A margin of heartbreak at the 110th Indianapolis 500
It was almost written in the stars, only for reality to tear the script apart at the Yard of Bricks. David Malukas led the 110th Indianapolis 500 into the final straightaway, his heart presumably pounding, before Felix Rosenqvist executed a draft so precise it defined history. The gap? A staggering .0233 of a second—the closest finish this legendary race has ever seen. For Malukas, in his first season with Team Penske, it was an agonizing conclusion to a day that saw him charge forward with pure aggression in his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.
After a restart on Lap 196, Malukas sliced through traffic and grabbed the lead from Marcus Armstrong, setting the stage for a grandstand finish. Even after a caution for Mick Schumacher’s contact with the wall, Malukas held firm at the green flag for the final lap. But the draft, that cruel mistress of speedway racing, allowed Rosenqvist to secure the 70th lead change of the day in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda for Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian. “We were driving 150 percent that whole race,” a dejected Malukas noted afterward. “I've never pushed that hard in my whole life.”
While Malukas sat on the pit wall in stunned disbelief, his teammate Scott McLaughlin salvaged a third-place finish for Team Penske, his best result in six starts. It was a race of immense highs and brutal lows, ending with Honda securing its 17th victory at the Brickyard. For Malukas, the journey continues, but for now, there is only the weight of what might have been.
