Alex Palou led the final practice before qualifying for the Honda Indy 200 in a session full of off track excursions. Palou led a top five of Christian Lundgaard, Louis Foster, Pato O’Ward, and Felix Rosenqvist. The gap between first and fifth was three tenths of a second.
\Marcus Ericsson went off in turn 13 and hit the tire barrier, bringing out a red flag with 21 minutes left in the session. Colton herta went into the sand at turn four but kept going, reentering the track at the entrance to turn 5, r missing an approaching car. Scott McLaughlin also tried out the turn 4 trap and the grass. He nearly stalled, but he kept the car moving and continued on track.
Gapping
Will Power and Colton Herta both complained about cars backing up on track to create a gap in order to get a decent lap in practice. I saw a near collision in turn 4 this morning because a car was creeping along on the racing line. It was so blatant I thought the driver deserved a drive through.
If a car wants to get clear track, which I get, he needs to stay off the racing line until he is up to speed.
The air was hot, the track was hot, and t5he action was hot. Teams played Pit Stop Roulette, but in the end, we saw the same result.
The fuel save master just missed, and the tire master came out on top again. In an entertaining, action packed race at Road America where the winner wasn’t decided until the last three laps. Alex Palou won his sixth race of the year after Scott Dixon fell two laps short on fuel.
Some thoughts:
The chaotic start with eight laps of caution in the first 12 laps led to a wide mix of pit and tire strategies, which in turn led to a lot of on track battles. From my view in turn 5, I’m surprise there were only five caution periods. Drivers were pushing each other to the outside with lots of contact. I have never seen so much dust kicked off at the exit of the turn as I did yesterday.
I had a good view of Sting Ray Robb’s incident. he was fortunate that he scrubbed off some speed on the concrete barrier before he hit the tire wall. It appeared he couldn’t brake. It seems I say this every race, but hats off to the safety design features of this chassis. Robb stopped in a place where the AMR safety stations a truck, but still it seemed as if they were headed to Robb before he came to an abrupt stop.
Great Drives
Santino Ferrucci finished third after starting 18th. Scott Dixon finished ninth from 25th on the grid, and he had a chance to win because of pit strategy. Rinus VeeKay started 22nd and finished 10th, overcoming three penalties.
David Malukas started seventh, went off track on lap 1, and roared back to end the race where he started. Malukas complained of the heat affecting him. While no other driver mentioned it, I’m sure heat was a factor for many.
Penske’s Lost Year
For the last two races, I have thought that Team Penske would begin a comeback to being a factor. At Gateway the trio of Will Power, Scott McLaughlin, and Josef Newgarden qualified first, second, and fifth. None finished the race.
Yesterday the team started fourth, eighth, and 10th. They finished 12th, 14th, and 25th. Josef Newgarden has four results lower than 20th and is 17th in points. McLaughlin and Power are still in the top 10 in points, but ypoun have to wonder for how long?
Even before the organizational shakeup in May, the team seemed not quite up to their usual standards. It is sad to see a team decline as rapidly as they have.
MSR Rising
Felix Rosenqvist finished second as he continues to quietly stay in the top five in points. Rosenqvist is now fourth in the standings, and teammate Marcus Armstrong’s fifth place result has him standing 11th for the year.
MSR has thrived in their relationship with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Foyt Ascending
It ius ironic that A. J. Foyt Racing is doing better tha the team they have atechnical alliance. The association with Team Penske has yielded marked improvement for one of the smallest teams in the paddock.
As not6ed earlier, Santino Ferrucci and David Malukas both had top 10 results yesterday. Ferruci is now ninth in points and Malukas is 12th, a far cry from the years when this team hovered on the brink of missing out on the Leaders ‘Circle.
After seven rather mundane races, IndyCar has produced two very good, exciting races with lots of passing, position battles, and doubts about who would win until near the end of the race. I hope this trend continues when the series goes to Mid-Ohio in a couple of weeks.
L INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, May 26, 2025) – The Indianapolis 500 purse record was broken for the fourth year in a row for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, with first-time winner Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing earning $3.8 million from a total purse of $20,283,000.This is the largest purse in the century-plus history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on the heels of four consecutive record-breaking years. This year’s average payout for NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers was $596,500, which also exceeds last year’s average of $543,000.In 2024, the Indianapolis 500 purse was $18,456,000, and the year’s winner payout was $4.3 million, which included a $440,000 roll-over bonus from BorgWarner for earning back-to-back wins. In 2023, the Indianapolis 500 purse was $17,021,500, and the winner earned $3.7 million. In 2022, the Indianapolis 500 purse was $16,000,200, and the winner earned $3.1 million. Prior to 2022, the largest Indianapolis 500 purse was $14.4 million for the 2008 Indianapolis 500. “The Indianapolis 500 is the greatest race in the world, and winning this race makes history in more ways than one,” INDYCAR and IMS president J. Douglas Boles said. “The Month of May featured a grandstand sellout crowd and intense on-track action. Alex Palou adds Indianapolis 500 winner to his long list of growing achievements and takes home the largest purse in Indianapolis 500 history. There’s no better way to end an epic month.” Pole-winner Robert Shwartzman of PREMA Racing earned Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors for his performance during the Month of May. Shwartzman earned a $50,000 bonus for being named Rookie of the Year, adding to a total take-home prize of $327,300. The Indianapolis 500 purse consists of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and NTT INDYCAR SERIES awards, plus other designated and special awards. Purse awards are presented annually at the Victory Celebration, held this year at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis Monday night. The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented on Sunday, June 1 on the streets of Downtown Detroit. The race will be broadcast live on FOX and the INDYCAR Radio Network at 12:30 p.m. ET.
