The good, bad and ugly of the 2025 Indianapolis 500

Axios

7 days ago

The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 had it all — joy, sorrow and history.
Driving the news: Alex Palou, the most dominant driver in the IndyCar series, finally got his first oval win and what a win it was.
Palou, the first Spaniard to win the 500, passed Marcus Ericsson for the lead with 13 laps left and never let it go.
Zoom in: Here are the rest of the highlights, pitfalls and wtf moments from one of the biggest weekends Indy has ever seen.
The good
🥛 Palou's victory celebration was full of joy and an appreciation for what Indy means, from the moment he parked his car in front of the sold out crowd on the front stretch and ran toward his team to several hours later when he stepped onto the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse wearing a Tyrese Haliburton jersey and the winner's wreath, carrying his empty milk bottle.
🌭 The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile race on Carb Day was an instant classic.
It was a photo finish, with the Slaw Dog pipping the Chi-Dog at the line.
On the eve of Game 2 in the Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and Knicks, the New York Dog got a big boo from the crowd.
It was perfectly over-the-top and everyone leaned in to the ridiculousness, including singing the Oscar Mayer theme song in place of the National Anthem before the start of the race and giving the command of "Wieners, start your engines."
🚁 The Blackhawk helicopters pacing the field at the start were epic.
🌤️ We had perfect weather on Carb Day and Legends Day, for the final practice, concerts and parade.
🏎️ Pacers and Racers!
OK, so the game didn't go as planned, but the city coordination was on lock.
Exhibit A: The start of the race prayer included the line "God Bless the Pacers."
Exhibit B: The "Vroom Baby" gold-out shirts at the game.
Exhibit C: The downtown parking lot that charged $20 for Pacers fans and $100 for Knicks fans.
🏁 The Indy spirit! With the race in the morning and the Pacers playing that night, house parties and tailgates around Speedway were full-on Circle City celebration with checkered flags and Haliburton jerseys as far as the eye could see. In the hours before race day, "Yes, Cers!" chants were briefly ringing off in the Coke Lot.
The bad
☹️ Kyle Larson crashed out, spoiling his second attempt to complete "The Double."
He got loose on Lap 91 of the Indy 500, ending his race just before the halfway point.
It did give him time to get to Charlotte, North Carolina, for NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 but he was caught up in a wreck on Lap 246.
😢 Penske's bad month got worse.
First, two-time reigning 500 winner Josef Newgarden and teammate Will Power were relegated to the back of the starting grid for illegal modifications made to their cars ahead of qualifying.
Then, Scott McLaughlin spun on the warm-up laps, wrecking his car before the race even started.
Finally, Newgarden exited after 135 laps with a mechanical issue.
🫣 Rookie and polesitter Robert Shwartzman's day ended early after he crashed in the pits, taking out several members of his own crew.
👎 Conor Daly's hopes to be the first Hoosier winner in 85 years were dashed after a great start to the race — including 13 laps out front — turned sour when a tire vibration forced him to pit early and slowed him down. He finished 10th.
🗑️ It's a perennial problem — the trash.
The ugly
🌧️ Race day weather wasn't ideal. Between the rain and cold it created tough conditions for drivers and fans.
The start was delayed because of the rain and sprinkles throughout the day, which caused several cautions.
⚠️ A chaotic first half of the race featured six of the race's seven cautions in the first 108 laps, eliminating seven cars.
🤖 AI Michael Strahan. For those enjoying the FOX broadcast of the race at home, there was a " what if" segment featuring this year's pace car driver imagining if he pursued a career as an IndyCar driver instead of an NFL defensive end.
But the AI used to insert Strahan into this alternate timeline was nightmare fuel that was promptly roasted on social media.
🚙 The post-race traffic. At least for folks making the trip from the track to downtown to segue the Indy 500 hype into a Pacers playoff party. And that was a LOT of people.