The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 was an event filled with drama, excitement, and unfortunately, several wrecks that punctuated the race. From pre-race incidents to late-stage cautions, the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" lived up to its name in more ways than one. A sold-out crowd of 350,000 fans witnessed a race impacted by colder temperatures and a delayed start due to earlier rain, which contributed to some of the on-track incidents.
One of the earliest incidents involved Scott McLaughlin, whose race ended before the green flag even waved. During the warm-up laps, McLaughlin lost control of his No. 3 Team Penske car and crashed into the inside wall. Reflecting on the incident, McLaughlin described it as "the worst moment of my life," speculating that a bit of moisture might have played a role. This pre-race drama was reminiscent of the 1992 Indy 500, when Roberto Guerrero crashed during warm-up laps.
Shortly after the race began, Marco Andretti's day ended abruptly. Only moments after the green flag, Andretti lost control of his No. 98 car and crashed in Turn 1, marking an unfortunate end to his 20th Indy 500 start.
Pit road proved to be a hazardous area throughout the race. Rinus VeeKay crashed while entering the pits on lap 87, reporting "no brakes" over the radio. This incident highlighted the challenges drivers faced with tire grip in the cooler conditions. Robert Shwartzman, the first rookie to start from pole since 1983, also had a scary incident during his pit stop on lap 88. He lost control entering his pit stall and made contact with members of his Prema Racing crew. Shwartzman explained that the front brakes locked up, leaving him a "passenger" as he slid into his crew. The team was forced to retire the car. Adding to the pit lane chaos, Alexander Rossi's promising run was cut short on lap 72 when a fire erupted during his pit stop.
Kyle Larson's highly anticipated attempt at "The Double" also ended prematurely. On a restart on lap 92, Larson lost control of his No. 17 car in Turn 2, triggering a multi-car wreck. Kyffin Simpson crashed into the outside wall. Sting Ray Robb was also collected in the incident. Larson took responsibility for the crash, saying he "got tight between Takuma and got loose." Despite the disappointing end to his Indy 500, Larson quickly departed for Charlotte to compete in the Coca-Cola 600.
Nolan Siegel crashed on the final lap, bringing out the caution flag and sealing Alex Palou's victory. The incident added a final dramatic touch to a race already filled with numerous wrecks and unexpected events.
Beyond the individual incidents, the 109th Indianapolis 500 was also marked by other issues. Scott Dixon experienced a brake fire before the race even started. The cooler temperatures and light rain created challenging conditions for drivers and pit crews. Tire temperatures impacted grip, and pit stops were made more difficult by the yellow flag conditions.
