Morning Warm-Up: 110th Indianapolis 500

A year ago, a rookie driving for a new team started on pole position for the Indianapolis 500. This year, the best driver in IndyCar driver for arguably the greatest team in IndyCar history will be leading the field of 33 to the green flag. At the moment, one team and driver controls IndyCar, and the team to beat is already starting first. Behind them, 32 other teams and drivers are looking to dethrone the champions. Seven of the top nine starters have never won the Indianapolis 500. Four of those drivers have never won an IndyCar race. There is no better time than this weekend on IndyCar's grandest stage.

Starting Grid
Row 1:
Álex Palou
This will be Palou’s seventh Indianapolis 500 start.
2025 Indianapolis 500 Winner.
Palou’s victory last year was the second time car #10 has won the Indianapolis 500.
Twenty-one times has the pole-sitter won the race, most recently Simon Pagenaud 2019.

This is Palou’s second Indianapolis 500 pole-position. He is now one of 19 drivers with multiple pole positions for the event. He has started in one of the first three rows in six of his seven Indianapolis 500 appearances.

Palou could become the seventh driver to win consecutive Indianapolis 500s. This would be the first time there would be successive instances of consecutive winners as Josef Newgarden won in 2023 and 2024. Palou would become the second international driver to win consecutive Indianapolis 500s joining Hélio Castroneves.

Palou has four top five finishes in six Indianapolis 500 starts, and he has five consecutive top ten finishes in the Indianapolis 500. 

A top five finish would make Palou the ninth driver to have four consecutive top five finishes in the Indianapolis 500. He has nine top five finishes in his last ten starts and 13 top five finishes in his last 15 starts.

Palou has led 133 laps in his Indianapolis 500 career, 52nd all-time. If he leads five laps, he will enter the top 50 in laps led in an Indianapolis 500 career. He has led a lap in five consecutive Indianapolis 500s.

Spain became the 14th different nation to produce an Indianapolis 500 winner last year. 

Palou is attempting to become the third driver to win the Grand Prix of Long Beach and Indianapolis 500 in the same season (Al Unser, Jr. 1994, Hélio Castroneves 2001).

Palou has the ninth-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 8.1667. A victory would lower Palou’s average finish to 7.1428. The worst his average finish can be after this race is 11.7142.

Alexander Rossi
This will be Rossi’s 11th Indianapolis 500 start.
2016 Indianapolis 500 winner.
Car #20 has won the Indianapolis 500 three times but not since Emerson Fittipaldi in 1989.
Eleven times the winner started second, most recently Juan Pablo Montoya in 2000.

This is Rossi’s best starting position in the Indianapolis 500, and it is his first front row start since he started third in 2017.

Rossi suffered an accident during practice on Monday, which required surgery to a finger on his left hand and right ankle. Rossi was cleared to race, but his team switched to a back-up car. The back-up car was Rossi's race car in last year's Indianapolis 500.

Rossi has led 107 laps in the Indianapolis 500, ranking him tied for 64th with Sam Hornish, Jr.

Rossi could become the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 for Chevrolet and Honda in the DW12-era. He would become the 13th driver to win the Indianapolis 500 with multiple engine manufacturers.

Rossi has six top five finishes and seven top ten finishes in ten Indianapolis 500 starts.

Rossi has the 63rd-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 13.1818. A victory would lower his average finish to 12.1667. The worst Rossi’s average finish can be after this race is 14.833.

Rossi has made 60 starts since his most recent victory, the July 2022 IMS road course race.

David Malukas
This will be Malukas’ fourth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 2nd (2025)
Car #12 has won the Indianapolis 500 twice, most recently with Will Power in 2019. The other was Peter DePaolo in 1925 driving the #12 Miller.
Fourteen times the winner started third, most recently Josef Newgarden in 2024.

This is Malukas’ best starting position in the Indianapolis 500.

Malukas could become the 15th driver to win the Indianapolis 500 the year after finishing second in the race. The most recent driver to do it was Dan Wheldon in 2011.

Malukas could become the first Illinois-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500 since Floyd Davis was a co-winner with Mauri Rose in 1941.

Malukas could become the seventh-youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 24 years, seven months and 27 days old. Malukas could become the first Indianapolis 500 winner born in the 21st century.

Malukas is still looking for his first career victory, and this will be his 68th career start. Fourteen drivers in IndyCar history have taken 68 starts or more for a first career victory.

Row 2:
Felix Rosenqvist
This will be Rosenqvist’s eighth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 4th (2022, 2026)
Car #60 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Seven times the winner started fourth, most recently Takuma Sato in 2017.

This is the fifth consecutive year Rosenqvist is starting on one of the first three rows.