There is just no getting around it. Yesterday’s Indianapolis 500 was a strange two part race. Part 1 saw 45% of the laps run under caution. Part 2 was caution free until the second half of the last lap.
There was little passing for the lead, but the number of pit strategies scrambled the top of the field. but kept the leaders in traffic all day. Traffic played a part in the end of the race.
Teammates Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster were having arguably the best battle on the track- for 14th place. Unfortunately, they were right in front of the race leaders. Yes, they have a right to stay on the lead lap, but with 10 laps to go in the race, and knowing they would get a wave around if the yellow came out, why not make them step out of the leaders’ way? It could have been a terrific three car finish between Palou, Ericsson, and Malukas.
Sometimes the 500 just produces a race that is not great. Part of it may have been the weather, but I think the hybrid and its extra weight hampered what had been a great show the last few years.
How much does it hurt to lose Indy?
I don’t know who snapped this shot, but Marcus Ericsson was despondent after the race. He told the media it was “pretty painful,” and that it would keep him up for several nights.
Ericsson went a little wide going into turn 1, and Palou was able to slip by him.
I appreciate Alex Palou drinking the milk, then triumphantly raising the bottle in tribute instead of pouring it over his head. I always thought the winner pouring the milk over his head was ridiculous. I hope Palou has started a trend to end that practice. Now if he just hadn’t kissed the bricks…
I thought yesterday’s singing of the National Anthem was the worst I have heard at the 500 since Steven Tyler sang in 2001. Natalie Grant’s version reinforced my belief that at every sporting event, the venue should just paly an instrumental recording of the anthem by the US Army Band.
The helicopters that followed the field around on the pace and parade laps were distracting and annoying. The field for the Indianapolis 500 lined up in11 rows of three in perfect formation coming to the green flag is one of the most beautiful sights in all of sports. It doesn’t need a so called “enhancement” or any additive feature at all. It stands on its own.
Rookie of the Year?
While all the rookies finished 15th or lower, Robert Shwartzman winning the pole is the thing that will get him the award. Nolan Siegel was likely in line for it until his crash on the final lap.
I saw two races today. The 110 lap race was caution filled and filled with chaos in the pits. The second one was an intriguing chess game in which several drivershad a chance to win.
Alex Palou won the 109th Indianapolis 500, taking the lead from Marcus Ericsson with 14 laps to go.
“Pretty painful,” Ericsson said.
It is Palou’s first win on an oval, and Palou’s fifth win six IndyCar series races in 2025. He now leads Pato O’Ward by 118 points, more than two races of maximum points.
Pit Chaos
Pit Lane played a role in the outcome as several contenders had incidents which ended either their day or their chances to win. Rinus VeeKay slid into the pit wall after entering the pits. the contact knocked him out of the race.
Takuma Sato, who looked to be in control of the race, overshot his marks, and the crew had and the time lost took him out of the running.He finished 11th.
Robert Shwartzman made contact with his pit crew as stopped too close to the wall. One crew member was taken by ambulance to the infield care center with severe foot pain.
Ryan Hunter-Reay was leading the race and appeared to be in position to battle for the win.. His car stalled on his final stop and the team couldn’t restart it. Hunter-Reay placed 24th.
Tough Day for Former Winners
Other than Marcus Ericsson’s second place finish, former 500 winners had a difficult time. Helio Castroneves finished 13th and was the only other past winner on the lead lap at the end.
Two time defending champion Josef Newgarden had climbed as high as fifth from his 32nd starting spot only to have the fuel pump fail. he finished 25th.
Will Power started 33rd and quietly rose to 19th at the end.
Alexander Rossi led 14 laps but retired after a brake fire.
Scott Dixon suffered a brake fire on the parade lap and spent the entire day three laps down.
What Might Have Been
Conor Daly looked like he would become the first Indiana born winner of the 500 since Wilbur Shaw in 1940. A worn tire caused him to pit early and he finished 10th. Still. it was one of Daly’s best 500 drives
David Malukas was in the fight but settled for third place. It was his first podium since a second place at Gateway in 2022.
In Summary
The race got off to a disjointed start with Scott McLaughlin hitting the outside pit wall on the parade lap, and Marco Andretti’s crash in turn 1 just after the green flag. 18 laps of caution in the first 29 laps was not a great start. A back to back set of yellows on laps 82 and 92 kept the first half of the race crawling. After the caution which ended on lap 108, the race was green until Nolan Siegel’s crash on lap 200.
