![\"Armstrong](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/110th-Running-of-the-Indianapolis-500-Presented-By-Gainbridge-Sunday_-May-24_-2026_Large-Image-Witho.jpeg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRick Armstrong hugs his son Marcus Armstrong after the 110th Indianapolis 500. <\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRick Armstrong hugs his son Marcus Armstrong after the 110th Indianapolis 500. <\/p>\n
In a wild conclusion to the 200-lap race, Armstrong overtook second-placed McLaren driver Pato O\u2019Ward and race-leading Meyer Shank Racing teammate Felix Rosenqvist on the penultimate restart.<\/p>\n
The caution came out just moments after taking the lead when Rahal Letterman Laningan Racing rookie Mick Schumacher clouted the wall at Turn 1.<\/p>\n
That left just enough time for a one-lap shootout.<\/p>\n
Armstrong elected to go early through the middle of Turn 4 when the green flag was shown to try create a gap to Team Penske\u2019s David Malukas behind him.<\/p>\n
The slipstream proved too strong, however. Malukas shot around the outside into Turn 1 to take the lead.<\/p>\n
Armstrong had Rosenqvist on his right too, and the pair ran side-by-side all the way from Turn 1 to Turn 4.<\/p>\n
Rosenqvist cleared Armstrong midway through Turn 4 before setting after Malukas and edging him out by a meagre 0.023s at the yard of bricks.<\/p>\n
With no tow, Armstrong dropped back to fifth as a resurgent Scott McLaughlin and O\u2019Ward finished third and fourth respectively.<\/p>\n
A disconsolate Armstrong was visibly emotional post-race.<\/p>\n
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves was among those first to console Armstrong, as well as his father Rick.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so disappointed because I felt like the last corner, I was given two options,\u201d Armstrong said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first one was to either crash with my teammate or I have to lift, and I chose to lift a bit and that was the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were in a position to win it. That could have been us that towed past Malukas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe it. Honestly. Just so close, and I just feel like I made the wrong call at the most pivotal moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I could do it again, I\u2019d do it very differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Scott](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779675732_146_110th-Running-of-the-Indianapolis-500-Presented-By-Gainbridge-Sunday_-May-24_-2026_Large-Image-Witho.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Scott McLaughlin finished third in the 110th Indianapolis 500 ahead of Pato O\u2019Ward and Marcus Armstrong.<\/p>\n
This year marked Armstrong\u2019s third Indianapolis 500 start.<\/p>\n
He began his IndyCar career in 2023 as a part-timer, electing not to race on the ovals.<\/p>\n
He failed to finish his debut in 2024 after his car suffered a mechanical failure on just the sixth lap. In 2025, he finished a lap down.<\/p>\n
Meyer Shank Racing co-owner Mike Shank praised Armstrong\u2019s drive given his relative experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s his third year, but he\u2019s had different things happen to him that didn\u2019t go well here,\u201d said Shank.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo for him come out today and drive the race he drove is just incredible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you think about \u2026 how clean he and Felix raced each other, I wouldn\u2019t have given up the bottom for nothing. Right? And he didn\u2019t. Felix did it the hard way, which is really impressive.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Marcus will be a great story and a good person to talk to. Because he\u2019s pretty torn up right now, and we haven\u2019t talked to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get that, and I want that. I want him to want this race. He was this close is winning it. He could have won it easily. So really proud of that..\u201d<\/p>\n
Shank admitted the final 40-second lap was nerve-racking as he and the team watched Armstrong and Rosenqvist war over second and third.<\/p>\n
\u201cJim (Meyer) and I literally said last night at our team party, we just don\u2019t want to take each other out,\u201d said Shank.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we give a centimetre, we give a centimetre and a half to our teammate. But now you\u2019re last lap Indy 500. There\u2019s no argument you\u2019re going to do whatever you have to do to whoever it is to win the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey raced really well together for two years basically, almost two years now. They\u2019re good teammates. They\u2019re friends enough. They\u2019re good friends, actually, and they respected each other on that run.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, Marcus is going to be pissed off for a while, but if you go back and watch it, I thought for sure we were causing ourselves more damage than good during that lap with slowing them down, but it turned out it didn\u2019t, and we\u2019re super happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Armstrong\u2019s agony was in stark contrast to Rosenqvist\u2019s jubilation.<\/p>\n
He became just the third driver from Sweden after Kenny Brack (1999) and Marcus Ericsson (2023) to win the Indianapolis 500.<\/p>\n
Rosenqvist beats Malukas in closest-ever Indy 500 finish<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777348516_29_250635.jpeg\")