1. I don't know where to begin. Maybe the right guy won. Maybe the right guy didn't. Perhaps there was never a right winner for the 107th Indianapolis 500, but we got Josef Newgarden on a day that saw blistering pace lead into questionable decisions, from drivers and race control.
In the early stages of this race, none of the Team Penske drivers were a factor, but they were chipping away. In typical Penske fashion, it made up time in the pit lane. Two spots were made up on one stint and then the drivers would settle in. A round of pit stops would begin and when they were over, the Penske drivers were normally up another position or two. They might pick up one or two more on the track, but mainly settled in for the next round of pit stops, and then the process repeated itself.
That is what happened with Josef Newgarden. Slowly he was in the top ten. Then he was in the top five. Then he was battling for the lead.
This Indianapolis 500 had everything, and the string of accidents in the end kept everyone alive.
In this fractured finish, we saw Newgarden take on Marcus Ericsson and Santino Ferrucci for the victory. In the final ten laps, there were three green flag periods that lasted one lap, about 300 yards, and one lap. In that miniscule amount of time over a 500-mile race, the race came down desperation moves.
Newgarden's initial pass for the lead was brilliant on the outside of Ericsson and Patricio O’Ward. Then Ericsson took the lead on a whim, happening to be ahead when Benjamin Pedersen and Ed Carpenter collided thanks to an ambitious but foolish move from Christian Lundgaard. With three laps to go, it looked like Ericsson was going to back into a second consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory.
Surprisingly, IndyCar threw a third red flag in the final 14 laps, but as the cars stopped with two laps remaining, we would see the unprecedented. The cars would exit the pit lane and immediately circle around to take the green flag and white flag simultaneously.
Ericsson would have to defend for the second consecutive Indianapolis 500, the move being hawked as the "dragon." All he had to do was hold on for 2.5 miles.
Unfortunately, the dragon burned Ericsson. Swerving further to the inside of the track off the exit of turn two, Ericsson left the door open for Newgarden. Instead of chasing the draft, Newgarden took advantage of the open racetrack and took the lead into turn three. Ericsson slid into second and would at least have the draft to the line, but Newgarden unleashed a dragon of his own, cutting to the inside barrier, making a greater commitment to the pit lane than anyone who made an intentional pit stop, before returning to the track and holding off Ericsson at the finish line by 0.0974 seconds.
2. There are too many moving parts to this race and these post-race thoughts will look different from past years.
For Newgarden, this is a long-awaited victory, not that Indianapolis owed him one or there were a few tough defeats, but Newgarden has been one of the best drivers since entering IndyCar. A two-time champion, now a 27-time race winner, at 32 years old, there wasn't much Newgarden hadn't accomplished in IndyCar. The Indianapolis 500 was it.
There have been plenty of great drivers that never won the Indianapolis 500. Newgarden was one of just six drivers with 20 IndyCar victories to never win this race. At 32 years old, Newgarden easily has a decade left, perhaps closer to 15 years left at Indianapolis, but this was already his 12th Indianapolis 500. Only one driver in 107 years of the Indianapolis 500 went longer before a first Indianapolis 500 victory. Sam Hanks' record will one day fall, but nobody wants to roll those dice and go 14 or 15 years before first winning the "500."
Newgarden never really had that "500" that got away from him. He was third once, but he wasn't the best car in 2016. He wasn't really that close. I think we were all waiting for that one to get away from Newgarden and then he could pull out a victory.
Today was unexpected. You can never rule out Team Penske, but after three years of not contending and having none of its cars start better than 12th with Newgarden starting 17th, 2023 was shaping up to be more of the same. And then Newgarden was there at the end.
There is a ruthlessness to Newgarden's driving style. When he makes his move, he has normally calculated it to succeed. The 2017 pass on Simon Pagenaud at Gateway comes to mind. Newgarden's last lap pass at Texas and the battle at Gateway last year with Scott McLaughlin are two other examples.
When the decision to have a one-lap sprint was announced, it felt inevitable it would end in another caution. Someone would not give going into turn one and that sprint would last all of a quarter-mile or so.
Somehow, no one in the back of the field caused another accident, but Newgarden wasn't going to be the cause. He didn't overreact to Ericsson's move off the track exiting turn two on the final lap. Newgarden didn't overthink it. Chasing Ericsson would have cost him. Instead, the smartest move was to run his own line. Newgarden took the lead and down the stretch he could play extreme defense, risking it all to beat Ericsson to the line.
After stopping on the front straightaway to celebrate, Newgarden showed his true joy, diving through the catchfence opening to celebrate in the crowd. Newgarden likes to show his goofy side, remember those incognito videos he did during his rookie season, but he isn't a showboat. He doesn't seek attention. He has even called himself an introvert. He lets us see what he wants, but still keeps most of the cards to his chest.
Newgarden showed his entire hand today, not hiding anything in pure jubilation.
3. Working backward, this finish probably should have never happened, or at least the lead should have never changed on the penultimate restart.
IndyCar is not holier than thou. It wants the attention and love of the people just like everyone else, and it will cater to the masses. It felt like what ended up being the penultimate caution would end the race. There were four laps to go when it happened. Historically, there isn't enough time to have a red flag and a restart in that little of time. IndyCar made the time today.
Was it the right thing to do? It is disappointing to be chasing a finish and letting the first 199 laps of the race be cast aside. IndyCar earned praise at Texas for having a great race and being ok with it ending under caution. There was no time for a restart in that case as the caution came out with a lap and a half to go, but IndyCar did the opposite of that today.
