Felix Rosenqvist swung to the outside of David Malukas, then found a way past the Team Penske driver to win the closest Indianapolis 500 in history by a margin of 0.0233 seconds on Sunday.
Malukas looked like he was in position to win when he passed the race leader Marcus Armstrong off the final restart with one lap to go while Rosenqvist and Armstrong, team-mates with Meyer Shank Racing, fought wheel to wheel down the back straightaway and through the fourth and final turn.
But Rosenqvist had just enough power to pull away from Armstrong and snake behind Malukas before making the decisive outside pass in the final 50 feet.
Rosenqvist also became a dad earlier this month
“What a car. Massive thanks to the team,” Rosenqvist said. “We had two cars in the wind at the end and that’s a luxury position to be in as a team.
“I felt we had the best car today. In all situations, we kind of had it all under control. That last yellow didn’t help us, but it kind of worked out the right way when I got back to third, and then I had a flat-out lap on the high line, and it was just the coolest.”
The closest previous finish came in 1992 when Al Unser Jr beat Scott Goodyear across the yard of bricks by 0.043 seconds.
Rosenqvist swung to the outside of David Malukas in the final lap before winning
It was Rosenqvist’s second career win in 120 IndyCar races and comes after the recent birth of his first child. He is the third Swedish driver to win the race.
“I really miss my wife and my newborn child. I wish they were here,” he said.
“I still don’t believe it, becoming a dad and winning the 500. Maybe you’ll win the 500 and have a baby. It’s just unreal. Good job to Marcus and David at the end, they raced really cleanly – and because of those guys you get really good races.
The victory was Rosenqvist’s second career win in 120 IndyCar races
A teary-eyed Malukas said: “I don’t know what else we could have done. We were the fastest car in that whole race. We gave it 150 per cent. I almost crashed this car every lap. I’m sewn up with the P2. I don’t know what else I can give.
“I give everything to this team, we’ve had a stellar month and they give me so much support. This place man. We’re going to come back again and give it 160 per cent.”
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