Huge Impact of Indy 500 Victory Hits Drivers in Different Ways

The Indianapolis 500 is a race that defines careers.

The pursuit of victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway can consume drivers for years, delivering heartbreak as often as glory. On Sunday, someone will experience the ultimate payoff in the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge (10 a.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes, INDYCAR Radio powered by Only Bulls).

A total of 804 drivers have started the Indianapolis 500, with that number rising to 808 this year thanks to four rookies: Mick Schumacher (No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda), Dennis Hauger (No. 19 Only Bulls Honda for Dale Coyne Racing), Jacob Abel (No. 51 Abel Construction Company Chevrolet for Abel Motorsports) and Caio Collet (No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing).

Yet only 76 drivers have ever won “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” and just 21 have won it more than once.

Whether it’s one of the nine past winners in this year’s field -- Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden, Marcus Ericsson, Helio Castroneves, Takuma Sato, Will Power, Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay or Scott Dixon -- or one of the 24 drivers chasing a first victory, someone’s life will change after 200 laps around the 2.5-mile oval.

Winning the Indianapolis 500 etches a driver’s name into racing immortality. But the magnitude of that achievement is difficult to understand until it finally happens.

No active driver understands the pursuit better than Pato O’Ward.

The driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet has become one of the Indianapolis 500’s most consistent contenders without drinking the milk. O’Ward finished sixth as a rookie in 2020, fourth in 2021, second in 2022 and 2024 and third in 2023.

The heartbreak has been memorable.

In 2023, O’Ward crashed while trying to pass Ericsson for second with seven laps remaining. One year later, he appeared poised for victory before Newgarden surged around the outside entering Turn 3 on the final lap. O’Ward climbed from his car and hunched over on pit road in disbelief.

Despite the near-misses, his connection to Indianapolis Motor Speedway has only deepened.

“I know it’s going to be relief,” O’Ward said of a potential Indianapolis 500 victory. “I’m going to feel like so much weight has been lifted off my shoulders that I’ve been carrying for so many years emotionally. That’s what will make it an unbelievable experience and unforgettable.”

Ericsson knows that feeling.

The Swede held off Newgarden and O’Ward in 2022 (photo, above) to earn his first Indianapolis 500 victory and discovered how winning the race changes a career.

“Until you win it, you don’t really understand how big it is,” Ericsson said. “You experience so many things after it that are hard to imagine before. Having done the ‘500’ a few times made me appreciate how special and unique it is.

“It’s such a long race, and so many things can go wrong. Even when you think you’ve won, there can be a curveball. It’s the hardest race to win, so for me to have won it once and been close a couple other times is pretty cool. I definitely have a lot of hunger to get back and drink some milk.”

Ericsson starts 17th Sunday in the No. 28 Phoenix Investors Honda for Andretti Global. Before joining Andretti in 2024, he spent four seasons at Chip Ganassi Racing alongside Dixon, witnessing firsthand how unforgiving Indianapolis can be -- even for one of the sport’s all-time greats.

Dixon, a six-time INDYCAR SERIES champion with 59 career victories, each ranking second most all-time, won the Indianapolis 500 in 2008 (photo, above) in just his sixth start. Since then, he has gone 17 consecutive starts without another victory despite leading a race-record 677 laps. He finished second in 2012 and 2020 and owns eight top-six finishes since his win.

That’s why Dixon believes Indianapolis remains the most difficult race in the world to win.

Perfection is required from everyone involved.

Drivers must navigate 800 left-hand turns with virtually no margin for error. Teams must adapt to changing track conditions over three grueling hours. Pit crews must execute flawlessly on the busiest day of the INDYCAR SERIES season.

Perfection.

That’s what Indianapolis demands and why victory remains so rewarding.

Dixon starts 10th Sunday in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda hoping to become just the 22nd driver to win the race multiple times.

His teammate, Palou, is trying to make history, too.

The reigning winner and four-time series champion learned how an Indianapolis 500 victory elevates a driver beyond the racing world itself.

“It still does,” Palou said when asked if the victory has sunk in. “Sometimes you’re at an airport like Houston and we don’t even race there, and people are calling you out for winning the ‘500,’ not for championships. There are so many things now that are only about the ‘500,’ which is super cool. It keeps growing. It never stops.”

Palou attempts to become just the seventh driver to win back-to-back Indianapolis 500s, joining Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Bill Vukovich, Al Unser, Castroneves and Newgarden. He also became the first defending winner to start from pole since Castroneves in 2010.

Castroneves, meanwhile, continues his pursuit of history.

The Brazilian (photo, above) is seeking an unprecedented fifth Indianapolis 500 victory, which would break the record he shares with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears. Castroneves starts 14th in the No. 06 Cleveland Cliffs Honda for Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian.

“Nobody even cared when I won Detroit (his first career win in 2000),” Castroneves said. “The same people a year later (when he won the Indy 500 in 2001) welcomed me. That’s when I realized that was a big race.

“It made great things happen in my life.”

Sato is also chasing rare company. A third Indianapolis 500 victory would place him among just 11 drivers in history with at least three wins. Sato won in 2017 with Andretti Global and again in 2020 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He starts 12th Sunday in the No. 75 AMADA Honda for RLL.

This May also marks the 10-year anniversary of Rossi’s stunning 2016 victory (photo, top), when he became the first rookie winner since Castroneves in 2001.

Rossi said time has only deepened his appreciation for the accomplishment.

“It’s a huge honor,” Rossi said. “It’s something that one day I’ll probably appreciate more than I do right now.

“It took a couple years. In the weeks after, there was a small realization, but it wasn’t until I came back the next year, and then the year after, that I realized how difficult it is to win.

“From a personal standpoint, it doesn’t necessarily affect my life, but from a professional standpoint, it gave me a career. For that, I’m forever grateful, and I’ll look back on that moment as something that changed the trajectory of my life.”

Rossi starts second Sunday in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet for ECR.

Then there is Newgarden.

The driver of the No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske Chevrolet enters seeking a third Indianapolis 500 victory in four years after winning dramatic finishes in both 2023 and 2024 (photo, above).

Even now, he says the emotion of Indianapolis remains impossible to duplicate anywhere else in motorsports.

“100 feet before the line (in his victories), I’m getting goosebumps,” Newgarden said. “I can have the feeling right now of what it looks like 100 feet before the line. It is the most amazing thing you will ever do in life.”