Who won the Indy 500 in 2023? Full results, standings & highlights from the finish

Joe Rivera

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Edward Sutelan

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Who won the Indy 500 in 2023? Full results, standings & highlights from the finish image

Josef Newgarden has raced in 12 editions of the Indy 500. He came up short in the first 11. 

But with one lap to go after a third red flag in the final 16 laps Sunday, an aggressive move to pass 2022 champion Marcus Ericsson down the backstretch pushed Newgarden to the front of the field in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." 

Newgarden held on from there, edging Ericsson to claim his first Indy 500 victory and giving Team Penske its 19th win.

"I just felt like everyone kept asking me why I haven't won this race and you know they look at you like you're a failure if you don't win it and I wanted to win it so bad," Newgarden said on NBC's broadcast. "I knew we could, I knew we were capable."

MORE: Indy 500 milk tradition, explained: Why winning drivers drink milk

Sunday's race had been largely uneventful through the first 183 laps. Only one yellow flag had been waved as a group consisting of Newgarden, Ericsson, Pato O'Ward, Alexander Rossi, Felix Rosenqvist and Santino Ferrucci battled for the lead after a strong start from Alex Palou and Rinus VeeKay.

MORE: Watch IndyCar racing with Fubo (free trial)

But on Lap 184, Rosenqvist hit the wall and wound up collecting Kyle Kirkwood in a scary collision that saw Kirkwood flip and send a tire over the fence. No one was injured, including the two drivers and the fans in the grandstands. 

That drew a red flag and set up what appeared to be a high-stakes race with eight laps remaining. It took only one lap before O'Ward and two other drivers were involved in another crash that brought the red flag back out. When the race resumed, half the field had cleared the green flag before another crash drew a final red.

At the time of the red, there were three laps remaining, with Ericsson narrowly ahead of Newgarden. Rather than allow the drivers a pace lap, the race went right back to green after a brief yellow, which brought the white and green flags out at the same time.

Newgarden said that with one lap to go, it was advantageous to be in second.

"I got a run on the back straight. I knew if I could just get him and clear him into 3, maybe we can hold on the line, but he was so quick on the straights that it wasn't guaranteed. I was just trying to do everything I could to keep him back," Newgarden said. "It was a fight. It was just a big fight. It is not easy to win this race. It is the most difficult race in the world to win."

The Sporting News provided live updates, highlights and more for the 107th running of the Indy 500. (All times Eastern.)

MORE: Indy 500 purse, payout breakdown: How much prize money does the winner get in 2023?

Indy 500 results

Team Penske's Josef Newgarden won the Indy 500 for the first time in his career after passing last year's winner, Marcus Ericsson, in a single-lap sprint to the finish.

PositionDriver
1Josef Newgarden
2Marcus Ericsson
3Santino Ferrucci
4Alex Palou
5Alexander Rossi
6Scott Dixon
7Takuma Sato
8Conor Daly
9Colton Herta
10Rinus VeeKay
11Ryan Hunter-Reay
12Callumm Ilott
13Devlin DeFrancesco
14Scott McLaughlin
15Helio Castroneves
16Tony Kanaan
17Marco Andretti
18Jack Harvey
19Christian Lundgaard
20Ed Carpenter
21Benjamin Pedersen
22Graham Rahal
23Will Power
24Pato O'Ward
25Simon Pagenaud
26Agustin Canapino
27Felxi Rosenqvist
28Kyle Kirkwood
29David Malukas
30Romain Grosjean
31Sting Ray Robb
32RC Enerson
33Katherine Legge

Indy 500 live updates, highlights from 2023 race

4:17 p.m.: Newgarden climbed under the fence and into the stands to celebrate with the fans. 

4:13 p.m.: Newgarden makes an aggressive move on the last lap to get in front of Ericsson, and he picks up his first win at the Indy 500.

4:12 p.m.: One lap to go and the green and white flags are both out.

4:12 p.m.: Back to yellow with two laps to go.

4:08 p.m.: NBC is reporting there will be one lap under green. Race control is still looking at the order, but it's currently believed Ericsson was the leader when the race went to yellow.

4 p.m.: A third red flag is out. Three laps to go.

4 p.m.: Before half the field could even cross the line, several cars crash to bring around another yellow. So far, no red coming out.

3:58 p.m.: Four laps to go. Green flag is waving.

3:57 p.m.: The race is back down to a yellow flag with six laps remaining. Getting closer to a restart for the Indy 500.

3:42 p.m.: The red flag is back out.

3:41 p.m.: As O'Ward and Ericsson battled for first, Newgarden snuck up on the two and leaped both drivers. O'Ward briefly reclaimed the lead, but crashes with seven laps left. Canapino crashes into O'Ward as well, and the yellow flag comes out.

3:41 p.m.: With eight laps to go, this race is back to green.