We spent a good portion this May celebrating Tony Kanaan and highlighting his 2013 Indianapolis 500 victory. That race ended under caution after Dario Franchitti had an accident on a lap 197 restart. This caution only came one lap earlier.
4. I don't think Marcus Ericsson was robbed because I don't think he should have been given the lead after the final caution for the front straightaway accident on the restart. It comes down more to the philosophy of when a pass should take place and not the wording in the rulebook.
Ericsson was ahead of Newgarden at the time of caution, but Newgarden had not even reached the start/finish line. The rulebook says passing can take place once the green flag has been shown, but should that be the case. The Indianapolis 500 was nearly won on a pass that didn't even happen on a green flag lap. Check the box score. It was never green.
It was green, but do we want a race decided effectively on who got a better launch within the first 800 feet on a restart?
There was once a time when passes could not take place before the start/finish line on a restart, but in the 21st century there is an aversion to any regulation that seems to hinder racing. The problem is we are now seeing a free-for-all.
That is why the final caution happened. Christian Lundgaard just went and was trying to pass nine cars exiting turn four on the restart. That was once considered a jumpEd restart. Now it is allowed, things like this happen, and it will only get worse.
There is going to be a trade off. If you regulate no overtaking before the start/finish, there will likely be less passes. You won't have drivers going from eighth to fifth before they even reached the end of the pit lane, but you also will not have drivers just gunning it with no regard for others on track. You also would not have a situation where the Indianapolis 500 would be decided because someone had a better 800-feet.
5. The driving standard is there is no standard.
Look at the final lap. Ericsson was aiming to drive in the grass. Newgarden never committed that far to the left exiting turn four for a pit stop all race as he did to defend the lead. It looks ridiculous. The sad thing is I don't think it will change until someone gets hurt.
It is almost the equivalent to the 1.5-mile pack races we saw throughout the 2000s in the Indy Racing League except this isn't because of the package, it is because of driver behavior.
The move exiting turn four that Newgarden did this year and Ericsson did last year must be abolished. It is too fucking dangerous for these drivers to play chicken with the attenuator at the end of the pit lane at 220 mph. It shouldn't take someone hitting it, likely hurting themselves, possibly killing themselves and possibly hurting others for something to be done.
I think common sense can be applied. I don't want drivers to get penalties if their tires are slightly over the line but we can at least keep drivers from swerving from the inside barrier to the outside barrier.
6. How did we get to this finish? It all started with the Felix Rosenqvist accident. Rosenqvist was running in the top ten, lost air on his front wing, and slapped the barrier in turn one. Rosenqvist was attempting to save it but spun back into the track and clipped the rear of Kyle Kirkwood, flipping Kirkwood and shearing off a rear tire from Kirkwood's car, sending it flying over the catchfence
Fortunately, the tire only hit a car in the parking lot between the turn two grandstands and the suites.
For Rosenqvist, it was an unfortunate accident. He did nothing wrong. He lost some air and slid up the track. It happens. I don't know how to stop a driver from trying to save a car. If Rosenqvist just gave up and spun to the inside, this is a nothing accident, but he caught Kirkwood at the worst possible time and we all had our hearts in our throats for about five minutes before it was clear no spectators were hurt.
This has been a fear for a long time. Back in 2015, when a fan was hit by some debris that was launched over the catchfence at St. Petersburg and hit a fan, I wondered how high would the catchfence have to be to also guarantee nothing could enter the crowd. One spectator fatality and it will forever change motorsports in this country, perhaps the world.
When the Le Mans tragedy occurred in 1955 countries banned motorsports. In 2023, something significant would change and I bet you wouldn't like it.
To be proactive, how do you assure it doesn't happen? Does the catchfence need to be ten-feet higher? Twenty-feet higher? It would hopefully almost assure spectators remain safe from debris. It would change the viewing experience. It would change how the race would be broadcast as current camera angles would become obstructed. Things would have to change, but wouldn't that be worth it?
On the flip side, how often have we seen large pieces of debris or complete tire assemblies fly over the catchfence? It isn't frequent. It is rare. We could do nothing and continue to roll those dice knowing history is in our favor or we could just be safe and make some adjustments.
7. Considering how the driving standards are today, we should probably take the necessary steps to protect the spectators.
I don't want to say drivers are borderline careless, but in the closing laps, if there is a late restart in the Indianapolis 500, if nobody gives, someone will get hurt.
Hopefully some combination of banning overtakes prior to the start/finish line and preventing drivers from recklessly using every inch of asphalt we would see fewer big incidents, but if this standard continues, we are only bound to see something worse than today.
8. The Rosenqvist accident brought out a red flag. I think it was the correct choice. One, Kirkwood flipped upside down. Let's check on him properly. Two, a tire went over the catchfence. The track couldn't let the cars continue circulating even under yellow if spectators had been hurt. Even though it didn't end up in the grandstand, I think it was important that IndyCar at least made sure no one was hurt and located that tire before the race resumed.
The second red flag after Patricio O'Ward's spin and then Simon Pagenaud and Agustín Canapino having their own incidents, thanks to some assistance from Scott McLaughlin it is done to at least assure a restart.
The O'Ward accident comes with seven laps remaining. The prior three caution periods took eight laps, six laps and seven laps. There is a chance IndyCar could have hurried clean up, slowed the field under caution and restarted with two to go. That could have happened, but a red flag assured at least one restart.
Then there was the final caution and the third red flag. We have plenty of recent examples of IndyCar using a red flag late to assure at least one restart. We had no examples of IndyCar using multiple red flags late to assure at least one more final restart.
