Indianapolis 500: Felix Rosenqvist wins by close finish from David Malukas

Felix Rosenqvist won the Indianapolis 500 by just 0.0233 seconds over David Malukas in the toughest finish in the race’s history.

The 34-year-old Swede led Meyer Shank Racing to its second IndyCar victory in a race that featured 70 lead changes, a record for the storied event.

It was Rosenqvist’s second win since joining the IndyCar Series in 2019, following his previous success in 2020.

The 200-lap race had a chaotic finish, with red and yellow flags across the field.

Rosenqvist passed Pato O’Ward for first place shortly before Kaio Collett’s wrecked car caught fire, leading to a red flag on lap 192.

With about four laps remaining, Marcus Armstrong and Malukus moved into first and second respectively before Mark Schumacher grazed the wall, resulting in another yellow flag.

This led to a one-lap shootout, with the flags going green as Malukas passed Armstrong and led most of the laps before Rosenqvist pipped him at the line.

Competitors slow down on the 18th lap to pay their respects NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, who died on Thursday at the age of 41 from severe pneumonia that turned into sepsis.

British driver Catherine Legg completed just 18 laps in the first leg of her ‘double duty’ attempt, the feat of racing both the Indy500 in North Carolina and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

She is looking to become only the sixth driver to do so and the first female, first non-American and oldest competitor to do so.

The 45-year-old was involved in a spinout at the Indy500 with Ryan Hunter-Reay and finished last before flying to Charlotte to compete in the second event.

Only one driver, Tony Stewart in 2001, has completed the combined 1,100 miles of both events.