3:35 p.m.: Hunter-Reay, Ilott and Canapino head to pit lane during the caution, leaving O'Ward, Ericsson, Newgarden, Rossi and Ferrucci as the top five left.

3:30 p.m.: Ryan Hunter-Reay, Ilott and Agustin Canapino haven't gone to pit lane in a while and might need one more stop, but the long caution could give them a chance to stay in front of O'Ward and Ericsson as the race prepares to resume.

3:16 p.m.: Both Rosenqvist and Kirkwood are fine, per the NBC broadcast. Scary collision that involved Kirkwood's car flipping after losing a tire in the collision.

3:16 p.m.: This race has moved to a red flag following the crash.

3:10 p.m.: Huge crash as Rosenqvist spins and Kyle Kirkwood collided with him, flipping his car against the wall and sending a tire over the fence. Caution out with 16 laps to go.

3:09 p.m.: O'Ward races along the grass to pass Rosenqvist and set up a race between him and Ericsson for first. He then clears Ericsson for the lead.

3:08 p.m.: O'Ward comes out of pit road and joins the middle of the race, likely slotting into third in the field.

3:07 p.m.: Several of the current leaders still need to pit, but once the field clears, it will be Ericsson, Rosenqvist, Newgarden, Rossi and Ferrucci comprising the top five with 20 laps left.

3:02 p.m.: Ferucci was hit with a penalty, but it is only a warning and a fine instead of a drive through fine. As he joins the fray of Ericsson and Rosenqvist, a drive through likely would have ended his bid for a win.

3 p.m.: Several drivers heading to pit lane, including Ferucci and Power. With 31 laps left, this could be the final pit stop for both drivers. One of Ferucci's tires rolled out of the pit box, but it appeared to be stopped in time. Doesn't appear a penalty is coming up.

2:53 p.m.: Now Ferucci, A.J. Foyt's top driver, passes Ericsson to claim the lead.

2:52 p.m.: Ericsson re-takes the lead on lap 158, and Ferucci followed up Ericsson's move with one of his own to pass Newgarden.

2:50 p.m.: The green is back out with Ericsson, Newgarden and Rosenqvist leading the race at the restart, but Newgarden immediately soars outside Ericsson to take the lead.

2:44 p.m.: Only a few cars are heading to pit road. O'Ward is one of them, along with VeeKay and Sato, among others.

2:41 p.m.: Caution out for Grosjean at turn 2.

2:39 p.m.: O'Ward's team tells him he will need an extra stop for fuel. That could be a tough blow for his Indy 500 hopes.

2:34 p.m.: Ericsson and Newgarden have broken up the run of Rosenqvist and O'Ward at the top of the race. O'Ward has now fallen to sixth, falling behind Rossi and Ferrucci through 141.

2:30 p.m.: Teammates collide on pit road as Colton Herta collides with Romain Grosjean as Herta tried to leave pit road. Not a serious incident, it appears, but will slow him down.

2:26 p.m.: O'Ward heads to pit road on lap 129 as a few cars start making green flag stops.

2:15 p.m.: Through the first 114 laps, O'Ward and Rosenqvist continue to trade places for the lead. 

2:10 p.m.: Newgarden and Ericsson continue to climb up the leaderboard, moving up to fourth and fifth, respectively.

2:07 p.m.: VeeKay was hit with a drive through penalty for the pit road crash with Palou.

2:06 p.m.: Callum Ilott has leapt all the way up to first on the restart, but Rosenqvist quickly re-takes him for the advantage, and O'Ward eventually passes him as well to put the teammates back at the front.

1:57 p.m.: VeeKay spun coming off pit road and crashed into Palou, slamming the car into the wall. 

1:56 p.m.: Tracksweeper is out during the caution as everyone heads to pit road.

1:53 p.m.: Robb was driving side-by-side with Rahal heading into a turn, and wound up driving into the wall, wrecking his right side and ending his afternoon in Indianapolis. Robb appeared frustrated with Rahal.

1:52 p.m.: First caution is coming out on lap 92 in an incident involving Sting Ray Robb.

1:50 p.m.: RC Enerson has retired. He is the second driver out following Legge, who is also listed as out in the race.

1:45 p.m.: Ferrucci continues his race up the leaderboard as he passes VeeKay to move up to third. The two early leaders — Palou and VeeKay — remain in the top five, but have seen their early dominance fade 83 laps into the race.

1:43 p.m.: Rosenqvist passes O'Ward for the lead to help his teammate save fuel. NBC reported the plan is for the two to pass each other every three laps.

1:41 p.m.: Palou continues to slide down the leaderboard as Ferrucci makes a move on the outside to pass him and bump him down to fifth. He's continued to slide since O'Ward passed him before eventually overtaking the lead.

1:37 p.m.: Legge was originally said to be retiring from the race, but she disputed that, saying she might still have a chance to return.

1:34 p.m.: Rosenqvist finally goes to pit road at lap 67 with the lead, the last of the top three drivers to pit. He emerges from the stop ahead of both VeeKay and Palou to take the lead in the race.

