Month: May 2026

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Ind.) — What a final lap. Thanks to a late-race wreck of Mick Schumacher, there was a one-lap dash to the finish of the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500. Felix Rosenqvist started in fourth. So sure he had a chance, but a real chance? Apparently so. Rosenqvist quickly passed Pato O’Ward for third and then battled side-by-side with teammate Marcus Armstrong for second. After clearing Armstrong on the high side, Rosenqvist was able to side drift David Malukas to the finish line, winning by the slimmest margin in Indy 500 victory, a mere 0.0233 seconds. “I would definitely say the balls arrived,” Rosenqvist said in his postrace news conference. “I’ve never been flat around … To do the whole lap on the outside, that was pretty cool. It’s kind of unheard of at Indy.” Here are my takeaways: 1. Rosenqvist’s Bold Moves The Meyer Shank Racing No. 60 driver, in earning just his second career win and first since 2020 (and first on an oval), made three solid moves in one lap for the victory. The first one, to pass O’Ward, did get some quick scrutiny by INDYCAR on whether he made it in compliance with restart rules and it determined no violation (and O’Ward agreed with that ruling). The second one dared his teammate Armstrong to pinch him closer to the wall (he didn’t). And the final one was perfect timing to execute the side draft, which makes the car beside you lose a little momentum. “It’s still kind of a blur, … You can’t dream that up. It’s so cool,” Rosenqvist said about the final lap, later adding, “That’s just how much you want. It’s hard to explain that feeling that you want it so much, you have so much adrenaline that you literally don’t care if you’re going to crash. “You’re just going all in. It was cool that that’s what it took to win it as well.” 2. Malukas Devastated David Malukas cried following the race after the Team Penske driver saw a potential win slip away. Malukas hasn’t won an INDYCAR race and nearly won for the first time on the sport’s biggest stage. “I don’t know what else we could have done. We were the fastest car the whole race,” Malukas said in his FOX Sports interview on the telecast. “I gave it 150 percent. I almost crashed this damn car every lap. and we still ended up with a P2. I don’t know what else I can give.” 3. Armstrong Frustrated A devastated, frustrated Marcus Armstrong still had a look of disbelief probably 20 minutes after the race ended. He indicated he would do it differently. He wound up fifth as Scott McLaughlin finished third and Pato O’Ward finished fourth. “I’m obviously disappointed because I felt like the last corner, I was given two options — was either to crash with my teammate or I have to lift,” Armstrong told FOX Sports reporter Kevin Lee after the race. “I chose to lift a bit and that was the situation. We were in the position to win it. That could have been us that towed past Malukas. I can’t believe it honestly. Just so close and I just felt like I made the wrong call at the most pivotal time.” 4. O’Ward Matter-Of-Fact Pato O’Ward, the Arrow McLaren driver who has lost Indy 500s on the final lap so can relate to Malukas’ heartbreak, didn’t think he had much of the chance at the start of that final lap as his car lacked the speed he needed. “I had the front-row seats on the restart and I just felt helpless just not being able to catch the cars in front of me and obviously, here that’s not enough,” he told me and other reporters. O’Ward is good friends with Rosenqvist, so while it wasn’t a successful May for O’Ward, he was happy for his friend. “Congratulations to Felix on a crazy finish,” O’Ward said. “Maybe one day for us. … I feel for David for sure. Unbelievable finish. I’m sure the fans are going crazy.” 4 ½. What’s Next Rosenqvist will have another day of media in Indianapolis, the awards banquet Monday night and then go on a winner’s tour in New York City before getting to Detroit for the Detroit Grand Prix, with practice starting the weekend Friday. He knows that Detroit doesn’t often treat the Indy 500 winner all that well. “Honestly, I don’t care,” Rosenqvist said. “I’m not thinking about Detroit right now.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Ind.) — David Malukas sat motionless in his No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet in his pit box for a moment. Dejected, he took his time before climbing out, leaning against his car with one hand and burying his helmet-covered face in the other. He was frozen, heartbroken and seemingly in disbelief after being on the losing end of the closest Indianapolis 500 finish in the 110th running of the race Sunday. He was devastated with tears in his eyes. “Every strategy, everything — we did everything correct with this team,” 24-year-old Malukas told us and other reporters on pit road. “This just comes down to the IMS gods not picking us — yet. But it’s coming.” Despite Malukas taking the lead going into Turn 1 on a one-lap shootout for the crown, Felix Rosenqvist won the drag race down the frontstraight to the Yard of Bricks finish