Scott McLaughlin's Team Penske car lies wrecked on the side of the Indianapolis 500 track after he crashed before the race started. 26 May 2025. Photo: JUSTIN CASTERLINE/GETTY IMAGES/AFP
Alex Palou has won an incident-packed Indy 500 that proved a miserable race for Kiwi drivers Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon.
McLaughlin crashed before the race even started, as he tried to warm up the tyres of his Team Penske car after rain had delayed the start of the race. McLaughlin lost control of the car as it swerved wildly and crashed into an inside wall on the famous Indianapolis track. The car's suspension was wrecked.
McLaughlin wasn't injured, but he was shown on the Sky television broadcast on his haunches on the ground, with his head in his hands.
He said it was "by far the worst moment of my life".
At the same time of his crash, flames could be seen issuing from the back of Dixon's Chip Ganassi Racing car. He was having trouble with the brakes and started the race, but pitted on lap 30 for repairs which saw him resume three laps behind the leaders.
The onboard from the No. 3 car of @smclaughlin93 pic.twitter.com/Gc9zdnPPDs
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 25, 2025
He finished at the tail of the field, in 23rd place, two laps behind Palou, with 10 drivers failing to finish.
The other Kiwi in the race, Marcus Armstrong, finished 21st.
Scott McLaughlin holds his head in his hands after crashing before the start of the Indianapolis 500 race, 26 May 2025. Photo: JUSTIN CASTERLINE/GETTY IMAGES/AFP
McLaughlin, who was in a back-up car after crashing his main vehicle at the track last week, said he didn't know what caused the crash.
"I really have no idea what happened," McLaughlin said.
"I'm just really upset for my team. They built me a fantastic car again. I'm really sorry to my sponsors, my fans, my family. I don't know what happened.
"I'm still… I can't believe we're out of the race. I just had so much hope today. Yeah, it's by far, the worst moment of my life.
"I know it's probably dramatic and whatever, but I put so much into this race, everyone does, and I didn't even get to see the green flag."
Dixon's Ganassi team-mate Palou drove to his fifth win in six races this season.
He got the chequered flag with the drivers under caution because Nolan Siegel crashed on the final lap.
Marcus Ericsson finished second, ahead of David Malukas.
Palou passed Marcus Ericsson with fewer than 15 laps to go and then hung on with enough fuel to win his first Indianapolis 500, Reuters reported.
In a race where the first half was hindered by several yellow flags, it was a yellow on the final lap that secured the victory for the three-time IndyCar Series champion. Palou became the first Spaniard to take the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
There were 22 lead changes among 14 drivers, with Palou's No. 10 Honda averaging 168.883 mph. Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner from Sweden, finished 0.682 seconds back.
Malukas followed Ericsson in third, and Pato O'Ward of Mexico and Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden rounded out the top five.
Light rain led to race officials delaying the start of the race for more than half an hour, and then the race started under caution when McLaughlin crashed.
That was one of three yellows that happened in the first 20 laps. Marco Andretti's race ended on the fourth lap (and first under green) after being bumped by Ryan Hunter-Reay. The contact caused the third-generation driver to spin before hitting the outside wall.
Josef Newgarden - forced to start 32nd and in the back row along with Penske teammate Will Power after race officials found violations during an inspection before qualifying - had the best car in practices, and he methodically moved his way through the field. After 50 laps, the two-time defending winner had moved up to 14th, and he broke into the top 10 before Lap 80.
However, his day ended on Lap 136 when he was forced to pit after suffering a fuel issue during a previous pit stop.
Two-time champion Takuma Sato, who started second on the front row, led 51 laps during the first half. However, a skid into his pit led to him moving out of the lead pack.
Pole sitter Robert Shwartzman's day ended early. On Lap 89, the Israeli rookie collided into members of his pit team and damaged the front end of his car.
Kyle Larson, who was vying to complete a rare racing double, saw his Indy 500 end early after crashing on Lap 91. He was able to exit the car and, after being checked out, he departed Indianapolis to fly to Charlotte, where he was scheduled to race in Nascar's Coca-Cola 600.
- RNZ Sport / with Reuters