1:32 p.m.: Dixon also opted to pit on that lap, and he is reportedly no longer having issues with his front left side. He has not fallen any laps behind, and could have a chance to catch up as other drivers pit.

1:30 p.m.: Palou makes his second pit stop on lap 62 to cede the lead to VeeKay. 

1:21 p.m.: Josef Newgarden started all the way down at 17th, but he has raced his way all the way up to ninth, leading a pair of experienced drivers in Takuma Sato (10th) and Tony Kanaan (11th).

1:12 p.m.: Palou and VeeKay are back out in front following pit stops from everyone else that had been out on the track.

1:11 p.m.: Katherine Legge had some issues getting off pit road, nearly hitting another pit crew as she veered hard to the left after trying to leave. She will have to head back.

1:11 p.m.: The green flag pit stops continue as VeeKay and Palou each make their stops giving Rossi the lead with O'Ward and Power rounding out the top three.

1:06 p.m.: Dixon has had to retreat to pit road due to issues with his front left tire. He's pitting on lap 26.

1:01 p.m.: Dixon has now watched as two drivers have passed him with Santino Ferrucci, Alexander Rossi and Pato O'Ward have each raced past him to drop him down to seventh, his lowest spot of the race.

12:58 p.m.: VeeKay and Palou have traded the lead twice more, with Palou holding the advantage through the first 16 laps. Felix Rosenqvist is the only other driver within a second of the lead.

12:51 p.m.: It doesn't take long for Palou to re-take the lead from VeeKay just as the start of the fifth lap. Scott Dixon and Will Power have each made some noise early, with Dixon going from sixth to fourth and Power rising up from 12th to ninth to begin the race.

12:49 p.m.: Rinus VeeKay takes the lead on the third lap as he cuts past Palou on the inside to move into first. 

12:48 p.m.: Adam Driver is waving the flag and this race is underway. Alex Palou takes the early lead at the start of the race.

12:46 p.m.: Already some early drama for Graham Rahal. He is behind the wall and losing laps before the race has even started with what NBC Sports is reporting as a battery issue. Rahal will still have to go to pit road before he can begin the race.

12:40 p.m.: The command has been given for drivers to start their engines. This race is just about underway.

12:26 p.m.: Jewel is set to perform the national anthem ahead of today's race.

12:18 p.m.: The start of the race is about 30 minutes away. With that, the invocation and singing of "God Bless America" are about to get underway.

11:50 a.m.: Time for the drivers to be introduced ahead of today's race.

11:20 a.m.: A Driver among drivers. Adam Driver looks ready to wave the flag in Indianapolis.

How to watch the Indy 500

  • Time: 12:45 p.m. ET
  • TV channel: NBC
  • Live streams: NBC Sports | Peacock | Fubo

The 2023 Indianapolis 500 green flag is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ET. Actor Adam Driver is this year's honorary starter.

NBC will provide flag-to-flag coverage of the event, while Peacock, NBC's proprietary streaming service, will also carry the race.

Those who choose to live stream the 2023 Indy 500 can also use Fubo. Fubo carries NBC, as well as CBS, ABC, Fox and the ESPN family of networks, so you won't miss a minute of IndyCar, NASCAR or Formula 1 action. Fubo also carries a free trial.

Indy 500 starting lineup

The complete starting lineup for this year's Indy 500 lineup:

Pos.Car No.Driver
110Alex Palou
221Rinus VeeKay
36Felix Rosenqvist
414Santino Ferrucci
55Pato O’Ward
69Scott Dixon
77Alexander Rossi
811Takuma Sato
966Tony Kanaan
108Marcus Ericsson
1155Benjamin Pedersen
1212Will Power
1333Ed Carpenter
143Scott McLaughlin
1527Kyle Kirkwood
1620Conor Daly
172Josef Newgarden
1823Ryan Hunter-Reay
1928Romain Grosjean
2006Helio Castroneves
2126Colton Herta
2260Simon Pagenaud
2318David Malukas
2498Marco Andretti
2529Devlin DeFrancesco
2678Agustin Canapino
2777Callum Ilott
2850R.C. Enerson
2944Katherine Legge
3045Christian Lundgaard
3151Sting Ray Robb (R)
3230 Jack Harvey 
3324Graham Rahal

(R) - Rookie.

    Joe Rivera

    Joe Rivera Photo

    Joe Rivera is in his seventh year with The Sporting News, handling NFL, MLB and some things pro wrestling. A proud-ish Rutgers University graduate, Rivera combines a new-school flair with an old-school soul. He loves dingers, wrestling, comic books, movies, music and really bad puns. He is also a card-carrying BBWAA member and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater.

    You can find him and tweet him     @JoeRiveraSN, if you're into that sort of thing.

    Edward Sutelan

    Edward Sutelan Photo

    Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.