The second half of the race was fascinating, and the winner was in doubt until inside the last 20 laps.
I will post my thoughts on the race tomorrow. I have a few, not just on the race, but on the ceremonies as well. Thanks for following along this weekend and all through May.
All cars in the qualifying line have completed their runs, and 29 cars have posted times. Conr Daly’s car failed post qualifying tech inspection and his time has been deleted. Helio Castroneves and Josef Newgarden pulled their cars from the line and no longer have a guaranteed chance to qualify.
Marcus Armstrong’s car is still being rebuilt. He has been cleared to drive. Colton Herta endured a very frightening crash going into turn 1 on his first qualification lap. The car spun, hit the wall and flipped over, then slid along the wall to the exit of turn 2, about a quarter of a mile. Herta was treated and released at the infield care center. (Ed. note- I’m tired of writing this sentence today.)
Alex Palou currently leads with a 233.04 mph average, followed by Scott McLaughlin and Pato O’Ward. Kyle Kirkwood had a very disappointing run and is currently 15th.
Qualifying is about to resume with Newgarden and Castroneves.
Wednesday practice started late and had two rain interruptions. Cars got on track an hour later than scheduled. Rain halted action 3 pm, and lightning in the area kept things from resuming until 3:45. Sprinkles stopped action after 30 minutes, but it was a brief stop.
Will Power led most of the afternoon with teammate Josef Newgarden second. Alex Palou jumped to the top of the pylon with the fastest lap of the two days, 227.546 mph, just after practice resumed.
Ferrucci Concern?
Santino Ferrucci turned just six laps yesterday and has run only 26 laps today. He lost an engine last weekend during the Grand Prix.
His teammate David Malukas is sixth. I wonder what is going on with the 14.
Bubble Watch
One of the two PREMA cars is likely to miss the race, but I am adding Ferrucci and Jacob Abel for now. I will update this list tomorrow and Friday.
A pass for the lead in the first turn of the race by Graham Rahal on Alex Palou gave fans hope of a different outcome today, but it was not to be. Palou passed Rahal with27 laps to go and ran out to a five second victory over Pato O’Ward. Rahal recovered to finish sixth after an issue on his final pit stop,
The race was arguably the most interesting of the year. There were two passes for the lead and a caution period. On lap 70 David Malukas pulled into the grass and parked with wisps of smoke coming from the rear. The caution was the first of the IndyCar series since the first lap of the season 408 laps ago. The fans cheered wildly at the sight of the amber lights.
Did the Tire Rule Help?
The requirement for teams to use two sets of each tire compound out some intrigue into the race. Pato O’Ward said that he liked the rule and wished it had been used earlier.
“I liked the rule, we should use that at Detroit and should have used them at St. Pete and Thermal,” O’Ward said.
Third place finisher Will Power agreed, adding that St. Pete and Thermal would have been “very different races” with this rule.
I think it helped the race a bit. We didn’t see fuel saving, and it was fun guessing which tires would be used when.
Andretti Swings
Kyle Kirkwood turned what had been a difficult Friday into a top 10 finish. The third year driver finished eighth after starting 21st.
Meanwhile, Marcus Ericsson started 20t but dropped out after six laps with a drive train issue. Ericsson has had a string of misfortunes this year and is 16th in the points.
Movin’ on Up
Other big movers were Rinus VeeKay, from 24th to ninth, and Scott Dixon from 16th to fifth.
Today’s race was one of the better ones of this Grand Prix. I believe it was the best race of the season as far as drama and intrigue. This event is beginning to reach a place where it can stand on its own, rather than just the undercard to the Indianapolis 500.
Thanks for following along this weekend. The real fun begins Tuesday.
I was okay with Alex Palou winning three of the first four races. I’m not sure if I feel that way about him winning three fourths of the poles too. The Chip Ganassi driver won the top starting spot for tomorrow’s Sonsio Grand Prix in a dramatic qualifying which saw numerous lead changes throughout the last two rounds.
Palou took the pole on his final lap, edging Graham Rahal by four tenths of a second. The Fast 12 was a mix of regular suspects and some new faces. Louis Foster and Kyffin Simpson joined the group.
A Great Day for RLL
Rahal Letterman Lanigan burst fourth in Practice 2, taking the top three spots. Rahal led Louis Foster and Devlin DeFrancesco. Would they back it up in qualifying? Foster led a lot of Round 2 and was on top for some of the Fast Six. Rahal took the lead in the Fast Six, but Palou’s last lap knocked him off the pole.
Three very happy drivers
The race might be another matter, though. Palou has run away and hid from the field. I hope tomorrow is a bit different.
Early knockout disappointments- Colton Herta just =missed the second round. Scott Dixon was uncompetetive, and Rinus VeeKay, usually quick on the road course, had issues in the morning.
Pato O’Ward was quick in practice, qualified eighth. he complained afterwards of being slow on the straights.
The question for race day is how the special tire rule will work. Does it give Palou more of an advantage or will it allow the racing up front to be more competitive?
That will do it for me for Friday. See you all tomorrow.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 