Ed Carpenter explains Indy 500's lack of overtaking: "Creates some chaos"

Ed Carpenter blamed gearbox issues and tough overtaking conditions for his disappointing 18th-place finish.

Driver-owner Ed Carpenter finished a disappointing 18th at the 2025 Indy 500 yesterday after starting 14th on the grid. He and his Ed Carpenter Racing team opted for an unconventional strategy during the race as they decided to stay out under yellows, and like plenty of others, struggled to overtake in the cold conditions.

"There's opportunities, you know, when we were around the position we were, to not take one of those yellows, which is kind of counterintuitive," he admitted via FrontStretch.

His race started well, but eventually mechanical issues threw a spanner in the works.

"There was a period of the race where it was kind of playing in our favour, but in the end we had a little bit of a gearbox issue. We had trouble getting first gear on some pit stops, stalled it, which really ruined the day.

"But you know, the car was really good. You know, really, really good at times. Depending on where you were track position-wise, I think we were as good as anybody.

"But track position was key for sure today."

The Illinois native was keen to point out the difficulty in passing - something he blamed on not only the current cars, but also the cold weather.

Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing

Photo by: Brett Farmer / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

"It's really hard to pass with this era of car, which is unfortunate," he continued.

This was something noticed by fans, too, with the race featuring limited passing. There were several reasons behind this. Firstly, the low temperatures meant the tyres struggled to come up to temperature. And when they did, they wore slowly. There was plenty of cold air, which optimised downforce but amplified the effects of dirty air, but for the most part, the race was won or lost in the pits. With drivers focussing on fuel-saving, there were few wanting to push.

Carpenter added: "The cooler weather also made everyone better and made it harder to pass.

"But you know, when it's hard to pass on the track, people view restarts as their only opportunity, which creates some chaos."

Despite these frustrations coming out of the legendary race, the driver is keen to return in 2026. "I hope so."

The 109th Indy 500 was won by Alex Palou, who became the first Spaniard to win at the event.