line, winning by .0233 seconds. Few could believe the finish, Malukas included. “Lot of anger, lot of pain. I feel like I’m mourning and just a lot of shock,” Malukas continued, choking up and fighting through tears. “I just — I still can’t believe it. Just to be that close to winning the damn thing. I just can’t believe it.” It’s the second straight year Malukas earned a second-place Indy 500 finish. Last year, with A.J. Foyt Enterprises, he got bumped up from third after Marcus Ericsson’s second-place finish was disallowed after his car failed the post-race inspection. When Malukas finally stood up, his pit crew was ready with hugs and words of encouragement. But those are hard to embrace after being oh-so-close to his first INDYCAR win in the biggest race in the world. He couldn’t believe he squandered “perfect position” off the final restart. He had the checkered flag within his grasp until the final few feet of the 200-lap race on the iconic 2.5-mile track. “We had that opportunity right there,” Malukas said. “I really thought we could hold it, and I don’t know what else we could have done. Maybe something different with deployment racing, but I don’t know. … “Felix had such an incredible run. So I don’t know, I don’t think there was anything else we could have done.” While barely missing out on an Indy 500 crown is brutal, Malukas’ teammate, Scott McLaughlin, had an entirely different attitude after finishing third. In last year’s Indy 500, McLaughlin infamously crashed on the pace laps before the race even began, later calling it the “worst day of [his] life.” “It’s zero to third,” McLaughlin told us and other reporters on pit road. “It’s great, but I want to win.” The No. 3 Team Penske driver said he was “happy” with his third-place finish, particularly because he said his group didn’t have “a fast enough car.” But he acknowledged that, in addition to a little luck, Indy 500-winning teams successfully assemble all the puzzle pieces, he and his team weren’t quite there. While congratulating Rosenqvist, McLaughlin empathized with Malukas’ post-race heartbreak. “You’re young, pal. You’re gonna be around for a long time,” McLaughlin said when asked what he’d say to Malukas. “And if he drives like that, he’s gonna be just fine. “Hopefully, he gets one, I get one, and I have no doubt our cars are fast enough. It’s just about putting ourselves in position. It’s gonna hurt for him for a bit, but he’ll be proud that he was leading the Indy 500 with a lap to go.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It’s hard to put the closest finish in the history of the Indianapolis 500 into context, but we’re certainly going to try. Felix Rosenqvist won the 110th installment of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing on Sunday, passing David Malukas after the final turn to win Sunday’s race by less than a tenth of a second. To be more precise, Rosenqvist won the race by 0.023 seconds, giving INDYCAR fans a photo finish they’ll remember for ages. The thrilling finish led to an exuberant celebration for Rosenqvist, while Malukas and his team expressed disappointment with the result. It’s Rosenqvist’s first victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and it’s the second straight year that Malukas has finished as the runner-up in the Indy 500 as the 24-year-old seeks his first career victory. There’s much more to know, though, about Sunday’s race. So, let’s take a closer look at the 110th edition of the Indianapolis 500 by the numbers. 0.0233: Blink once and you would’ve missed it. Felix Rosenqvist won Sunday’s Indy 500 by not only less than one second, but also by less than one-tenth of a second. Rosenqvist won Sunday’s race by 0.0233 seconds, making it the closest finish in the 110-year history of the Indy 500. For context, you can’t get a shot off in an NBA game in that amount of time. Rosenqvist’s tight victory came as he passed David Malukas with just feet to go in Sunday’s race. Malukas took the lead on the final lap following a restart, passing by Marcus Armstrong. However, Rosenqvist made his move right after the final turn, beating Malukas on the outside to get in front just in time to claim victory. 3: Malukas is the third Swedish driver to race to victory at the Indy 500, joining Marcus Ericsson and Kenny Brack. Ericsson won the race in 2022 and finished in second in 2023. Ericsson finished in 13th on Sunday. Brack, meanwhile, won the 1999 Indy 500. He only competed in the race six times, with his 1999 Indy 500 victory being his final INDYCAR win. 162.021: Did it feel like the cars were moving quickly at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday? Well, that was definitely the case. The average speed that Rosenqvist and Malukas traveled at in Sunday’s race was 162.021 miles per hour. But that trailed Hélio Castroneves’ record by a good bit. The Brazilian driver had an average speed of 190.690 miles per hour in the 2021 Indy 500. 70: There were multiple records set at Sunday’s race. In addition to it being the closest finish, the 2026 Indy 500 had the most lead changes in the history of the race with 70. The previous record for the most lead changes in the Indy 500 was 68, which occurred in the 2013 edition of the race. Tony Kanaan won that year, defeating Carlos Muñoz by 0.1159 seconds. 14: When you have a record number of lead changes, you’ll also have a significant number of different leaders, too. A total of 14 drivers held the lead at one point in Sunday’s race. Alex Palou, who won the 2025 Indy 500 and started Sunday’s race in first, led the race for 59 laps, but finished in seventh. Scott Dixon had the second-most number of laps led, sitting in first for 32 laps before finishing in 15th. Rosenqvist led for 25 laps in Sunday’s race, while Malukas was out front for 30 laps. 18: Amid the history at Sunday’s race, INDYCAR also took time to pay tribute to Kyle Busch, who died suddenly on Thursday. The scoring pylon next to pit lane lit up with Busch’s name, his birth year (1985) and 2026 on Lap 18, a nod to the No. 18 car Busch won two NASCAR titles in. Romain Grojean also switched the font on his No. 18 car to resemble Busch’s car.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

YANKEE STADIUM (New York) — The Tampa Bay Rays swaggered into Yankee Stadium on Friday feeling confident with a spacious lead in the American League East that they expected to extend. The Yankees had played inconsistently for a while, and there was an opportunity for the Rays to capitalize on that volatility. The Bronx Bombers, meanwhile, knew they had to avoid letting the Rays run away with the division. Alas, the heavy rainfall all weekend in the Bronx took away some of the excitement from the cutthroat series between the division rivals. Besides Friday night’s packed crowd for Yankees ace Gerrit Cole’s impressive season debut in his return from Tommy John, Saturday was a rain out, and Sunday was a plastic-poncho party in the stands for those who were dedicated enough to sit through cold and wet temperatures for a few hours. So these weren’t the best performances the top two AL teams would have liked to showcase, never mind the high-stakes impact on the standings. But we still learned a few things about the Rays and Yankees this weekend. Here are my takeaways: 1. A Judgian Slump Ends In Walk-Off Fashion For the past couple of weeks, Aaron Judge has been chasing pitches off the plate, grounding into double plays, and seeing his batting average dip to .250. The slugger entered Sunday mired in an 11-game RBI drought that ran parallel to an 11-game homerless streak. The Yankees go as their captain goes, which explains why they entered the final game of their homestand on Sunday having lost 10 of their last 14 games. Judge finally singled in the first inning Sunday against Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, which ended an 0-for-15 slide at the plate. But then he wandered off first base and made it almost all the way to second on a fly out from Ben Rice. By the time Judge realized the ball fell into the right fielder’s glove, it was too late. He hustled back to first and was doubled up to end the inning and the Yankees’ potential threat. We already knew Judge was feeling off at the plate, but his mental error after getting his first base hit in six days indicated he was really going through it, perhaps more than we thought. The concern turned into full-blown relief in the ninth inning when Judge snapped his homerless streak with a two-run, walk-off home run off Rays right-hander Kevin Kelly. And, man, did the Yankees need that swing from their offensive leader. Sunday’s victory marked the Yankees’ first win of the season against the Rays after they were swept at Tropicana Field early last month. Without it, they were staring down an 0-4 head-to-head record against their division rivals. Now, at least, the Bombers have something to build off. “There’s nothing better,” Judge said after walking it off on Sunday. 2. Tampa’s Rotation Shines Elite pitching is the primary reason Tampa Bay has held its status as the best team in MLB so far this season. Rays starters own the best ERA (2.88) in the majors, and it’s not particularly close. Plus, the rotation has consistently worked deep into games, stifling opposing lineups three times through the order. It becomes demoralizing facing the Rays’ excellent staff, and after getting swept by Tampa Bay on the road last month, the Yankees got another taste of being suppressed at the plate this weekend. Right-hander Nick Martinez, Friday’s starter, delivered another brilliant start in the series opener, limiting the Yankees to one run over six innings and wiggling out of jams despite the nine hits he gave up. Martinez has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his 10 starts this year. The 35-year-old veteran grinded through his outing, but he still lowered his ERA to 1.51, which is second-best in MLB behind only Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler. Then it was Rasmussen’s turn to shine. He took the mound on an extra day of rest following Saturday’s postponed game, then he provided seven shutout innings against the Yankees. Rasmussen struck out six batters and worked around