{"id":406,"date":"2026-05-24T21:07:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T21:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=406"},"modified":"2026-05-24T21:07:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T21:07:16","slug":"closest-indianapolis-500-ever-rosenqvist-passes-malukas-in-final-seconds-for-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=406","title":{"rendered":"Closest Indianapolis 500 ever: Rosenqvist passes Malukas in final seconds for win"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By MICHAEL MAROT<\/p>\n

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) \u2014 Felix Rosenqvist swung to the outside of David Malukas, then found a way past the Team Penske driver to win the closest Indianapolis 500 in history by a margin of 0.0233 seconds on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Read more In their words: Kounalakis, Caballero and Vazquez tell us why they can manage California\u2019s $162 billion<\/a><\/p>\n

Malukas looked like he was in position to win when he passed race leader Marcus Armstrong off the final restart with one lap to go while Rosenqvist and Armstrong, teammates with Meyer Shank Racing, battled wheel to wheel down the back straightaway and through the fourth and final turn.<\/p>\n

But Rosenqvist had just enough power to pull away from Armstrong and snake behind Malukas before making the decisive outside pass in the final 50 feet.<\/p>\n

The closest previous finish came in 1992 when Al Unser Jr. beat Scott Goodyear across the yard of bricks by 0.043 seconds.<\/p>\n

It was Rosenqvist\u2019s second career win in 120 IndyCar races and comes after the recent birth of his first child. He is the third Swedish driver to win the race, joining Kenny Brack and Marcus Ericsson.<\/p>\n

The wild finish began with a red flag that came out with seven laps to go because of a scary crash involving Indy 500 rookie Caio Collet, with flames billowing out of the side of his car as it skidded to a stop in the grass.<\/p>\n

Read more Endorsement: Elect Ben Allen California\u2019s next insurance commissioner<\/a><\/p>\n

When racing resumed after a 10-minute delay, Armstrong and Malukas sped past the top two cars \u2014 Rosenqvist and Pato O\u2019Ward. But with 3 1\/2 laps left, the yellow flag came out one last time when Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, brushed the wall in Turn 2.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

On the final restart, Lap 200, Malukas sling-shotted his way past Armstrong for the lead and started pulling away from the two Meyer Shank Racing drivers. But Rosenqvist finally caught the Team Penske driver to win the biggest race of his career in the same month he became a first-time father. Malukas said he couldn\u2019t think of what else he could have done to hang on to the lead.<\/p>\n

As Rosneqvist celebrated by sipping milk, then dumping it over his head, Malukas was consoled by his father in pit lane.<\/p>\n

Malukas\u2019 teammate Scott McLaughlin, of New Zealand, was third, and Rosenqvist\u2019s best friend in racing, O\u2019Ward, was fourth. O\u2019Ward had two runner-up finishes and a third place in the past four years.<\/p>\n

Read more Endorsement: Elect Eleni Kounalakis California\u2019s next treasurer<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

AP auto racing: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/auto-racing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rosenqvist had just enough power to pull away from Armstrong and snake behind Malukas before making the decisive outside pass in the final 50 feet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nClosest Indianapolis 500 ever: Rosenqvist passes Malukas in final seconds for win - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=406\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Closest Indianapolis 500 ever: Rosenqvist passes Malukas in final seconds for win - 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