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FIFA World Cup 2026 poster'I made the wrong call': Heartbreak for Kiwi Armstrong in dramatic Indy 500 finish
Savannah Lendich Jonkers • May 25th, 2026 3:45 pm
Marcus Armstrong | Photo: Facebook/Meyer Shank Racing
It looked as though New Zealand's Marcus Armstrong won the Indianapolis 500 - until it didn’t.
After the chequered flag, a dejected Armstrong said heading into the final corner of the 200-lap race in the lead, he had two options - crashing with his teammate or lifting off the throttle.
"We were in position to win it, that could have been us that towed past Malukas," Armstrong told Fox Sports.
"I can't believe it, honestly just so close and I feel like I made the wrong call at the most pivotal moment."
Motorsport broadcaster Dave Turner was at the race and admitted there was some confusion as the cars crossed the line.
“I was standing in the pit bay right next to his father at the time and it was very hard to tell even when they went over the line what was going on," Turner told Sport Nation Mornings.
“We weren't quite sure who had won at the end of the day and Rick's reaction, Marcus's dad, was one of sort of surprise and what not so I thought, 'oh, maybe he's won', but he hadn't. It was all on.
“The battle for third, fourth, fifth, which is where McLaughlin and Armstrong both finished, was the length of the front nose of the car.”
Armstrong who started 16th, led the field to a green, white, checkered finish. But as Turner pointed out that over the two weeks of practice and qualifying at IMS, it became clear that leading cars could not maintain their placing.
“You don't want to be leading in that situation, you want to be the second or third car in the pack. The leader seems to get eaten up at the restarts, no matter how they control the pace."
The lead changed 70 times across 12 different drivers, with only 0.023 seconds separating Armstrongs winning Meyer Shank teammate Felix Rosenqvist and David Malukas.
Despite the heartbreak for 25-year-old Armstrong, Turner said it is good to have come out of the event for him.
“It's really put Marcus's name on the radar more than what it was before today, and whilst he might be pretty upset right now, because I know he is, the significant thing is IndyCar can clearly now say Marcus Armstrong has arrived.”
Listen to the full interview below:
