Josef Newgarden wins Indy 500 with daring pass, becomes first repeat winner in more than 20 years

Josef Newgarden completed a daring pass to the outside of Pato O’Ward on the final lap to win the rain-delayed Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. Newgarden is the first driver to win the Borg-Warner Trophy in consecutive years since Hélio Castroneves went back-to-back in 2001 and 2002.

O’Ward finished second, with Scott Dixon in third. Alexander Rossi and Alex Palou finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

As Newgarden and O’Ward sped down the frontstretch taking the white flag, O’Ward completed a slingshot pass of Newgarden, who then attempted his own slingshot pass as they raced into Turn 3. The two went wheel-to-wheel before Newgarden accelerated away for the win.

O’Ward was virtually inconsolable in the moments after the race, sobbing into the arms of his team members and trying to hide his tears for several minutes. Mexican fans chanted his name (“Pato! Pato!”) and waved a Mexican flag, but they were just as crushed. When O’Ward’s face was shown on the big screen at the track at the start of his interview on the public address system, the remaining fans in the stands erupted in cheers.

The missed win appeared to devastate O’Ward, and Alexander Rossi stopped to hug his Arrow McLaren teammate midinterview.

For Newgarden, he became the sixth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in consecutive years, joining Castroneves, Wilbur Shaw (1939-40), Mauri Rose (1947-48), Bill Vukovich (1953-54) and Al Unser Sr. (1970-71).

NASCAR regular Kyle Larson missed starting Sunday night’s Cup Series race in Charlotte to compete in his first Indianapolis 500, and his debut featured several up-and-down moments before concluding with him finishing 18th.

Larson’s race saw him struggle to get his car in gear during his first restart attempt, costing him several positions. That included wheel-to-wheel contact with Ryan Hunter-Reay. Larson overcame the issue and worked his way into the top 10, only for his chance at an upset win to vanish later in the race when he couldn’t slow down while making his first green-flag pit stop. That earned him a speeding penalty and dropped him down in the running order.

The 108th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” was delayed four hours due to a thunderstorm that rolled through the area. Well before the scheduled 12:45 p.m. ET start time, track officials paused all pre-race entertainment and asked fans to vacate the grandstands and seek shelter before the expected hard rain and intense wind.

Once the storm cleared, officials dried the track and the race began at 4:44 p.m. ET. There were no further interruptions caused by inclement weather for the remainder of the race.

Newgarden’s 2024 season has been filled with controversy due to a cheating scandal, questions about his integrity and that of Team Penske, and on-track results that aren’t anywhere close to the standards he and the Penske camp hold themselves to.

But Newgarden winning the Indianapolis 500, and doing so for the second consecutive year, is a great way to move past the tumult of the past few months. The scandal may have dented Newgarden’s popularity with fans, but he now has two Borg-Warner trophies to his name, and that is something no one can take away from him.

As just the sixth driver to win in back-to-back years, he joins an elite group considering this was the 108th edition of the race.

And Newgarden certainly earned the win Sunday, completing a bold pass that will go down in racing lore. It’s the kind of dramatic victory that won’t be forgotten anytime soon. – Jordan Bianchi, motorsports staff writer

There’s nothing like the last run of the Indy 500, and that held true once again. Drivers repeatedly swapped the lead, with daring moves in a battle of who had the most guts.

The race had 48 lead changes, which is the fourth-most in Indianapolis 500 history (out of 108 races). Last year had the third-most (52), so these past two races have been wild.

The post-race scene, with both O’Ward’s heartbreak and Newgarden’s elation, showed exactly why this race is so spectacular and special. It means so much to everyone who participates or touches it in some way, and it is truly the biggest race on the planet. – Jeff Gluck, motorsports staff writer