In a race that showcased some of the best talent the iRacing service has to offer, Phil Kraus claimed victory in the 2024 Open-Wheels 500 at the iconic virtual Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race ended with Kraus narrowly defeating rising Indy specialist Robert Maleczka III by a razor-thin margin of 0.012 seconds.
Kraus and Maleczka, driving for Private Label Team Hype with Powerslide Motorsports, were the class of the field, combining to lead 98 of the race’s 200 laps. Kraus paced the race for 50 laps, while Maleczka commanded the lead for 48, showcasing their dominance throughout the afternoon.
Kraus’ triumph comes just after he finished runner-up in the INDYCAR Buttkicker iRacing Pro Series’ inaugural season.
“I wasn’t really sure how that was going to pan out,” said Kraus as he detailed the side-by-side run through the final two corners. When asked how it feels to break through at the Open-Wheels 500, Kraus responded: “Indy has been a pretty bogey track for me when it comes to races. I have been good here in qualifying but the races usually don’t pan out… To win the Open-Wheels 500, thanks to Arjuna for putting on the race and for Tanner for starting the event. It is a huge event for the IndyCar community and I am glad we were able to run it after the busy schedule the last few months.”
RESULTS: Final Running Order at the Fourth Open-Wheels 500
The battle between Kraus and Maleczka intensified across the final 19 laps as the two drivers traded the lead following a late-race restart. Jeff Drake, Adam Blocker and Joshua Chin provided pressure on the top two across the closing laps, though ultimately they were unable to break through with a sustained challenge for the lead.
In a side-by-side run off turn four, Kraus and Maleczka bumped briefly before reaching the Yard of Bricks on the final lap.
Blocker took home third place honors – leading 31 laps and finishing just 0.394 seconds behind the leader – while Chin and Alexis Newsome rounded out the top five. Across the month of November, more than 70 drivers on the initial entry list battled for the 33 starting positions during two-day qualifications prior to race weekend. We thank all drivers who competed at this year’s “500” and we look forward to hosting the best open-wheel racers again in 2025.