‘Greatest Day In Racing’ Recap: Norris Takes Monaco, Palou Continues Dominant Run, Surprise Winner in Charlotte

Published: Thursday, May 29, 2025

by Thomas Mazurowski

Three of the world’s most prestigious races occurred Sunday in what may be the last great Memorial Day weekend for the motorsports industry. Here is a recap of all the action from the annual “Greatest Day in Racing.”

Lando Norris Wins Awkward Monaco Grand Prix

McLaren’s Lando Norris took home his second victory of the Formula 1 season on the streets of Monte Carlo. After qualifying on pole Saturday afternoon, Norris secured the win ahead of hometown-hero Charles Leclerc and points-leader Oscar Piastri.

Rule changes surrounding tire requirements and pit stops impacted the Grand Prix significantly. The FIA, Formula 1’s sanctioning body, made it mandatory for every car to pit twice, as opposed to the normal one-stop requirement. The change was made to counteract the lack of on-track passes at the Circuit de Monaco and create a more exciting event overall.

Some teams adapted to the new rules controversially. Throughout the Grand Prix, Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson deliberately slowed down to help their teammates pull away from the rest of the competition. The strategy put everyone sixth place or lower a lap down, but allowed Williams and Racing Bulls to secure points for all four cars involved.

Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen took a gamble by staying out on old tires and hoping for a safety car. After leading 27 laps, the Dutch driver was forced to give up the lead late in the race to take his second stop.

Norris surged ahead to secure the win, marking McLaren’s first victory in Monaco since 2008. The championship battle tightened even further, with Piastri’s lead cut down to just three points, 161 to Norris’ 158. Verstappen trails in third at 136 points.

With the Monaco Grand Prix pushed back to June in 2026, this past weekend could be the last time the crown jewel coincides with the Indianapolis 500 and Coke 600 for years to come.

Álex Palou Continues Hot-Streak With Indianapolis 500 Win

Reigning champion Álex Palou continued his dominant season with a win at IndyCar’s most prestigious event. The Spaniard ran within the top 10 most of the day, securing the lead on lap 187 and remaining there until the checkered flag.

Palou’s victory marks his fifth win of the year in only six races, the best start to a season since A.J. Foyt’s dominance in the 1979 USAC championship.

Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson was demoted to 31st after his car failed post-race inspection despite finishing second on track. David Malukas, driving for A.J. Foyt Racing, was promoted to second, with Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward bumped up to third.

Numerous drivers took the lead in a race that saw no clear favorites emerge. Former winners Takuma Sato and Ryan Hunter-Raey led a combined 99 of the 200 laps, amidst 12 other lap leaders, five of which led more than 10 laps.

It was a tough race for Team Penske. The day began with Scott McLaughlin wrecking during the warm-up laps prior to the green flag. His teammates Josef Newgarden and Will Power were both forced to start at the back of the grid following inspection failures in qualifying. 

Newgarden, the winner of the 2023 and 2024 editions of the race, worked his way up to the top 10 before retiring the car due to a mechanical issue. Will Power finished one lap down after struggling to crack the top 15 all day.

Kyle Larson made his second attempt at double duty with little success. The day began in Indianapolis for the former NASCAR champion, starting 19th before falling behind on a bad pitstop. Larson retired from the race following a crash on lap 91 involving Sting Ray Robb and Kyffin Simpson.

Chastain Pulls Off Incredible Comeback in Coca-Cola 600

Ross Chastain went the distance for Trackhouse Racing in NASCAR’s longest race of the year. After a crash in Saturday practice and an overnight chassis rebuild, the Florida native worked his way up from dead last to take the win on the Charlotte oval.

The victory brings a sigh of relief to an otherwise struggling Trackhouse team, whose other two entries are struggling for top ten finishes. Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 99 for Trackhouse, failed to finish following a crash. Teammate Shane Van Gisbergen secured a respectable 14th.

In his second race of the day, Kyle Larson took the lead early on. Unfortunately, his luck came to an end on lap 43 after spinning by himself exiting turn 4. Larson ran outside the top 20 until being caught up in a multi-car crash on lap 245, bringing his double duty attempt to a disappointing end.

William Byron took the reins for Hendrick Motorsports following Larson’s incident. Byron put on a dominant performance, winning the first three stages and leading 283 laps. The No. 24 Camaro came up just short after losing the lead to Chastain on lap 395 of 400.

Joe Gibbs Racing performed well. Chase Briscoe captured pole position in the No. 19 before finishing within the top five. His teammate Denny Hamlin led 53 laps and finished top 10 in every stage. Unfortunately, the No. 11 ran out of fuel near the end of the race, forcing an extra pitstop and relegating the veteran to a 16th place finish.

All three series will be back in action next weekend. Formula 1 heads to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, June 1 at 9 a.m., followed by IndyCar’s Detroit Grand Prix at 12:30 p.m. NASCAR concludes the day’s races at Nashville Superspeedway at 7:00 p.m.

Thomas Mazurowski can be reached at thomas.mazurowski@student.shu.edu.

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