We are nine years removed from the red flag that set up the Ryan Hunter-Reay/Hélio Castroneves finish. That set up a seven-lap sprint. Last year, IndyCar red-flagged the race after Jimmie Johnson's accident and we had a three-lap sprint.
In 2014, I said I was fine with the red flag, but some kind of regulation should exist to state when a red flag would occur. There should be a cut off. At that time, I was thinking in the final 10 or 15 laps it should say IndyCar is allowed one red flag but set a cut-off at four or five laps to go. I think that is fair. NASCAR once had a cut-off for the final red flag. It makes sense.
Today, IndyCar pushed it, and I don't think this should become common practice. IndyCar has not cornered itself. In future races, if it doesn't do the out-lap to the green-and-white flag combination, IndyCar will be chastised.
NBC Sports' Nate Ryan had an intelligent point earlier this year in NASCAR when talking about the waivers given to drivers for injuries. NASCAR isn't a legal system. Its past decisions don't have to lead future decisions. Precedent doesn't matter.
IndyCar is the same. IndyCar's decision today doesn't set its decisions for the future. It is nice if it is consistent for the sake of sanity and fairness. It is easier to follow if you know how things will be decided, but IndyCar is not bound to end all races like this moving forward.
But it is a lose-lose, because any future race in similar circumstances will be viewed under the strongest of microscopes.
9. I have covered eight points and really only talked about three drivers.
10. I said Marcus Ericsson wasn't robbed. He wasn't, but he looked damn good today. He was the best Honda today, at least after his teammate Álex Palou was taken out. Ericsson was one of the top two Hondas. I didn't think that would be the case today.
Ericsson is looking for more in IndyCar. He wants a big contract after this season. Considering the last two Indianapolis 500s, last season and how this season is shaping up, Ericsson deserves it.
11. This was the best drive of Santino Ferrucci's career. For a driver who has been on edge from day one at Indianapolis, we have been expecting him to go over the limit. He hasn't, and Ferrucci is now one of three drivers to have five top ten finishes in the first five starts of an Indianapolis 500 career, joining Harry Hartz and Helio Castroneves.
Foyt found something this year. The inclusion of Michael Cannon, who spent the previous three seasons at Chip Ganassi Racing, has been noted for the turnaround. This team wasn't close last year. It went from nowhere to 0.5273 seconds of victory.
It isn't all Cannon, and it isn't all Ferrucci. These two worked together in Ferrucci's rookie season in 2019 at Dale Coyne Racing. Ferrucci took a surprise top ten finish that season at Indianapolis. We have seen enough results on the road/street courses to know Foyt still has a long way to go, but going all-in on Indianapolis isn't a bad strategy... as long as you are competitive.
12. Álex Palou had the drive of the day. Palou was going to be in the mix. He was the best Honda for the first half of the race, and then he was an innocent bystander when Rinus VeeKay lost his car on cold tires exiting pit lane. Palou was pinched in the wall and knocked out of the lead.
However, the damage was mostly to the front wing. One change and Palou continued in the race and he drove like a mad-man in the middle third of the race. Palou drove from about 30th to 15th in no time and he continued clawing spots back. He was up to sixth at the penultimate restart. He wound up fourth.
This is two consecutive years Palou overcame a mid-race issue to finish in the top ten. If VeeKay doesn't lose the rear end, Palou likely is in Ericsson's shoes, or at least in the top three in the closing laps, but considering how he went from the back to the front, it is hard not to think Palou was going to win this race.
13. Alexander Rossi ended up as the top McLaren finishers in fifth on a day when he was the third best McLaren car for about 90% of this race. Third best McLaren was running seventh most of the race.
This has kind of been the theme of Rossi's season. He is good but not quite there. He did not have the same pace as Rosenqvist and O'Ward in this race, but he still had great pace. The optimist will look at this and say if Rossi is at this point now, six races into his time at McLaren, victories will come. Patience is key.
14. This race did not wait long to become the Indianapolis 500 from hell for Scott Dixon. Dixon had a massive vibration early in the race and forced an early pit stop, but in true Ganassi fashion, the team crafted a respectable result out of nothing.
They worked around the early pit stop to at least be close to the front. The string of cautions late helped Dixon, but he did what he does best. Sixth isn't going to be a moral victory for him or this team, but considering the previous two years, this is at least better in the box score.
15. Takuma Sato was seventh and did nothing. How many times have I written that? It was surprising he wasn't more of a factor. Considering Sato's practice pace, from eighth on the grid, I thought we would see Sato push to finish in the top five. He never really got there. It is a good day, but probably a disappointing day for Sato because he didn't really get more out of this.
Think about it this way. Palou and Dixon both had issues and they both still finished ahead of Sato. That says enough about Sato's day.
16. Conor Daly was eighth, his first top ten finish since last year's Indianapolis 500. There really isn't much to say about Daly's day. That isn't a slight on him, but he made up some spots, made up a few more as others were incidents. Daly did well, but, eh.
17. Andretti Autosport keeps re-defining stupid. Colton Herta looked sensational in the first half of the race. Herta made up notable ground and put himself into a top five position when for a moment it looked like Andretti wasn't going to be close to the front.
Then Andretti botched its team's strategy and Colton Herta was released into the path of Romain Grosjean during a pit cycle. It was absolutely a penalty for Herta, but Herta should never have been put in that situation.
Grosjean wasn't even in the top half of the field at that point. Andretti Autosport couldn't have Grosjean come in a lap earlier or a lap later? The team could have avoided putting Herta in that position. That took Herta out of the mix for victory. Herta ended up ninth, but he was better than that today.
