Josef Newgarden secured back-to-back Indy 500 victories with a dramatic last-lap pass on Patricio O'Ward, becoming the first driver to achieve consecutive wins since Helio Castroneves in 2001-2002. The race, which saw 16 different leaders and a four-hour rain delay, concluded with Scott Dixon finishing third, Alexander Rossi fourth, and Alex Palou fifth. The event was marked by high attrition, including crashes involving Tom Blomqvist, Colton Herta, and Will Power.
Patricio O'Ward set the fastest time in the first practice session on the new 1.7-mile, nine-turn street circuit in Detroit, ahead of Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi. The session was red-flagged six times due to various incidents, including O'Ward stalling after a spin-turn went awry. The new track features a split pitlane and caused bottoming and braking instability issues for drivers.
IndyCar's new aero package for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been criticized by drivers for not improving racing. The package, which includes additional underwing wickers and a new rear wing main plane pillar, has created a 'DRS train' effect where cars run nose-to-tail behind the leaders. Drivers have said that only the first two lead cars can overtake each other, and running in traffic is still a challenge. However, some drivers have praised the new parts for giving teams more options to run more downforce in their cars.
