David Malukas Loses Indy 500 by Record 0.0233 Seconds for 2nd Straight Year
Updated
Updated · Motorsport.com · May 24
David Malukas Loses Indy 500 by Record 0.0233 Seconds for 2nd Straight Year
24 articles · Updated · Motorsport.com · May 24
0.0233 seconds separated David Malukas from his first Indy 500 win after Felix Rosenqvist ran him down off Turn 4 in the closest finish in race history.
Malukas had grabbed the lead on the final one-lap shootout and quickly opened a gap, but Rosenqvist cleared Marcus Armstrong and built enough momentum to pass in the final feet.
The 24-year-old Team Penske driver, now second in the IndyCar standings, said he was "driving 150 percent" and believed his car was the fastest in the field.
A replay eased some of the immediate heartbreak: Malukas said Rosenqvist's run was so strong that there was likely nothing he could have done differently.
The runner-up finish repeated last year's Indy 500 result for Malukas and deepened a streak of near-misses after a 2024 wrist injury derailed his Arrow McLaren opportunity.
From 24th on the grid to a historic victory, what was the key to Rosenqvist's stunning Indy 500 win?
After a second consecutive runner-up finish, can David Malukus ever break his Indianapolis 500 curse?
Was the thrilling Indy 500 finish a result of brilliant driving or a critical last-lap strategic error?