After a dramatic final 10 laps, with five drivers in contention for victory, it was Felix Rosenqvist who won the 2026 Indy 500 with a 0.023-second margin over a heartbroken David Malukas, giving Meyer Shank Racing its second victory at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

The Swedish driver, who welcomed a baby daughter earlier this month, shed tears of joy in the post-race press conference. Crossing the finish line in a picture-perfect two-way finish with David Malukas, Rosenqvist took his second IndyCar career victory and first on an oval.

The MSR driver held a weird Indy 500 statistic coming into the 2026 Indy 500. His last five results at the track were either 27th or 4th.

Moreover, for MSR, their only victory in IndyCar had come at the 2021 Indy 500, courtesy of Helio Castroneves. Now, their second victory ever came at the Indy 500 again.

While Rosenqvist's voice was shaking because of joy, Malukas' voice trembled out of sheer heartbreak. He couldn't believe he lost the race just at the finish line.

Scott McLaughlin finished on the final step of the podium, while pole-sitter and defending winner Alex Palou finished seventh.

Below is the full race summary in chronological order, followed by the race results.

Indy 500 Highlights - Lap-By-Lap

Lap 1: The injured Alexander Rossi takes the lead from Palou going into Turn 1, only to lose it before the end of the lap. The Top 3 changes as Ferrucci overtakes Malukas for third, and the latter drops further to fifth by lap 4.

Lap 4: Rossi retakes the lead from Palou. Josef Newgarden with a double overtake on two McLaren drivers, and goes from 23rd to 18th in four laps.

Lap 7: Palou retakes the lead from Rossi on the main straight. Rosenqvist passes Ferrucci for third, and Malukas follows suit, pushing Ferrucci to fifth.

Lap 8: Newgarden up seven places from 23rd to 16th.

Lap 10: Rossi retakes the lead from Rossi heading into Turn 1.

Lap 11: Palou retakes the lead from Rossi.

Lap 12: Rossi back in the lead. Newgarden (+7), Hauger (+4), Collet (+3), Harvey (+3), and Ericsson (+3) are the biggest movers so far.

Lap 13: Palou back in the lead.

Lap 15: Rossi retakes the lead on the main straight.

Lap 16: Palou back in the lead.

Lap 17: Rossi takes the lead again.

Lap 18: The pylon lights up with a tribute to Kyle Busch, who passed away on Thursday owing to a serious illness.

Ryan Hunter-Reay spins in Turn 2. In attempting to avoid crashing into him, Katherine Legge spins and crashes into the inside barriers, ending her historic attempt at the Memorial Day Double.

Rossi drops from second to 17th after a slow pit stop!

Lap 26: Race restart. Grosjean leads over Veekay. Ed Carpenter crashes. Race under caution.

Lap 31: Race restart. Rookie Caio Collet takes the lead.

Lap 33: Newgarden and Rosenqvist make slight contact.

Lap 34: Home hero Conor Daly takes the lead to a loud cheer from the crowd.

Lap 35: Collet retakes the lead from Daly. Meanwhile, Newgarden is up to eighth.

Lap 41: Daly leads again as Collet heads for his first pit stop. By the end of the lap, Palou overtakes Daly for the lead. The Team Penske trio of Malukas-McLaughlin-Newgarden in 3-4-5.

Lap 60: Leading pack remains unchanged.

Lap 61: Rossi kicks off the second round of pit stops.

Lap 62: All three Team Penske drivers pit. Scott Dixon inherits the lead.

Lap 63: Newgarden overtakes McLaughlin. Palou remains ahead of them after his pit stop.

Lap 64: Rasmussen leads. Rookie Mick Schumacher in the Top 5 for the first time at the Indy 500.

Lap 70: Dixon back in the lead. Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Palou behind him. 23 lead changes so far.

Lap 71: Palou overtakes Dixon for the lead.

Lap 72: Dixon gets his lead back.

Lap 73: Palou hunts down his six-time IndyCar champion teammate again.

Lap 74: Dixon returns the favor for another lead change. Meanwhile, Rosenqvist, in third, separates the leading CGR duo from the Team Penske trio in 4-5-6.

Daly, O'Ward, Ericsson, and Simpson round out the Top 10.

Lap 75: Palou back in the lead.

Lap 76: Dixon retakes the lead.

Lap 77: Palou in the lead again.

Lap 78: Dixon retakes the lead.

Lap 79: Palou back in the lead. At this point, it seems like a strategy from CGR to keep swapping the lead on the main straight every lap. Fans in the main grandstands get their money's worth with these overtakes on each lap.

Lap 80: Dixon in the lead.

Lap 81: Palou back in the lead.

Lap 82: Dixon retakes the lead.

Lap 83: Palou leads.

Lap 88: Biggest movers so far: Newgarden (+18), Hauger (+10), Dixon (+9), Kirkwood (+9), Ericsson (+8).

Lap 90: Dark clouds loom over the IMS while the lead change saga continues.

