Indy 500 Qualifying At 230 MPH
• Why Drivers Risk Indy 500 Heartbreak For A Shot At Immortalized Glory