IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500.

The series and who runs it

According to Wikipedia (secondary), today's series began as the Indy Racing League, formed in 1994 by Hulman and Company, then the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It started racing in 1996 and took the INDYCAR name in 2011. Penske Entertainment, part of Penske Corporation, bought both the series and the Speedway in November 2019. INDYCAR announced on 31 July 2025 that Fox Corporation had acquired a one-third interest in Penske Entertainment, with Penske keeping control. Wikipedia adds that INDYCAR also runs Indy NXT, its development series. For how IndyCar fits with NASCAR, IMSA and the other US bodies, see governing bodies.

The cars and the 2026 calendar

Wikipedia (secondary) gives these details for 2026:

• Every team uses the same chassis, the Dallara DW12 with the 2018 universal aero kit, with engines from Chevrolet or Honda.
• The season had 18 rounds, from 1 March to 6 September 2026.
• Phoenix returned, a street race in Arlington, Texas, was added, Markham, Ontario, replaced Toronto, and the Freedom 250 in Washington, DC, made its debut. Thermal and Iowa left the calendar.
• The series plans to move to 2.4-litre twin-turbo hybrid V6 engines in 2028.

Our open-wheel page covers what IndyCar says about its cars, including its aero packages for different track types and the aeroscreen.

Points

McLaren's explainer sets out the scale used in 2025. A win pays 50 points, then 40, 35, 32, 30, 28, 26, 24, 22 and 20 for second to tenth, falling to 5 points each for 25th to 28th. Bonus points go to the pole winner (1), any driver who leads at least one lap (1) and the driver who leads the most laps (2 more). The Indianapolis 500 uses a slightly different structure, and McLaren notes that it did not pay double points in 2025.

The 2025 season

Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing dominated 2025. INDYCAR says he clinched the title at Portland on 10 August 2025 with two races left, his fourth championship and third in a row, making him the first driver to win three straight since Dario Franchitti (2009 to 2011). By that point he had 8 wins, 11 podiums and 568 laps led that season, and at 28 he became the youngest four-time champion.

Palou also won the 109th Indianapolis 500 on 25 May 2025, his first Indy win. INDYCAR notes he was the first driver since Franchitti in 2010 to win the 500 and the championship in the same year.

The 2026 season (finished)

Palou won again in 2026. Reuters reports that it was his fifth title and a record-tying fourth in a row, clinched with one race left. He won six races and finished on 631 points, 86 ahead of Kyle Kirkwood.

The top three points totals are from Wikipedia (secondary); Palou's total and margin match the Reuters report. Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske won the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on 6 September 2026 from pole, leading 87 of the 95 laps. INDYCAR's season wrap names Dennis Hauger (Dale Coyne Racing) as 2026 Rookie of the Year and Honda as manufacturers' champion, and says the title was Chip Ganassi Racing's record 18th IndyCar championship season.

The Indianapolis 500

Background

Britannica says the race has been held every year since 1911, apart from 1917 and 1918 and 1942 to 1945, and that the first winner, Ray Harroun, averaged just over 74.6 mph. Wikipedia (secondary) describes the race as 200 laps of the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, usually on Memorial Day weekend, with 33 cars starting in 11 rows of three. INDYCAR's own preview of the 2024 race confirms the 200 laps, the 2.5-mile oval and the 33 cars; the 11-row grid is from Wikipedia. A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Rick Mears and Helio Castroneves are the four-time winners, per Britannica.

The winner's trophy is the Borg-Warner Trophy. The Speedway says it was introduced in 1936, first presented to Louis Meyer, and carries the likeness of every winner back to Harroun.

The 2026 race: the closest finish ever

The 110th Indianapolis 500, as INDYCAR labels it, was run on 24 May 2026. Felix Rosenqvist, driving the No. 60 for Meyer Shank Racing, passed David Malukas of Team Penske on the last lap and won by 0.0233 seconds. INDYCAR says that beat the previous closest margin, Al Unser Jr.'s 0.043-second win over Scott Goodyear in 1992. Other details from INDYCAR's race notes:

• The race had an event-record 70 lead changes.
• It was Rosenqvist's eighth Indy 500 start, and he became the 77th different winner.
• He is the third Swedish winner, after Kenny Brack in 1999 and Marcus Ericsson in 2022.

The Greensburg Daily News reports a sold-out crowd of more than 350,000. Palou started from pole and led a race-high 59 laps but finished seventh; McLaughlin was third and Pato O'Ward fourth.

Recent winners

Wikipedia (secondary) counts the Indianapolis 500 as one leg of the unofficial Triple Crown of Motorsport, alongside the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix; the series overview explains who has won it.