18. We see plenty of qualifying pace out of Rinus VeeKay at Indianapolis. In four Indianapolis starts though, we have seen VeeKay make errors. Today it was on cold tires exiting the pit lane. It is important to keep track position, but a driver has to understand how to live to fight for another day.
There were still over 100 laps left at that point. VeeKay was still going to be in the top ten. There was plenty of time to get back to the front. Others have made this same mistake, but VeeKay must do better.
19. Ryan Hunter-Reay ended up 11th in his Indianapolis 500 return. This is what a one-off team should want. Hunter-Reay was a capable set of hands. He wasn't going to make any bonehead moves. He will drive smart and the result will likely be better than most. It was just shy of the top ten today.
20. Callum Ilott completed all 200 laps today. Considering he broke his wrist in this race last year, Ilott will take this. The Juncos Hollinger Racing drivers did well today, nothing stunning, but they were both on their way to completing 500 miles. Ilott made it. Ilott caught two breaks with cautions.
One came just after a pit stop, which put Ilott in the lead. The other was before his final stop and instead of stopping under green, he got to stop under caution. He lost spots, but not as many if it was green, where he could have lost the lead lap.
21. Devlin DeFrancesco avoided making any mistakes and finished 13th. That's it.
22. This was not Scott McLaughlin's finest day. I am not sure he blocked Tony Kanaan, but he wasn't doing Kanaan any favors. Then McLaughlin plowed into Simon Pagenaud when the caution was already out. Not good. McLaughlin knows it. He will improve.
23. Hélio Castroneves was 15th. That is the best Meyer Shank Racing can do at the moment.
24. Tony Kanaan's farewell was not the fairy tale we were hoping for. Kanaan didn't quite have it. He was 16th, never really in the top ten, never really in the picture. Kanaan even said in his post-race interview this is probably the best way for it to end. Instead of coming close for another time, he goes out being just ok.
In Kanaan's final "500," I think of Rodger Ward. Ward, a past champion, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, one of the best IndyCar saw through the 1950s and 1960s, was 15th in his final Indianapolis 500. Ward knew that day was it for him. The same is true for Kanaan.
After 389 IndyCar races, the tank is empty. Kanaan gave it his all and accomplished a tremendous amount.
25. I have 17 drivers left and eight spots remaining. It is 11:38 p.m. Eastern. Everyone else is getting one sentence.
It was sad watching Marco Andretti run at the back in the first half of the race and be a non-factor. Andretti was 17th but that is flattering.
26. Jack Harvey salvaged something from this Indianapolis 500. Ok, Harvey was 18th, one-lap down. That is probably the best Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing could do today.
Christian Lundgaard had a handful of incidents. Drove into Harvey's pit box, contact on one restart, more contact on another that caused a caution and really was a jumped restart. Not Lundgaard's finest day after a strong outing two weeks prior on the IMS road course.
27. Ed Carpenter was taken out in that Lundgaard incident. Carpenter wasn't really a factor in this one. Not his year.
28. I am going to cover all the rookies here. Benjamin Pedersen was taken out with Ed Carpenter. Pedersen went backward this entire race. That wasn't surprising. I thought this would be difficult for him.
Agustín Canapino spun in evasive action after Simon Pagenaud was hit. Canapino had a good day and was making moves before that.
Sting Ray Robb looked like a fool today. He blamed Graham Rahal when Robb got caught on the outside in turn one and hit the barrier. Robb probably is in over his head in IndyCar.
RC Enerson's race ended due to a mechanical problem, but it is a small victory Enerson qualified for this race. Not the way he likely wanted it to end, but he will always get to say he started an Indianapolis 500.
Who should be Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year?
Pedersen was the top rookie finisher, but he didn't finish. He was 21st. He was also the fastest rookie qualifier and made the Fast 12. Three of four rookies had accidents. I think Canapino had a better race, but Pedersen has more to show for it.
29. Graham Rahal wasn't in this race a week ago. Rahal stepped in for Stefan Wilson. Rahal's battery was dead when it was time to start the car on the grid. Rahal missed the start and was a lap down immediately. This wasn't his year.
Will Power brushed the barrier exiting turn two and that took him out of contention. It was a minor glance, but enough to ruin his race.
30. Patricio O'Ward wasn't going to give in this year. Maybe he should have given in with eight laps to go. O'Ward had fallen to third after Newgarden passed O'Ward and Ericsson on that restart and O'Ward was looking to get second from Ericsson into turn three.
O'Ward attempted an aggressive, low-percentage pass. It didn't stick. O'Ward should have known there was more time. I know he wants to make up for last year, but there were eight laps remaining. There was plenty of time. I don't think Ericsson did anything wrong. I don't think O'Ward was hard done.
31. I am not sure Simon Pagenaud was ever going to consider this a good day. McLaughlin just helped confirm it was a bad day.
I should really give Felix Rosenqvist his own spot, but this was one of his best races in IndyCar. One moment took air off his front wing and he was done. He really had one of the best cars today. It is a shame the record book will not tell that story.
After Colton Herta's incident in pit lane, Kyle Kirkwood flew forward in an attempt to save the day for Andretti Autosport. It was looking good until Kirkwood was in the wrong place with Rosenqvist sliding up the track. There was nothing Kirkwood could do. It was harsh for both drivers.
32. Was David Malukas in this race? Malukas had one minor moment, slight contact on track and that basically took him out of the race without anyone noticing.
Romain Grosjean was having a tough day. The contact with Herta in pit lane was cruel. Two years in a row Grosjean lost it in turn two. Maybe third time will be the charm for him.
Katherine Legge waited ten years and two days to return to the Indianapolis 500. It lasted 41 laps. Legge had her own little moment on pit lane on cold tires and hit the inside pit wall enough to damage the suspension. It was a merciful end for a disheartening month for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team.
33. 364 days until the 108th Indianapolis 500.
In the early stages of this race, none of the Team Penske drivers were a factor, but they were chipping away. In typical Penske fashion, it made up time in the pit lane. Two spots were made up on one stint and then the drivers would settle in. A round of pit stops would begin and when they were over, the Penske drivers were normally up another position or two. They might pick up one or two more on the track, but mainly settled in for the next round of pit stops, and then the process repeated itself.
That is what happened with Josef Newgarden. Slowly he was in the top ten. Then he was in the top five. Then he was battling for the lead.
This Indianapolis 500 had everything, and the string of accidents in the end kept everyone alive.
In this fractured finish, we saw Newgarden take on Marcus Ericsson and Santino Ferrucci for the victory. In the final ten laps, there were three green flag periods that lasted one lap, about 300 yards, and one lap. In that miniscule amount of time over a 500-mile race, the race came down desperation moves.
Newgarden's initial pass for the lead was brilliant on the outside of Ericsson and Patricio O’Ward. Then Ericsson took the lead on a whim, happening to be ahead when Benjamin Pedersen and Ed Carpenter collided thanks to an ambitious but foolish move from Christian Lundgaard. With three laps to go, it looked like Ericsson was going to back into a second consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory.
Surprisingly, IndyCar threw a third red flag in the final 14 laps, but as the cars stopped with two laps remaining, we would see the unprecedented. The cars would exit the pit lane and immediately circle around to take the green flag and white flag simultaneously.
Ericsson would have to defend for the second consecutive Indianapolis 500, the move being hawked as the "dragon." All he had to do was hold on for 2.5 miles.
Unfortunately, the dragon burned Ericsson. Swerving further to the inside of the track off the exit of turn two, Ericsson left the door open for Newgarden. Instead of chasing the draft, Newgarden took advantage of the open racetrack and took the lead into turn three. Ericsson slid into second and would at least have the draft to the line, but Newgarden unleashed a dragon of his own, cutting to the inside barrier, making a greater commitment to the pit lane than anyone who made an intentional pit stop, before returning to the track and holding off Ericsson at the finish line by 0.0974 seconds.
2. There are too many moving parts to this race and these post-race thoughts will look different from past years.
For Newgarden, this is a long-awaited victory, not that Indianapolis owed him one or there were a few tough defeats, but Newgarden has been one of the best drivers since entering IndyCar. A two-time champion, now a 27-time race winner, at 32 years old, there wasn't much Newgarden hadn't accomplished in IndyCar. The Indianapolis 500 was it.
There have been plenty of great drivers that never won the Indianapolis 500. Newgarden was one of just six drivers with 20 IndyCar victories to never win this race. At 32 years old, Newgarden easily has a decade left, perhaps closer to 15 years left at Indianapolis, but this was already his 12th Indianapolis 500. Only one driver in 107 years of the Indianapolis 500 went longer before a first Indianapolis 500 victory. Sam Hanks' record will one day fall, but nobody wants to roll those dice and go 14 or 15 years before first winning the "500."
Newgarden never really had that "500" that got away from him. He was third once, but he wasn't the best car in 2016. He wasn't really that close. I think we were all waiting for that one to get away from Newgarden and then he could pull out a victory.
Today was unexpected. You can never rule out Team Penske, but after three years of not contending and having none of its cars start better than 12th with Newgarden starting 17th, 2023 was shaping up to be more of the same. And then Newgarden was there at the end.
There is a ruthlessness to Newgarden's driving style. When he makes his move, he has normally calculated it to succeed. The 2017 pass on Simon Pagenaud at Gateway comes to mind. Newgarden's last lap pass at Texas and the battle at Gateway last year with Scott McLaughlin are two other examples.
When the decision to have a one-lap sprint was announced, it felt inevitable it would end in another caution. Someone would not give going into turn one and that sprint would last all of a quarter-mile or so.
Somehow, no one in the back of the field caused another accident, but Newgarden wasn't going to be the cause. He didn't overreact to Ericsson's move off the track exiting turn two on the final lap. Newgarden didn't overthink it. Chasing Ericsson would have cost him. Instead, the smartest move was to run his own line. Newgarden took the lead and down the stretch he could play extreme defense, risking it all to beat Ericsson to the line.
After stopping on the front straightaway to celebrate, Newgarden showed his true joy, diving through the catchfence opening to celebrate in the crowd. Newgarden likes to show his goofy side, remember those incognito videos he did during his rookie season, but he isn't a showboat. He doesn't seek attention. He has even called himself an introvert. He lets us see what he wants, but still keeps most of the cards to his chest.
Newgarden showed his entire hand today, not hiding anything in pure jubilation.
3. Working backward, this finish probably should have never happened, or at least the lead should have never changed on the penultimate restart.
IndyCar is not holier than thou. It wants the attention and love of the people just like everyone else, and it will cater to the masses. It felt like what ended up being the penultimate caution would end the race. There were four laps to go when it happened. Historically, there isn't enough time to have a red flag and a restart in that little of time. IndyCar made the time today.
Was it the right thing to do? It is disappointing to be chasing a finish and letting the first 199 laps of the race be cast aside. IndyCar earned praise at Texas for having a great race and being ok with it ending under caution. There was no time for a restart in that case as the caution came out with a lap and a half to go, but IndyCar did the opposite of that today.
We spent a good portion this May celebrating Tony Kanaan and highlighting his 2013 Indianapolis 500 victory. That race ended under caution after Dario Franchitti had an accident on a lap 197 restart. This caution only came one lap earlier.
4. I don't think Marcus Ericsson was robbed because I don't think he should have been given the lead after the final caution for the front straightaway accident on the restart. It comes down more to the philosophy of when a pass should take place and not the wording in the rulebook.
Ericsson was ahead of Newgarden at the time of caution, but Newgarden had not even reached the start/finish line. The rulebook says passing can take place once the green flag has been shown, but should that be the case. The Indianapolis 500 was nearly won on a pass that didn't even happen on a green flag lap. Check the box score. It was never green.
It was green, but do we want a race decided effectively on who got a better launch within the first 800 feet on a restart?
There was once a time when passes could not take place before the start/finish line on a restart, but in the 21st century there is an aversion to any regulation that seems to hinder racing. The problem is we are now seeing a free-for-all.
That is why the final caution happened. Christian Lundgaard just went and was trying to pass nine cars exiting turn four on the restart. That was once considered a jumpEd restart. Now it is allowed, things like this happen, and it will only get worse.
There is going to be a trade off. If you regulate no overtaking before the start/finish, there will likely be less passes. You won't have drivers going from eighth to fifth before they even reached the end of the pit lane, but you also will not have drivers just gunning it with no regard for others on track. You also would not have a situation where the Indianapolis 500 would be decided because someone had a better 800-feet.
5. The driving standard is there is no standard.
Look at the final lap. Ericsson was aiming to drive in the grass. Newgarden never committed that far to the left exiting turn four for a pit stop all race as he did to defend the lead. It looks ridiculous. The sad thing is I don't think it will change until someone gets hurt.
It is almost the equivalent to the 1.5-mile pack races we saw throughout the 2000s in the Indy Racing League except this isn't because of the package, it is because of driver behavior.
The move exiting turn four that Newgarden did this year and Ericsson did last year must be abolished. It is too fucking dangerous for these drivers to play chicken with the attenuator at the end of the pit lane at 220 mph. It shouldn't take someone hitting it, likely hurting themselves, possibly killing themselves and possibly hurting others for something to be done.
I think common sense can be applied. I don't want drivers to get penalties if their tires are slightly over the line but we can at least keep drivers from swerving from the inside barrier to the outside barrier.
6. How did we get to this finish? It all started with the Felix Rosenqvist accident. Rosenqvist was running in the top ten, lost air on his front wing, and slapped the barrier in turn one. Rosenqvist was attempting to save it but spun back into the track and clipped the rear of Kyle Kirkwood, flipping Kirkwood and shearing off a rear tire from Kirkwood's car, sending it flying over the catchfence
Fortunately, the tire only hit a car in the parking lot between the turn two grandstands and the suites.
For Rosenqvist, it was an unfortunate accident. He did nothing wrong. He lost some air and slid up the track. It happens. I don't know how to stop a driver from trying to save a car. If Rosenqvist just gave up and spun to the inside, this is a nothing accident, but he caught Kirkwood at the worst possible time and we all had our hearts in our throats for about five minutes before it was clear no spectators were hurt.
This has been a fear for a long time. Back in 2015, when a fan was hit by some debris that was launched over the catchfence at St. Petersburg and hit a fan, I wondered how high would the catchfence have to be to also guarantee nothing could enter the crowd. One spectator fatality and it will forever change motorsports in this country, perhaps the world.
When the Le Mans tragedy occurred in 1955 countries banned motorsports. In 2023, something significant would change and I bet you wouldn't like it.
To be proactive, how do you assure it doesn't happen? Does the catchfence need to be ten-feet higher? Twenty-feet higher? It would hopefully almost assure spectators remain safe from debris. It would change the viewing experience. It would change how the race would be broadcast as current camera angles would become obstructed. Things would have to change, but wouldn't that be worth it?
On the flip side, how often have we seen large pieces of debris or complete tire assemblies fly over the catchfence? It isn't frequent. It is rare. We could do nothing and continue to roll those dice knowing history is in our favor or we could just be safe and make some adjustments.
7. Considering how the driving standards are today, we should probably take the necessary steps to protect the spectators.
I don't want to say drivers are borderline careless, but in the closing laps, if there is a late restart in the Indianapolis 500, if nobody gives, someone will get hurt.
Hopefully some combination of banning overtakes prior to the start/finish line and preventing drivers from recklessly using every inch of asphalt we would see fewer big incidents, but if this standard continues, we are only bound to see something worse than today.
8. The Rosenqvist accident brought out a red flag. I think it was the correct choice. One, Kirkwood flipped upside down. Let's check on him properly. Two, a tire went over the catchfence. The track couldn't let the cars continue circulating even under yellow if spectators had been hurt. Even though it didn't end up in the grandstand, I think it was important that IndyCar at least made sure no one was hurt and located that tire before the race resumed.
The second red flag after Patricio O'Ward's spin and then Simon Pagenaud and Agustín Canapino having their own incidents, thanks to some assistance from Scott McLaughlin it is done to at least assure a restart.
The O'Ward accident comes with seven laps remaining. The prior three caution periods took eight laps, six laps and seven laps. There is a chance IndyCar could have hurried clean up, slowed the field under caution and restarted with two to go. That could have happened, but a red flag assured at least one restart.
Then there was the final caution and the third red flag. We have plenty of recent examples of IndyCar using a red flag late to assure at least one restart. We had no examples of IndyCar using multiple red flags late to assure at least one more final restart.
We are nine years removed from the red flag that set up the Ryan Hunter-Reay/Hélio Castroneves finish. That set up a seven-lap sprint. Last year, IndyCar red-flagged the race after Jimmie Johnson's accident and we had a three-lap sprint.
In 2014, I said I was fine with the red flag, but some kind of regulation should exist to state when a red flag would occur. There should be a cut off. At that time, I was thinking in the final 10 or 15 laps it should say IndyCar is allowed one red flag but set a cut-off at four or five laps to go. I think that is fair. NASCAR once had a cut-off for the final red flag. It makes sense.
Today, IndyCar pushed it, and I don't think this should become common practice. IndyCar has not cornered itself. In future races, if it doesn't do the out-lap to the green-and-white flag combination, IndyCar will be chastised.
NBC Sports' Nate Ryan had an intelligent point earlier this year in NASCAR when talking about the waivers given to drivers for injuries. NASCAR isn't a legal system. Its past decisions don't have to lead future decisions. Precedent doesn't matter.
IndyCar is the same. IndyCar's decision today doesn't set its decisions for the future. It is nice if it is consistent for the sake of sanity and fairness. It is easier to follow if you know how things will be decided, but IndyCar is not bound to end all races like this moving forward.
But it is a lose-lose, because any future race in similar circumstances will be viewed under the strongest of microscopes.
9. I have covered eight points and really only talked about three drivers.
10. I said Marcus Ericsson wasn't robbed. He wasn't, but he looked damn good today. He was the best Honda today, at least after his teammate Álex Palou was taken out. Ericsson was one of the top two Hondas. I didn't think that would be the case today.
Ericsson is looking for more in IndyCar. He wants a big contract after this season. Considering the last two Indianapolis 500s, last season and how this season is shaping up, Ericsson deserves it.
11. This was the best drive of Santino Ferrucci's career. For a driver who has been on edge from day one at Indianapolis, we have been expecting him to go over the limit. He hasn't, and Ferrucci is now one of three drivers to have five top ten finishes in the first five starts of an Indianapolis 500 career, joining Harry Hartz and Helio Castroneves.
Foyt found something this year. The inclusion of Michael Cannon, who spent the previous three seasons at Chip Ganassi Racing, has been noted for the turnaround. This team wasn't close last year. It went from nowhere to 0.5273 seconds of victory.
It isn't all Cannon, and it isn't all Ferrucci. These two worked together in Ferrucci's rookie season in 2019 at Dale Coyne Racing. Ferrucci took a surprise top ten finish that season at Indianapolis. We have seen enough results on the road/street courses to know Foyt still has a long way to go, but going all-in on Indianapolis isn't a bad strategy... as long as you are competitive.
12. Álex Palou had the drive of the day. Palou was going to be in the mix. He was the best Honda for the first half of the race, and then he was an innocent bystander when Rinus VeeKay lost his car on cold tires exiting pit lane. Palou was pinched in the wall and knocked out of the lead.
However, the damage was mostly to the front wing. One change and Palou continued in the race and he drove like a mad-man in the middle third of the race. Palou drove from about 30th to 15th in no time and he continued clawing spots back. He was up to sixth at the penultimate restart. He wound up fourth.
This is two consecutive years Palou overcame a mid-race issue to finish in the top ten. If VeeKay doesn't lose the rear end, Palou likely is in Ericsson's shoes, or at least in the top three in the closing laps, but considering how he went from the back to the front, it is hard not to think Palou was going to win this race.
13. Alexander Rossi ended up as the top McLaren finishers in fifth on a day when he was the third best McLaren car for about 90% of this race. Third best McLaren was running seventh most of the race.
This has kind of been the theme of Rossi's season. He is good but not quite there. He did not have the same pace as Rosenqvist and O'Ward in this race, but he still had great pace. The optimist will look at this and say if Rossi is at this point now, six races into his time at McLaren, victories will come. Patience is key.
14. This race did not wait long to become the Indianapolis 500 from hell for Scott Dixon. Dixon had a massive vibration early in the race and forced an early pit stop, but in true Ganassi fashion, the team crafted a respectable result out of nothing.
They worked around the early pit stop to at least be close to the front. The string of cautions late helped Dixon, but he did what he does best. Sixth isn't going to be a moral victory for him or this team, but considering the previous two years, this is at least better in the box score.
15. Takuma Sato was seventh and did nothing. How many times have I written that? It was surprising he wasn't more of a factor. Considering Sato's practice pace, from eighth on the grid, I thought we would see Sato push to finish in the top five. He never really got there. It is a good day, but probably a disappointing day for Sato because he didn't really get more out of this.
Think about it this way. Palou and Dixon both had issues and they both still finished ahead of Sato. That says enough about Sato's day.
16. Conor Daly was eighth, his first top ten finish since last year's Indianapolis 500. There really isn't much to say about Daly's day. That isn't a slight on him, but he made up some spots, made up a few more as others were incidents. Daly did well, but, eh.
17. Andretti Autosport keeps re-defining stupid. Colton Herta looked sensational in the first half of the race. Herta made up notable ground and put himself into a top five position when for a moment it looked like Andretti wasn't going to be close to the front.
Then Andretti botched its team's strategy and Colton Herta was released into the path of Romain Grosjean during a pit cycle. It was absolutely a penalty for Herta, but Herta should never have been put in that situation.
Grosjean wasn't even in the top half of the field at that point. Andretti Autosport couldn't have Grosjean come in a lap earlier or a lap later? The team could have avoided putting Herta in that position. That took Herta out of the mix for victory. Herta ended up ninth, but he was better than that today.
18. We see plenty of qualifying pace out of Rinus VeeKay at Indianapolis. In four Indianapolis starts though, we have seen VeeKay make errors. Today it was on cold tires exiting the pit lane. It is important to keep track position, but a driver has to understand how to live to fight for another day.
