Chip Ganassi Racing’s 28-year-old sensation Alex Palou made history on Sunday, capturing his first oval victory at the prestigious Indianapolis 500, becoming the first Spaniard to claim the coveted crown. With just 14 laps to the checkered flag, the Spaniard passed Marcus Ericsson and held off a fierce late charge from the Swede, extending his remarkable 2025 season to five wins.
Meanwhile, NASCAR’s pride, Kyle Larson, faltered on the big stage, ending his second attempt at “The Double” well before the halfway mark.
Indy Glory for Alex Palou, Heartbreak for Larson
Despite kicking off May with a victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Palou, the three-time IndyCar champion, entered Sunday with 15 career wins but had yet to secure at IndyCar’s premier event or on an oval track until now.
Albeit Rome wasn’t built in a day. Four years ago, a less experienced Palou led the race until veteran Helio Castroneves passed him, leveraging the draft from the lead pack to secure a record flying fourth Indy 500 win.
This Sunday, the Spaniard took a page from Castroneves’ book and applied those hard-earned lessons, skillfully following Rahal Letterman Laning Racing’s Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster, using their draft to conserve fuel.
PALOU TAKES IT TO THE CROWD!
The celebration is not stopping for your NEW #Indy500 champion 🎉 @AlexPalou | @CGRTeams pic.twitter.com/qcN01MfKw4
— Indianapolis Motor Speedway (@IMS) May 25, 2025
After conserving enough fuel, the CGR driver launched a massive attack in the final 20 laps, surging past Ericsson entering turn 1 with just 14 laps remaining. He then expertly drafted behind two lead-lap racecars ahead, using their tow to fend off the Swede’s late-charge and secure his maiden Indy 500 victory.
Following the race, the No. 10 driver reflected, “I cannot believe it. What an amazing day, what an amazing race… I cannot believe it. It’s amazing. It’s amazing to be here. It’s amazing to win. There were some moments that I felt really good in the race, but I didn’t know if I was gonna be able to pass Marcus or not. But made it happen, first oval win — what better place?”
The 2022 race winner, Ericsson, finished just 0.682 seconds behind Palou, with American David Malukas claiming third place. Mexico’s Pato O’Ward finished fourth while Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist rounded out the top five.
As for the No. 17 Arrow McLaren driver, Larson, the scene wasn’t quite bright. After being involved in a spin off lap 92 restart. Entering turn 2, the 2021 Cup Series champion spun out, triggering a multi-car wreck that sent Larson off to Charlotte and spoiled his chances of completing all 1,100 possible miles between the Indy 500 and Coke 600.
Final Race Results
- Alex Palou – 58 points
- Marcus Ericsson – 45
- David Malukas – 42
- Pato O’Ward – 43
- Felix Rosenqvist – 38
- Kyle Kirkwood – 29
- Santino Ferrucci – 26
- Christian Rasmussen – 25
- Christian Lundgaard – 27
- Conor Daly – 21
- Takuma Sato – 33
- Callum Ilott – 18
- Helio Castroneves– 17
- Devlin DeFrancesco – 17
- Louis Foster (R) – 15
- Nolan Siegel (R) – 14
- Colton Herta – 13
- Ed Carpenter – 13
- Will Power – 12
- Graham Rahal – 10
- Marcus Armstrong – 9
- Jack Harvey – 9
- Scott Dixon – 16
- Ryan Hunter-Reay– 7
- Josef Newgarden – 7
- Sting Ray Robb – 5
- Kyle Larson – 5
- Kyffin Simpson – 5
- Robert Schwartzman (R) – 18
- Rinus VeeKay– 5
- Alexander Rossi– 6
- Marco Andretti– 5
- Scott McLaughlin– 8