Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Motorsport
Motorsport
Joey Barnes

2026 Indy 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist dreamed of this finish — then made it real

The finish of the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is what dreams are made of.

Just ask Felix Rosenqvist.

The 34-year-old Swedish native restarted third in a green-white one-lap shootout and pulled off a masterful charge for the ages by going side-by-side with Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) teammate Marcus Armstrong before reeling in Team Penske’s David Malukas and winning in a photo finish.

The 0.0233s margin of victory by Rosenqvist is the closest in the history of the Indy 500.

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda (Photo by: Penske Entertainment)

“What an incredible finish, first of all,” Rosenqvist said. “That's the way I've always pictured it in my head for some reason. It was almost like muscle memory when it happened because I've been dreaming about that last lap move. It's kind of weird, you never really get that last lap move in the Indy 500, and it just played out perfectly.”

Rosenqvist’s #60 MSR Honda was blisteringly quick, which was demonstrated in qualifying last weekend when he set the fastest four-lap average overall but ended up qualifying fourth after not replicating it in the Fast Six. He converted that pace where it mattered, though: in Sunday’s race.

“The car was a rocket,” he said. “Thank you, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda, SiriusXM, all our partners. It takes an army to create a rocket like that. It was so hooked up all day, from the get-go. We actually didn't change anything all day. It was like, let's save the time in the pits and leave it as it is. And it was so good. It was a little loose in the end, but I think it was just perfect.

“To race all those guys, I know them all very well, David, Pato (O’Ward) and Marcus, and I know they're probably pretty bummed right now, but I think it's really cool when you race against drivers with that level of respect.

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda (Photo by: Penske Entertainment)

“We raced super hard. There was some wheel banging and some tire marks on the side pods, which is cool, but no one ended in the wall. I think that's why it turned out to be such a great finish and such a show for the fans.

“That means a lot to me. Even if that was on another track, I still would have been over the moon. And to do it here in Indy in front of 350K people, that's just unreal.”

It marks just the second win of Rosenqvist’s IndyCar career, with his only other one coming at Road America in 2020.

Rosenqvist, now in his eighth season in North America’s premier open-wheel championship, hailed the final lap surge as the best of his career.

“Yes,” he said. “I'll definitely say the balls arrived when they needed to. I've never been flat around the high line for more than one corner, I think. Yeah, to do a whole lap on the outside, that was pretty cool. It's kind of unheard of at Indy.

Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet (Photo by: Penske Entertainment)

“Yeah, that's just how much you want it… it's hard to explain that feeling, that you want it so much and you have so much adrenaline that you literally don't care if you're going to crash. You're just going all in.

“It was cool that that's what it took to win it, as well.”

Team co-owner Mike Shank put in perspective how big he felt this career-defining drive was for Roseqvist.

“I'm so happy for him,” Shank said. “He needed this, we needed this. But I'm so happy for him. I really, really hope this breaks the door open and gets some really good things that he deserves. He's just the coolest cat. He is just cool. I'm really happy for him.”

Photos from Indianapolis 500 Race

60 IndyCar Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

David Malukas, Team Penske Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

David Malukas, Team Penske Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

David Malukas, Team Penske Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda, David Malukas, Team Penske Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

General view

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Will Power, Andretti Global Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Race start

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Caio Collet, AJ Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet, Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Tribute to Kyle Busch during Indy 500 race

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

General view

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Pre-race atmosphere

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

General view

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Indy 500 field

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Pre-race Atmosphere

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

A.J. Foyt

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Fans

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Borg-Warner Trophy

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Bobby Rahal

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Emerson Fittipaldi

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Fans

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Fireworks at day start

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Fireworks at day start

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Josef Newgarden, Team Penske Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Gasoline Alley

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Honda

Indianapolis 500 - Race day, in photos

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.