five hits and one walk to keep his final line clean. The combination of Martinez, Rasmussen, and Shane McClanahan has given the Rays a sturdy foundation and a high level of stability that they haven’t been able to enjoy in recent seasons. It’s still early, but the starting staff looks capable of maintaining this terrific performance over the long haul. 3. Rays Gonna Ray No team is putting the ball in play more than the Rays this season. Paired with the lowest strikeout rate in the majors, Tampa Bay is displaying the type of feistiness at the plate that the 2025 Blue Jays relied on to go all the way to the Fall Classic. The Rays’ .305 BABIP is the highest in the AL, and their come-from-behind win on Friday perfectly captured why they’ve been so successful while being scrappy. Down by a run in the eighth inning on Friday, Tampa Bay roared back for their 14th comeback win of the season and their fifth of the year when trailing after seven innings. It was their fifth consecutive win and 22nd of their last 26 games, on a night when nobody would’ve faulted them for taking a loss following Cole’s terrific season debut. Still, they kept their heads down, passed the baton, and rallied for the runs they would need to shut the door on the Yankees. The eighth-inning rally was started by leadoff hitter Chandler Simpson, who reached on a fielding error by Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero. Hungry to punish New York for its mistake, Junior Caminero followed by lining a single to center field, and Jonathan Aranda collected his AL-leading 38th RBI of the year on a double to center that tied the game at 1-1. After reliever Tim Hill intentionally walked Yandy Diaz, Richie Palacios might have felt a certain type of way, because he chopped a ball that deflected off Hill’s glove and went just over the reach of Caballero at short, scoring two more runs and leaving the Yankees in the dust. “I don’t know if my mentality just kind of changes naturally in those types of situations,” Aranda said of coming up clutch. “But, thankfully, they have.” 4. Yankees Need Bullpen Help, ASAP This was the team’s largest glaring weakness going into the season, and it hasn’t taken long for it to rear its ugly head. Too many Yankees relievers are volatile outing-to-outing, nobody has locked down the seventh/eighth inning high-leverage roles, and manager Aaron Boone’s circle of trust is becoming increasingly small. On top of all that, it certainly doesn’t help that closer David Bednar has a 4.91 ERA across 22 relief appearances this season — though his .3.09 FIP suggests he’s running into bad luck. Hill, who has been excellent, is one of Boone’s most dependable relievers. But even he has bad days, and his overuse could lead to trouble by the All-Star break. The southpaw took the loss on Friday after he was charged with four runs (three earned) in that game-changing eighth-inning rally from the Rays. He bounced back on Sunday, though that was due mostly to two stellar defensive plays from the Yankees’ corner outfielders, which kept Tampa Bay off the board. Aside from Hill, right-hander Fernando Cruz is Boone’s only other bridge to Bednar in the ninth inning. The lack of depth is quickly becoming an issue. The bullpen’s problems have been magnified because New York plays so many one-run games. Boone has been forced to use his trusted relievers earlier than he’d like to. Camilo Doval, Jake Bird and Ryan Yarbrough have been disappointing, and we can throw Bednar into that group until he proves otherwise. There are no reinforcements in the minor leagues, either. All of which means the Yankees will be tasked with making the most of what they have for at least the next several weeks, until general manager Brian Cashman can go shopping at the trade deadline. There’s no denying that, for a championship-caliber team like the Yankees, the bullpen is just too thin and unstable right now. 4 ½. What’s next? The Rays (34-16) close out their road trip with a three-game set in Baltimore on Monday, hoping to create more separation in the AL East standings, before they head home to host the Angels on Friday. Tampa Bay boasts an impressive 14-3 record against AL East teams this season. The surging club leads the division by 4 ½ games. The Yankees (31-22) begin a six-game road trip on Monday to face the struggling Kansas City Royals and the AL West-leading Athletics. Their series at Kauffman Stadium is an excellent opportunity for the Yankees to string some wins together and regain their confidence after some inconsistent results this month. Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 weekend produced a series of unforgettable images, capturing both speed and emotion at every turn. From roaring engines on the 2.5-mile oval to quiet focus in the garages, Indianapolis Motor Speedway showed a clear contrast of chaos and control. Drivers, crews, and fans all became part of the story, each frame capturing a different side of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Here are the best photos from this weekend’s Indy 500.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports