Indianapolis, IN
Newgarden building legacy with instant-classic Indy 500 win
SPEEDWAY, Indiana — It thundered. It rained. It rocked. Precisely four hours after the green flag was meant to wave over the field of 33 drivers at the 108th Indianapolis 500, an instant classic was authored from the opening lap as a record-setting 18 leaders spent time up front in the spotlight over the 200-lap thriller.
Delayed by a menacing storm, the dinnertime Indy 500 saw the checkered wave as 8 p.m. ET approached, and in those long evening shadows, more than 300,000 spent and weary fans stayed and took stock of the unhinged action that turned a beloved race into an adrenaline-depleting affair.
Crashes, blown engines, rampant aggression — including multiple 200-mph trips into the grass — ruled the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Three drivers failed to make it through the first corner on the opening lap. Honda motors trailed smoke and stranded three more. Veterans Marco Andretti, Colton Herta, and Will Power also smacked the walls as general mayhem meant 47 laps were burned behind the safety car across eight caution periods.
And after each instance of madness was cleaned up, the restarts where were indelible memories were made. Fanning four wide or wider into Turn 1 drew as many cheers as gasps; the risks taken by champions and rookies alike were shocking. It was a gift to the throngs of fans who waited through the long delays.
Mexico’s Pato O’Ward, IndyCar’s most popular driver, commanded the loudest roar as he took the lead in the closing moments, and as more wild swings of fortune were revealed, he was left a tearful, crestfallen mess as his lead was surrendered with two turns left to complete. There’s no taste more bitter in motor racing than the one experienced by the 500’s first loser.
O’Ward, his eyes red from another runner-up result at Indy, was nearly inconsolable. A life so nearly changed in perpetuity, felled by a 0.3417-second deficit at the finish line.
“It’s been a tough month,” O’Ward said after matching the second place he earned at Indy in 2022. “So much goes into this race. I’m somebody that wears my heart on my sleeve. I don’t really hide anything. It’s just when you’ve come so close and it just doesn’t seem to — you just can’t seem to get it right, it’s just a lot of emotion.”
In the end, the team that swept the front row in qualifying ultimately led 90 laps and fired defending winner Josef Newgarden of Tennessee back into victory lane to make him the first back-to-back winner since 2002.
An astonishingly brave pass around O’Ward in Turn 3 — one that normally leads to a calamitous outcome — held and Newgarden sealed his second consecutive Indy triumph in a span of 12 months. The last to do it was one of his mentors, four-time Indy winner Helio Castroneves.
With the sun fading over the vast grandstands, Newgarden’s greatness at the coliseum that made Andretti’s and Foyt’s and Unser’s was confirmed. He’ll need more IndyCar championships and at least one additional 500 win to cement his status as an all-timer, but that quest — one that’s realistic — officially sparked to life May 26, 2024.
“I had let go of the thought of winning this race last year,” Newgarden told ESPN. “It’s so difficult to win. There are no guarantees. It doesn’t matter how good you are or how well you execute. It does not guarantee a victory at Indianapolis ever. Last year I really started focusing on just the opportunity and saying, you know, this is so fun that we get to show up here and we’ve got great cars, we’ve got a great crew and we have an opportunity to win the race. I know we did last year, and I definitely know we did this year.
“I focused on that. I said if we win it, that’s great, but it’s the opportunity that’s the joy of it. I say that because it is very difficult to win the race. It’s very difficult to win it back to back. I’m over the moon. I’ve got no words for what we’ve been able to do.”
Everything Newgarden does going forward is about legacy, which fans at the largest single-day sporting event in the world bore witness to in central Indiana. It was a day they won’t forget.
Alexander Rossi shares update on injuries sustained at practice
ECR’s Alexander Rossi shares an update on injuries sustained during Monday’s crash.
INDIANAPOLIS – Putting a revolving panel of 33 race car drivers in front of dozens of reporters on and off over a couple of weeks might be as good a metaphor for the Indianapolis 500 as there is.
Every lap takes us closer to the finish, and although not every one is exciting there’s usually some captivating entertainment along the way.
Here’s a collection of some of the insightful and interesting comments – and some silliness – from media day ahead of the 110th running May 24 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Perspective on crashing from three drivers
After crashing during practice May 18 and undergoing a small outpatient procedure on his right ankle, front-row qualifier Alexander Rossi has been cleared to drive.
Not that there was a doubt in his mind.
“Unfortunately I’ve crashed twice here. Both times have been turn two,” Rossi said. “I recovered from that. I don’t see this being any different.
“We crash race cars. That’s part of the job description.”
Rossi needs crutches to get around because he can’t put weight on the ankle, but he was able to get in and out of his car, drive on the simulator and react to situations to the satisfaction of IndyCar medical officials. Rossi will have a brace on his foot, but was able to wear his usual shoe.
Before knowing for certain Rossi had been cleared, Conor Daly was asked about the drivers’ mindset in regard to injuries.
“We’re a bunch of psychos, honestly,” Daly said. “If you have this job, you’re very lucky to have this job, so you don’t want to let that go away at all.
“You’d have to rip his limbs off to have him not in that car.”
Pato O’Ward was caught up in Rossi’s crash and also will race a backup car.
At Indy, where qualifying laps average more than 230 mph, a high percentage of crashes are brutal, O’Ward said, and yet there cannot be any second-guessing.
“But after you have that first shunt, one, you definitely feel more like a man when you get back in it, and two, I feel like it just puts some reality into your head,” O’Ward said. “Like dude, you’re moving. You need to be aware of your surroundings, be careful who you’re running [around]. You do grow quite a bit. At least I did.
“I way much rather would be doing this than doing something else. … We are kind of risking our lives, but this is straight-up badass.”
The Penske-fication of Andretti Global
For the first time since 2009, two-time IndyCar series champion and 2018 Indy 500 winner Will Power is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a team not named Penske.
Andretti Global is happy to have that experience at its disposal.
“There’s a lot of things that we’ve been able to kind of bounce off him to figure out exactly what we need,” said Andretti driver Kyle Kirkwood, who is again a title contender. “Fortunately with him coming in with his experience and his work ethic, it’s been a big push for our team because he’s like, well, these were the expectations when I was driving at the other place and we were winning races, so these are now the expectations now.
“I think it’s kind of pushed people along really, really nicely, and it’s been a really good atmosphere among the team with him involved and kind of pushing us. There’s been a lot of positives out of his tenure so far.”
During Power’s time at Penske, the organization has collected six of its 20 Indianapolis victories and five of its 17 series titles while Andretti won three 500s and one championship.
Don’t say the ‘r’ word
The weather forecast for the weekend and beyond leaves a bit to be desired.
After a long two weeks, most drivers and teams are ready to move on come late Sunday afternoon. In fact the full-time teams have to turn the page quickly. They’re on track in Detroit five days later. But not everyone.
“I’ll do it on Thursday, I don’t care,” said 33rd starter Jack Harvey, who has no more races on his 2026 driving schedule. “We have to extend this month as long as we can.”
Pick a finger
Times change. So do the gestures from angry drivers.
“The thumbs-up has become the new middle finger,” second-year starter Louis Foster said. “’I feel like maybe we’ve become a bit more politically correct over the years and gone to a thumbs-up.
“Which I think is even worse. If someone cuts me off when I’m driving, I don’t middle finger them, I thumbs-up them, ‘You’re a great driver, man.’ I haven’t seen anyone flip me off recently.”
That brings us back to Rossi and his injuries from his crash. In addition to the procedure he had on his right ankle, he suffered an injury to a finger on his left hand.
Which finger?
“I can’t show you that one,” he said. “I’ll get in a lot of trouble.”
Those other racing sausages
The “Weenie 500” featuring the six Oscar Meyer Wienermobiles was an instant hit in 2025, so naturally it is back. Last-row starter Sting Ray Robb is among the IndyCar drivers scheduled to serve as crew chiefs.
“I think the jokes write themselves,” he said. And indeed they do.
“You want to relish that opportunity, I guess,” responded IndyCar’s Dave Furst, the moderator.
“It’s good that you mustered the courage to get that pun out,” preceded the next question.
Indianapolis, IN
Standouts on and off field: 3 finalists for Indianapolis City Male Athlete of the Year
Bishop Chatard senior Kalen Sargent is the City Male Athlete of Year
City Male Athlete of the Year Kalen Sargent picked up track as a sophomore at Bishop Chatard. He will run at IU on scholarship.
The Marion County Athletic Association will soon name its City and County Athletes of the Year, an award that dates to 1950 and grew to include girls’ achievements in 1979.
The awards are geared toward athletic achievement, but almost every winner over the years has exhibited impressive credentials in and out of their athletic, academic and personal areas. Generally, multi-sport athletes are given consideration over single-sport athletes, though in some cases a single-sport athlete has been so outstanding that he or she has been selected as the winner.
Here are the three finalists for City Male Athlete of the Year (Bishop Chatard’s Kalen Sargent was last year’s winner):
Phoenix Boyer, Bishop Chatard
Boyer, a track and field and cross county standout, was the state runner-up in the 300-meter hurdles as a junior and state runner-up in the 4×400-meter relay as a sophomore and junior. Boyer was an All-City in cross county as a junior, a three-time sectional champion in track and field and a six-time state finalist (with the spring still to be completed). He was part of two City championships in cross country and three City titles in track and field. Chatard finished 11th in state last year. Boyer, an honor roll student with a 4.17 GPA, is the school record holder in the 400, 300 hurdles and 4×400 relay team. He owns the fourth-fastest time in the 300 hurdles in state history. Boyer plans to run track at Indiana.
Kyle Harden, Cathedral
Harden was an eight-time letterwinner in football and wrestling for the Irish, winning four City championships during his high school career. He was the City Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and was twice named All-City. Harden won four sectional titles, three regional championships and three semistate titles in wrestling. He helped his team to four City championships and four sectional, regional and semistate titles. Harden, selected for the IFCA North-South All-Star game, was named Academic All-State and is part of Cathedral’s student athletic board. He will play football at UIndy.
Corshawn Sartin, Crispus Attucks
Sartin earned a total of 12 letters in high school in football, baseball, basketball, boys volleyball and track and field. He was named to the All-City football team, earning Athlete of the Year designation. He was two-time all-conference, two-time All-City and an all-state defensive back. Sartin helped his Attucks’ teams to four conference football titles. He is a member of the honor roll and plans to study business and play football at Trine. Sartin volunteered with the Red Dog Youth Football organization.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center announced it received new federal funding for facility upgrades aimed at improving care for veterans.
The funding is part of a nationwide $4.8 billion investment through the VA’s maintenance program.
In a release, hospital leaders say the upgrades will help ensure safer facilities and better care for local veterans.
The projects include repairing roofs on two buildings and replacing the parking garage sprinkler system.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “this investment is just one of the many ways the Trump Administration is making VA work better for veterans.” The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says 100,000 new veterans have been enrolled in VA health care this year, and since January 2025, 34 new VA health care facilities have opened.
In addition, 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country have been permanently housed in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the release.
“Improved facilities, equipment and infrastructure mean better care for Veterans, and these funds will enable Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center to achieve that goal,” Michael Hershman, Medical Center Director said.
“Better care for Veterans is our goal, and these projects will enable us to achieve just that.”
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