Josef Newgarden wins Indy 500 with wild finish

Josef Newgarden celebrates after winning the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Josef Newgarden wins first Indianapolis 500 in wild, crash-filled finish

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 5/28/23

After 12 previous attempts in which he never finished higher than third place, Josef Newgarden finally conquered the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, winning his first Indianapolis 500.

He did it in the most dramatic and wild way possible.

Newgarden was able to overtake 2022 winner Marcus Ericsson on a one-lap restart after a series of crashes and red flags derailed the final 15 laps of the race.

Newgarden was able to pass Ericsson coming off of turn two on that lap and hold on for the win.

Have a look.

Fight. To. The. Finish.@josefnewgarden wins on the last lap. #INDYCAR // #indy500 pic.twitter.com/PDMvvp2X77
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 28, 2023

Newgarden was understandably ecstatic with his first ever win at the Brickyard, while Ericsson was visibly frustrated with missing out on his chance to become just the sixth different driver to ever win the race in back-to-back years.

.@Ericsson_Marcus shows his frustration after his 2nd place finish and the missed opportunity to go back-to-back in Indy.#INDYCAR // #Indy500 pic.twitter.com/O3c3krfZry
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 28, 2023

The race was in a restart on the final lap after a series of crashes occurred over the final 15 laps. The most serious of those came with 14 laps remaining, when Kyle Kirkwood's car flipped over, landing upside down before sliding down the track. Fortunately, he was able to walk away from the crash

Harrowing moment at the Indy 500 as a tire is flung from Kyle Kirkwood's car following a collision with Felix Rosenqvist. pic.twitter.com/R5qdlzpZ76
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 28, 2023

That wreck was the start of the down-the-stretch chaos, with two other crashes subsequently resulting in stoppages.

Newgarden is one of the best racers in the Indy Car circuit, winning 2017 and 2019 IndyCar Series championships. He had won 26 races in his career prior to finally adding the Indianapolis 500 to his resume.

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