Honestly, if you missed the last ten laps of the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500, you missed the moment Alex Palou stopped being just a "road course specialist" and became a legend. It’s funny how racing works. We spent years watching Palou dominate every street circuit and road course on the calendar, yet there was always that "but" hanging over his head. He hadn't won on an oval.
Then came May 25, 2025.
The 2025 Indianapolis 500 winner didn't just win a race; he secured his place on the Borg-Warner Trophy and, more importantly, silenced every critic who thought he couldn't handle the high-speed chess match of a superspeedway. It was a weird day at the Brickyard. Sprinkles delayed the start by about 43 minutes, and for a while, it looked like the race might belong to Takuma Sato or even a surging David Malukas. But Palou, driving the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, played a game of patience that would have made a monk sweat.
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The Move That Defined the 2025 Indianapolis 500 Winner
Most people think the race is won at the finish line, but for Palou, the win happened on Lap 187.
Marcus Ericsson was leading. He looked strong. He had the "Allegra" Honda out front, and after winning in 2022, he knew exactly how to widen his car to keep people behind him. But Palou did something sort of brilliant. He didn't wait for the typical "last-lap slingshot" that everyone expects at Indy. He knew his tires were older—he’d pitted on Lap 166, which is basically an eternity in Indy 500 terms—and he knew he had to pounce while he still had enough grip to make a move stick.
He used the tow from Ericsson’s car, tucked into the slipstream, and dove under the Swede entering Turn 1. It was ballsy. It was clean. It was the last lead change of the day.
"Those felt like the longest laps of my entire life," Palou said afterward, referring to the final ten laps. You’ve gotta feel for him there. Leading at Indy is like being a target in a shooting gallery. You're just waiting for the person behind you to get that massive aerodynamic run and blow past you on the straightaway.
The Post-Race Drama Nobody Expected
Here is where it gets kind of messy. If you looked at the scoreboard when the checkered flag waved under caution (thanks to a last-lap crash by rookie Nolan Siegel), you saw Ericsson in second and Kyle Kirkwood in sixth.
But then the tech sheds opened.
In a move that absolutely gutted the Andretti Global team, both Ericsson and Kirkwood—along with Callum Ilott—failed post-race technical inspection. It was a massive blow. Official results were shuffled, and suddenly the podium looked very different.
- Alex Palou (Winner)
- David Malukas (A.J. Foyt Racing)
- Pato O'Ward (Arrow McLaren)
Malukas, who missed the previous year's race due to a mountain biking injury that wrecked his wrist, ended up with a career-best second place. O'Ward, who seems to live in the top five at Indy but can never quite grab the milk, was promoted to third. It was bittersweet for those guys, sure, but it didn't change the fact that Palou was the one dousing himself in 2% milk on the podium.
Why This Win Was Actually Historic
We talk about "greatness" a lot in sports, but Palou’s 2025 season was statistically insane. By the time he won the 500, he had already won five of the first six races of the season.
He joined the likes of A.J. Foyt and Al Unser Sr. as the only drivers to pull off that kind of early-season dominance. Think about that for a second. We are talking about names that are literally the foundation of American open-wheel racing. Chip Ganassi, Palou’s boss and a man not known for handing out participation trophies, put it best when he said Palou is now firmly in the same category as Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti.
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What Happened to the Other Favorites?
It wasn't a great day for everyone. Scott McLaughlin’s race ended before it even started; he lost control and hit the wall during the warm-up laps. Talk about a nightmare.
Josef Newgarden, who was chasing a historic "three-peat" after winning in 2023 and 2024, saw his hopes evaporate with a fuel pressure issue. Then you had Kyle Larson. The NASCAR superstar was making his second attempt at "The Double"—racing Indy and Charlotte on the same day. His day ended in a multi-car pileup on Lap 91.
The 2025 Indianapolis 500 winner basically survived a war of attrition. While everyone else was crashing or suffering mechanical failures, Palou was just... there. Methodical. Fast. Quietly lurking until it was time to strike.
Actionable Insights for Indy Fans
If you're looking back at this race or preparing for the next one, there are a few things to keep in mind about how the modern Indy 500 is won:
- Fuel Strategy is Everything: Palou stretched his last tank for 34 laps. Most teams think 32 is the limit. If you're betting or following strategy, watch the drivers who can "save" without losing track position.
- The "Dragon" Move: Notice how leaders weave on the straightaways? Palou didn't have to do it as much because he timed his pass so late in the stint that Ericsson didn't have the tire life to fight back.
- Manufacturer Dominance: Honda swept the top of the field before the disqualifications. If you’re following the series, keep an eye on the HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) development—they clearly found something in 2025 that Chevy couldn't match at the Speedway.
Alex Palou is now a three-time champion and an Indy 500 winner. He’s the first Spaniard to ever win the race. He basically completed the "side quests" of his career and finally beat the final boss.
Whether you love him or find his clinical dominance a bit boring, you can't deny the history. The 2025 Indy 500 wasn't just another race; it was the day the "Spanish Sensation" became immortal in the world of motorsports. If you're a fan of the sport, go back and watch the onboard footage of Palou's Lap 187 pass. It's a masterclass in timing.
For those tracking the points, Palou left Indianapolis with a 115-point lead in the championship. At that point, the rest of the season was basically a victory lap. Check the official IndyCar standings to see how that lead held up through the summer stretch into the season finale.