Alex Palou Victorious in Chaos-Packed 2025 Indy 500

      Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire

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      The 2025 Indy 500 started off on a turbulent note, as the lineup of 33 IndyCar drivers was delayed for nearly an hour beyond the scheduled 12:45 pm ET start. A light drizzle at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway prevented race control from giving the green light to commence, but once it was given, chaos ensued before the race officially began. Ultimately, Alex Palou delivered a stellar performance and enjoyed the traditional milk toast.

      After the postponed start due to weather, the cars were permitted extra reconnaissance laps behind the pace car. Scott McLaughlin from Team Penske lost control of his No. 3 Chevy while trying to warm up his tires as he approached Turn 1. The cold track and tires created challenges for some drivers. When the green flag finally waved, Marco Andretti unfortunately crashed into the wall in Turn 1, attributing the incident to the cars beside him pushing him up high.

      Getty David Allio/Icon Sportswire

      Rookie and polesitter Robert Shwartzman quickly fell back to second and third place as the aggressive Pato O’Ward and two-time winner Takuma Sato immediately started contending for the lead.

      However, the excitement was short-lived as the race was put under a yellow flag on lap 18 following light rain over the 2.5-mile oval, which required officials to slow the pace. Action resumed on lap 30, just as Scott Dixon entered the pits to address a rear brake caliper issue. A solid period of racing ensued, the longest since the race's beginning, giving teams the opportunity to test the new hybrid system at race speed.

      Former winner Alexander Rossi came into the pits on lap 76, but a fire erupted when fuel ignited while being fed into his car. His pit crew acted quickly to extinguish the flames, though one crew member appeared to catch fire even after the car was out. Emergency personnel arrived swiftly to assist him, and although it was not confirmed at that moment, it seems he avoided serious injuries. This unfortunate incident ended Rossi's race.

      IndyCar

      The following ten laps turned into a series of crashes, with multiple cars colliding as they entered or exited the pits, including polesitter Shwartzman. As the adage goes, “yellows breed yellows,” and that certainly held true up to lap 100. After executing a bold maneuver into Turn 2 on lap 110, two-time winner Josef Newgarden made two pit stops due to unspecified issues, ultimately leading to his retirement on lap 142.

      With 40 laps remaining, veteran and past winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, local driver Conor Daly, and young talent David Malukas found themselves in the top three positions in their Chevys. However, IndyCar champion and current series standout Alex Palou was lurking in fourth place.

      Geoff Miller

      The final round of pit stops commenced on lap 168, with Santino Ferrucci temporarily taking the lead. Palou’s team executed an impressive pit stop, allowing him to pass several cars during the rotation. Hunter-Reay stalled during his stop, eliminating him from the race's top contenders.

      With just 25 laps left, the competition intensified between Palou and O’Ward, who emerged as serious challengers for victory, even as Ferrucci led the pack. Five laps later, Marcus Ericsson secured second place and entered the fray for a second Indy 500 win.

      However, Palou managed to maintain his lead with Ericsson trailing by nearly .7 seconds and Malukas about 1.1 seconds back. Palou's first oval victory could potentially be the pinnacle of his career, and so far, it certainly is.

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