There were still over 100 laps left at that point. VeeKay was still going to be in the top ten. There was plenty of time to get back to the front. Others have made this same mistake, but VeeKay must do better.
19. Ryan Hunter-Reay ended up 11th in his Indianapolis 500 return. This is what a one-off team should want. Hunter-Reay was a capable set of hands. He wasn't going to make any bonehead moves. He will drive smart and the result will likely be better than most. It was just shy of the top ten today.
20. Callum Ilott completed all 200 laps today. Considering he broke his wrist in this race last year, Ilott will take this. The Juncos Hollinger Racing drivers did well today, nothing stunning, but they were both on their way to completing 500 miles. Ilott made it. Ilott caught two breaks with cautions.
One came just after a pit stop, which put Ilott in the lead. The other was before his final stop and instead of stopping under green, he got to stop under caution. He lost spots, but not as many if it was green, where he could have lost the lead lap.
21. Devlin DeFrancesco avoided making any mistakes and finished 13th. That's it.
22. This was not Scott McLaughlin's finest day. I am not sure he blocked Tony Kanaan, but he wasn't doing Kanaan any favors. Then McLaughlin plowed into Simon Pagenaud when the caution was already out. Not good. McLaughlin knows it. He will improve.
23. Hélio Castroneves was 15th. That is the best Meyer Shank Racing can do at the moment.
24. Tony Kanaan's farewell was not the fairy tale we were hoping for. Kanaan didn't quite have it. He was 16th, never really in the top ten, never really in the picture. Kanaan even said in his post-race interview this is probably the best way for it to end. Instead of coming close for another time, he goes out being just ok.
In Kanaan's final "500," I think of Rodger Ward. Ward, a past champion, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, one of the best IndyCar saw through the 1950s and 1960s, was 15th in his final Indianapolis 500. Ward knew that day was it for him. The same is true for Kanaan.
After 389 IndyCar races, the tank is empty. Kanaan gave it his all and accomplished a tremendous amount.
25. I have 17 drivers left and eight spots remaining. It is 11:38 p.m. Eastern. Everyone else is getting one sentence.
It was sad watching Marco Andretti run at the back in the first half of the race and be a non-factor. Andretti was 17th but that is flattering.
26. Jack Harvey salvaged something from this Indianapolis 500. Ok, Harvey was 18th, one-lap down. That is probably the best Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing could do today.
Christian Lundgaard had a handful of incidents. Drove into Harvey's pit box, contact on one restart, more contact on another that caused a caution and really was a jumped restart. Not Lundgaard's finest day after a strong outing two weeks prior on the IMS road course.
27. Ed Carpenter was taken out in that Lundgaard incident. Carpenter wasn't really a factor in this one. Not his year.
28. I am going to cover all the rookies here. Benjamin Pedersen was taken out with Ed Carpenter. Pedersen went backward this entire race. That wasn't surprising. I thought this would be difficult for him.
Agustín Canapino spun in evasive action after Simon Pagenaud was hit. Canapino had a good day and was making moves before that.
Sting Ray Robb looked like a fool today. He blamed Graham Rahal when Robb got caught on the outside in turn one and hit the barrier. Robb probably is in over his head in IndyCar.
RC Enerson's race ended due to a mechanical problem, but it is a small victory Enerson qualified for this race. Not the way he likely wanted it to end, but he will always get to say he started an Indianapolis 500.
Who should be Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year?
Pedersen was the top rookie finisher, but he didn't finish. He was 21st. He was also the fastest rookie qualifier and made the Fast 12. Three of four rookies had accidents. I think Canapino had a better race, but Pedersen has more to show for it.
29. Graham Rahal wasn't in this race a week ago. Rahal stepped in for Stefan Wilson. Rahal's battery was dead when it was time to start the car on the grid. Rahal missed the start and was a lap down immediately. This wasn't his year.
Will Power brushed the barrier exiting turn two and that took him out of contention. It was a minor glance, but enough to ruin his race.
30. Patricio O'Ward wasn't going to give in this year. Maybe he should have given in with eight laps to go. O'Ward had fallen to third after Newgarden passed O'Ward and Ericsson on that restart and O'Ward was looking to get second from Ericsson into turn three.
O'Ward attempted an aggressive, low-percentage pass. It didn't stick. O'Ward should have known there was more time. I know he wants to make up for last year, but there were eight laps remaining. There was plenty of time. I don't think Ericsson did anything wrong. I don't think O'Ward was hard done.
31. I am not sure Simon Pagenaud was ever going to consider this a good day. McLaughlin just helped confirm it was a bad day.
I should really give Felix Rosenqvist his own spot, but this was one of his best races in IndyCar. One moment took air off his front wing and he was done. He really had one of the best cars today. It is a shame the record book will not tell that story.
After Colton Herta's incident in pit lane, Kyle Kirkwood flew forward in an attempt to save the day for Andretti Autosport. It was looking good until Kirkwood was in the wrong place with Rosenqvist sliding up the track. There was nothing Kirkwood could do. It was harsh for both drivers.
32. Was David Malukas in this race? Malukas had one minor moment, slight contact on track and that basically took him out of the race without anyone noticing.
Romain Grosjean was having a tough day. The contact with Herta in pit lane was cruel. Two years in a row Grosjean lost it in turn two. Maybe third time will be the charm for him.
Katherine Legge waited ten years and two days to return to the Indianapolis 500. It lasted 41 laps. Legge had her own little moment on pit lane on cold tires and hit the inside pit wall enough to damage the suspension. It was a merciful end for a disheartening month for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team.
33. 364 days until the 108th Indianapolis 500.