Lap 92: Rossi pits. Will Power slows down on the main straight with fluid coming out of the back of his car and spins. Smoke follows the fluid. Caution.

Rossi retires after his No. 20 ECR Chevy starts smoking in the pit lane in an eerie reoccurrence from last year.

Lap 97: Pit lane opens. Most of the grid comes in, including the leaders. Malukas is up in third. Newgarden, McLaughlin, O'Ward, Rosenqvist, Ericsson, Daly, and Armstrong - rest of the Top 10.

Rain/Final Results rule: If rain disrupts the race beyond the point of a potential restart, the results are official after 101 laps.

Lap 104: Few raindrops seen on the aeroscreen of Josef Newgarden's No. 2 Chevy. Slight drizzle reported in Turn 3.

Lap 105: Race red-flagged, as all drivers head into the pit lane. Scott Dixon is the leader.

In a pit interview with Jamie Little, Scott Dixon's wife, Emma, jokes about calling off the race, citing rain and lightning, which will award her husband his second Indy 500 win after 2008.

Lap 110: Race restarts. Dixon loses two places to Palou and Malukas. The Team Penske driver leads.

Lap 111: Daly overtakes Newgarden for third and goes six places up from ninth after the restart. Dixon falls further back to fifth.

Lap 114: Palou overtakes Malukas for the lead on the inside of the main straight, only to back off later and concede the lead to the Penske driver.

Lap 116: Yellow flags for track conditions. Raindrops return.

Lap 122: Romain Grosjean sent to the back of the grid for overtaking Christian Lundgaard while entering the pit lane under caution.

Lap 125: David Malukas leads the field to green. Josef Newgarden immediately crashes after getting

Lap 132: Daly takes the lead. Malukas loses five places and goes to sixth.

Lap 133: McLaughlin overtakes Palou and Daly for the lead.

Lap 134: Daly returns to the lead as the three-way battle for the lead continues.

Lap 135: McLaughlin retakes the lead in a hairy three-way moment on the main straight.

Lap 136: Palou leads.

Lap 138: Daly returns to lead.

Lap 139: Palou goes to the lead after a three-wide moment in Turn 1.

Lap 147: Malukas back in the lead after passing Palou. At the end of the lap, Malukas and McLaughlin pit. McLaughlin jumps Malukas in the pit lane after a quicker pit stop.

Lap 148: The rest of the leaders pit. Dixon leads.

Lap 159: Malukas passes Palou for 16th. The original leading pack is in the midfield, while the others, who haven't pitted, are in front. Rosenqvist leads.

Lap 167: Malukas leads over Palou and McLaughlin. Rosenqvist comes out in fifth behind O'Ward after their pit stops.

Lap 176: Malukas pits from the lead. McLaughlin and Palou follow in the next lap.

Lap 177: O'Ward leads. The battle for the 2026 Indy 500 win is now between the Arrow McLaren driver and Rosenqvist behind him.

Lapped cars in front act as a hurdle for O'Ward.

Lap 185: Rosenqvist passes O'Ward on the inside before Turn 1 for the lead of the Indy 500.

Lap 188: Mick Schumacher passes Rosenqvist and unlaps himself.

Lap 192: Caio Collet has a hard crash in Turn 2, and his car lights on fire. Yellows are out.

Red Flag is out! Sets the stage for a shootout at the end. Rosenqvist's lead is neutralized.

Mike Shank tells Georgia Henneberry that MSR had the win and third place with Rosenqvist and Armstrong in the bag if not for the caution.

Lap 196: Race restarts. Armstrong takes the lead. Malukas in second, Rosenqvist third, and O'Ward fourth.

Caution comes out after Schumacher brushes the wall during the restart.

Lap 199: Race restarts. Malukas takes the lead from Armstrong.

Rosenqvist strikes just before the finish line to win by 0.023 seconds.

2026 Indy 500 Results (Unofficial)

1. Felix Rosenqvist
2. David Malukas
3. Scott McLaughlin
4. Pato O'Ward
5. Marcus Armstrong
6. Rinus Veekay
7. Alex Palou
8. Santino Ferrucci
9. Romain Grosjean
10. Takuma Sato
11. Nolan Siegel
12. Conor Daly
13. Marcus Ericsson
14. Kyffin Simpson
15. Scott Dixon
16. Kyle Kirkwood
17. Christian Lundgaard
18. Mick Schumacher
19. Dennis Hauger
20. Graham Rahal
21. Louis Foster
22. Jack Harvey
23. Sting Ray Robb
24. Jacob Abel - 1 lap down
25. Helio Castroneves - DNF (Mechanical)
26. Caio Collet - DNF (Crash)
27. Christian Rasmussen - DNF (Mechanical)
28. Josef Newgarden - DNF (Crash
29. Will Power - DNF (Mechanical)
30. Alexander Rossi - DNF (Mechanical)
31. Ed Carpenter - DNF (Crash)
32. Ryan Hunter-Reay - DNF (Crash)
33. Katherine Legge - DNF (Crash)

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Written by

Yask Kotak

Edited by

Yask Kotak