The Ones That Got Away: Biggest Heartbreaks of 2026

In sports, there is the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. It is the emotional essence of the games played, a reason why watching – and participating – is so enthralling.

That is, until one is on the latter end of it.

To paraphrase the legendary Bobby Unser, second-place finishers are generally remembered only by those who finish second.

In motorsports, there is usually a long list of competitors who share in such heartbreak, and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES generally has more than its share, particularly in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, which for every Al Unser Jr. there is a Scott Goodyear.

This year, five drivers finished the “500” within a second of earning a forever likeness on the iconic Borg-Warner Trophy, but four of those left Indianapolis Motor Speedway wondering what could have been. However, The Racing Capital of the World wasn’t the only site of heartbreaking moments – there were several this year. A look at a few of those instances, presented in the order in which they occurred.

Christian Rasmussen, Phoenix Raceway

A thrilling drive by the Ed Carpenter Racing driver throughout the Good Ranchers 250 effectively ended on Lap 207 with contact with Andretti Global’s Will Power.

Power was leading when Rasmussen (photo, above), the winner of last year’s race at the Milwaukee Mile, tried to pass on the outside in Turn 2. Their cars touched wheels, puncturing Power’s right rear tire and sending Rasmussen bouncing hard off the outside wall.

Rasmussen was able to continue with a compromised car, leading the rest of the lap and the 34 that followed, but he was eventually overtaken first by Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood and then by Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden on Lap 242. Newgarden went on to win the race.

Rasmussen, who started 18th, led a career-high 69 laps but faded to 14th.

Power conceded he should have given Rasmussen more room, but the damage was done, and Rasmussen wasn’t happy about it.

“It’s just frustrating, man, so frustrating because we should have won the race and obviously didn’t,” he said.

Marcus Armstrong, Indianapolis 500

Coming to the white flag in the 110th Running at IMS, Armstrong could see his best opportunity to win his first series race – and the biggest of them all – but it wasn’t to be.

Team Penske’s David Malukas passed him on the outside as the field arrived at the flag stand for a one-lap shootout, and just as quickly Armstrong had Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian teammate Felix Rosenqvist alongside him in a duel for second.

Armstrong kept Rosenqvist on his outside for most of the final lap before being forced to lift in Turn 4. (Armstrong said his other option was to crash with his teammate, and the lack of another choice had him sour.)

Armstrong had the best view of Rosenqvist’s thrilling dart to Malukas’ outside in what became the closest finish in Indy history – a separation of .0233 of a second – but it wasn’t the view the New Zealander expected to see just a lap earlier.

“We were in position to win it, like that could have been us that passed Malukas,” Armstrong told FOX after admitting he had calmed down. “I can’t believe it, honestly – just so close. I feel I just made the wrong call at the most pivotal moment.”

To make matters worse for Armstrong, the rest of the sprint to the checkered flag became a three-way battle for third place, and he lost it to both Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin and Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward.

Finishing fifth never hurt so bad, although the strong run surely helped Armstrong’s cause for a contract extension that came about six weeks later.

David Malukas, Indianapolis 500

Malukas’ heartbreak was reminiscent of so many great drivers before him. Think Goodyear in 1992, Marco Andretti in 2006, O’Ward in 2024.

Malukas (photo, above) was ridiculously close to winning this sport’s biggest prize, running in front of Rosenqvist well past at the entrance to pit road for the final time. But as anyone who has ever walked the Speedway’s front straightaway knows, there is still a lot of ground to cover to reach the historic Yard of Bricks. Malukas learned that the hard way.

The two drivers finished the race side by side, but Malukas trailed by a distance of about half of a car length.

“I just don't know what else we could have done,” the first-year Team Penske driver said.

It was the third consecutive runner-up finish at IMS for Malukas, who followed Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou to the finish line of the “500” in 2025 and Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard to the end of this year’s Sonsio Grand Prix.

Indy was one of Malukas’ four second-place finishes during the season and pushed his career total of such finishes to six. Like Armstrong, he remains winless in the series.

Marcus Armstrong, Road America

Drivers positioned to win often have late-race mechanical issues, but Armstrong’s in the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America (photo, above) is highlighted here because he held a four-second lead with the laps winding down.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” FOX broadcaster James Hinchcliffe said as smoke billowed from the back of Armstrong’s car four laps from the finish.

This disappointment was compounded by the fact he endured previous pain at Indy and he remained winless in the series in his fourth season. Lundgaard was the one to overtake him in this one.

“It was all smooth sailing,” a deflated Armstrong said. “I came out of Turn 6, and the engine just started sputtering like it was out of fuel. But clearly it wasn’t, and then it just completely died. There was no indication there was nothing wrong.”

Romain Grosjean, Markham

It might seem odd that a driver who finished second by 7.5305 seconds would fit in a “heartbreak” category, but Grosjean certainly did in the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham (photo, top).

The French-Swiss driver moved atop the leaderboard with 21 laps remaining when Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson pitted for the final time. Ericsson, who dropped to sixth place with the stop, seemed to have fallen too deep in the pack to get back to the front in the competitive street race, opening the door for Grosjean to win the first series race of his career.

Grosjean drove masterfully and appeared to be poised to give Dale Coyne Racing its first victory since 2018 when Sebastien Bourdais won his second consecutive race in St. Petersburg. Grosjean finished the race with 28 laps led, but he needed five more.

With the laps winding down, Ericsson reeled in Grosjean, passing him on Lap 86 of 90. From there, the speedy Ericsson was gone, and Grosjean couldn’t do anything about it.

“I cried a little -- I'm not going to lie,” Grosjean said. “But control what you can control. I think that comes from (tennis legend) Andre Agassi … I did everything I could.”

The second-place finish was the sixth of Grosjean’s career.