Indy 500 Runner-Up Receives Massive Post-Race Penalty for Illegal Car Modifications

Three cars were dropped to the back of the field.

Marcus Ericsson reacts after his second-place Indy 500 finish. / Bob Goshert/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On the track, Sweden's Marcus Ericsson came remarkably close to winning his second Indianapolis 500—losing to Spain's Alex Palou by just 0.6822 seconds.

However, a post-race inspection revealed that Ericsson had unsanctioned modifications on his car. The result: a penalty that sent him careening to the bottom of the field. The Andretti Global driver was credited with a 31st-place finish, his worst in any IndyCar race since a 33rd-place showing in last year's Indy 500.

Ericsson, a former Formula One driver, won the 500 in 2022. He became the race's second Swedish winner, joining Kenny Brack in 1999.

This season, Ericsson currently sits in 15th place—the same standing in which he finished 2024.

Other drivers sent to the back for failing inspections include Ericsson teammate Kyle Kirkwood of the United States and Great Britain's Callum Ilott. Kirkwood and Ilott had finished sixth and 12th, respectively.

The IndyCar season resumes Sunday in Detroit with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

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