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A Look Back: The 2023 Indianapolis 500

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Isabelle Ferrante | Last updated Dec 6, 2024 11:18 AM ET

May is the most anticipated month of the IndyCar season as the winner of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” also known as the Indianapolis 500 will be named. The sport has seen some action-packed races in the 108th running the event has seen including the 2023 Indy 500.

Red Flag Chaos creates the finish of the ages:

The 2024 race included three red flags, a last-lap overtake for the lead, and a first-time winner in Josef Newgarden. In his 12th career “500” start Newgarden clinched the victory on the last lap finishing with a razor-thin margin of just .0974 seconds over the 2022 race champion, Marcus Ericsson who was aiming for the back-to-back.

Fourteen drivers took the lead at various points, the second-highest number ever. There were also 52 lead changes, making it the third-most in the event’s history. The three red flags all came in the last 15 laps making it anyone’s game.

Here is a breakdown of the 2023 Indy 500.

Race Day 2024:

The big day had arrived, and the winner would be determined after 200 laps. As the green flag waved, Alex Palou took the lead, followed by Rinus VeeKay and Felix Rosenqvist, while Scott Dixon settled into fourth place. The top two drivers exchanged the lead multiple times during the first round of pit stops.

At lap 60, the second round of pit stops introduced new leaders, Arrow McLaren teammates Felix Rosenqvist and Pato O’Ward, who continued to trade the lead throughout their stint.

Things got exciting on lap 91 when Sting Ray Robb lost control and crashed into the outside wall of turn 1 after being overtaken by Graham Rahal, leading to the first caution. Many drivers, including the early leaders, pitted. After his stop, VeeKay lost control while exiting his pit stall and spun, hitting Palou in the process. Although they remained in the race, they fell back in position.

A second caution led to a change in strategy, allowing drivers to pit during the caution. Some, like O’Ward, a favorite for the “500,” took advantage of this. When racing resumed, those who didn’t pit during the caution began their stops on lap 169. Ericsson came out as the leader of that group, with Rosenqvist and Newgarden close behind.

O’Ward’s decision to pit during the caution paid off, as he was able to pit again on lap 180 for what was expected to be his final stop. He exited perfectly, slotting in just ahead of Newgarden, and with fresh tires, he quickly passed both Rosenqvist and Ericsson to become the first car not needing any more pit stops.

Red Flags Galore:

With just 16 laps to go around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Newgarden was trying to get closer to the lead group of cars, going for the overtake on Rosenqvist, as a result, the No.7 Arrow McLaren car slid wide as it hit the outside wall. The Swede tried to gain control of the car but lost it while entering turn two and spun around.

Kyle Kirkwood, a few cars back didn’t have time to react hitting Rosenqvist. The impact knocked off the left-rear tire of his car and sent him into the wall turning him upside down. With the damage sustained to the track, the first red flag was called with 14 laps to go.

The cars were sent back out on track under caution which allowed the cars at the front to finally make their final pit stop, which handed the lead over O’Ward. On the restart with now only 8 laps to go, the Mexican pilot was passed by both Newgarden and Ericsson. In an attempt to get the place back, he went to the inside but lost control and spun eventually hitting the outside wall.

The stationary No.5 Arrow McLaren caused a domino effect at the back of the field as they slowed down. Scott McLaughlin ran into the back of Simon Pagenaud, which sent him into the outside wall. Then Agustín Canapino was forced onto the grass to avoid a slow-moving McLaughlin, which then led the Argentinian to lose control. A bang with the barrier destroyed his ability to steer and as a result, Canapino hit O’Ward, leading to the second red flag.

The Final Lap:

Just four laps remained to decide who would win the 2023 Indy 500, but that had to wait again because just as the green flag waved, Ericsson got the jump on Newgarden and took the lead but just as he did that, another accident occurred. This time a five-car pile-up involving Christian Lundgaard, Ed Carpenter, Benjamin Pedersen, Graham Rahal, and Marco Andretti.

With the historical third red flag coming with just two laps remaining officials determined that the race would resume once the cars crossed the start-finish line for the final lap.

The white flag and green flag waved together as the cars were back for a lap shootout for the biggest win in the series.

Ericsson made a strong start taking the lead in Turns 1 and 2 on the 2.5-mile oval. However, Newgarden quickly closed the gap in Turn 2 and shot to the outside on the back straight, thrilling the crowd of over 300,000 who were on their feet. He maintained his position at the front for the remainder of the lap, taking the checked flag at the 2023 Indy 500 victory in his twelfth appearance.

The Aftermath:

The celebration for Newgarden started with him climbing the catch fencing to celebrate with fans. He would then head to the official celebration ceremony in the winners’ circle where he finally tasted and poured the historical victory milk.

“Everyone just kept asking me why I haven’t won this race,” Newgarden said. “They looked at you like you’re a failure if you don’t win it. I wanted to win it so bad. I knew we could. I knew we were capable. It’s a huge team effort, as everybody knows. I’m so glad to be here.”

The finish of the 2023 Indy 500 showed their philosophy has changed from the 2020 Indy 500 ended under caution with Takuma Sato defeating Scott Dixon after a crash on Lap 195. this change was received with praise from most of the drivers.

Ericsson on the other hand didn’t hold back his frustration. His anger came at the choice to go with a white/green finish instead of a caution.

“I don’t think it’s safe to go out of the pits on cold tires for a restart when half the field is sort of still trying to get out on track when we go green.”

This debate among fans and drivers regarding the steps necessary to finish the Indy 500 under green or yellow will likely continue for years to come but for now, they seem to have made up their minds.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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