Rosenqvist could become the third Swedish driver to win the Indianapolis 500.

Rosenqvist could become the second driver with victories in the Macau Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 joining Takuma Sato.

Rosenqvist needs to lead 39 laps to reach the 100 laps led milestone in the Indianapolis 500. Sixty-seven drivers have led 100 laps in the Indianapolis 500.

In his last five Indianapolis 500 starts, Rosenqvist has finished 27th, fourth, 27th, 27th and fourth. He is tied with Wilbur Shaw and Russ Snowberger for most 27th-place finishes in Indianapolis 500 history. He has completed all 500 miles in only three of seven starts.

Rosenqvist is tied with John Paul, Jr. for the 177th-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 18.4285. A victory would lower his average finish to 16.25. The worst Rosenqvist's average finish can be after this race is 20.25.

It has been five years, ten months and 13 days since Rosenqvist’s only IndyCar victory (July 12, 2020 at Road America). It has been 98 starts since that victory. It would be the second-most starts between victories in IndyCar history.

Santino Ferrucci
This will be Ferrucci’s eighth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 3rd (2024)
Car #14 has won the Indianapolis 500 six times, most recently with Kenny Bräck in 1999.
Eight times the winner started fifth, most recently Marcus Ericsson in 2022. 

This is the third time in four years Ferrucci is starting on the second row.

Last year, Ferrucci extended his Indianapolis 500 record of seven top ten finishes in his first seven Indianapolis 500 starts. The previous record was five top ten finishes in the first five Indianapolis 500 starts for each Harry Hartz and Hélio Castroneves. Hartz and Castroneves each finished 25th in their sixth Indianapolis 500 starts. 

Ferrucci has led a lap in five of his seven Indianapolis 500 starts, but he has led two laps or fewer in four of those races.

Ferrucci could become the first Connecticut-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500 and he would be just the second Nutmugger to win an IndyCar race, joining Scott Sharp.

Ferrucci has the fourth-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 6.1428. A victory would lower Ferrucci’s average finish to 5.5. The worst Ferrucci’s average finish can be after this race is 9.5.

Ferrucci is still looking for his first career victory, and this will be his 100th career start. It would be the fourth-most starts before a first career victory in IndyCar history.

Patricio O’Ward
This will be O’Ward seventh Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 2nd (2022, 2024)
Car #5 has won the Indianapolis 500 six times but not since Arie Luyendyk in 1997.
Last year, Álex Palou became the sixth winner to win from sixth on the grid. 

This is the fifth consecutive year O’Ward is starting on one of the first three rows. However, this is the first time O’Ward has started on the second row.

O'Ward was caught in Alexander Rossi's accident during Monday practice, and O'Ward was also forced to switch to a back-up car. This was the car he used last year in his victories at Iowa and Toronto.

O’Ward has four top five finishes in six Indianapolis 500 starts.

O’Ward could become the fourth past Indy Lights champion to win the Indianapolis 500 joining Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Josef Newgarden.

O’Ward could become the first Mexican driver to win the Indianapolis 500. Mexico would become the 15th different nation to produce an Indianapolis 500 winner.

O'Ward needs to lead five laps to reach the 100 laps led milestone in the Indianapolis 500. Sixty-seven drivers have led 100 laps in the Indianapolis 500. 

O’Ward has four top five finishes from the first six races this season.

O’Ward has the sixth-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 6.8333. A victory would lower O’Ward’s average finish to 6.0. The worst his average finish can be after this race is 10.5714.

Row 3:
Kyffin Simpson
This will be Simpson’s third Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 21st (2024)
Car #8 has won the Indianapolis 500, most recently with Marcus Ericsson in 2022.
Five times the winner started seventh, most recently A.J. Foyt in 1961.

This is Simpson’s best start in the Indianapolis 500, and it is his best start on an oval in his IndyCar career.

In 2024, Simpson led three laps during a pit cycle before finishing 21st with all 200 laps completed.

Last year, Simpson was caught in a lap 91 accident when Kyle Larson spun in turn two and collected Simpson and Sting Ray Robb.

Simpson has three career top five finishes, and they all came last season when he was fifth in Detroit, third in Toronto and fourth in Nashville.

Simpson could become the youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 21 years, seven months and 15 days old. This is the third and final chance for Simpson to become the youngest Indianapolis 500 winner. He would be the youngest non-American winner. Simpson could become the first Indianapolis 500 winner born in the 21st century.

Conor Daly
This will be Daly’s 13th Indianapolis 500 and hopefully his 12th start.
Best Finish: 6th (2022)
Car #23 has won the Indianapolis 500 twice, 1931 with Louis Schneider and 1938 with Floyd Roberts. Those are the only race victories for car #23 in IndyCar history.
Three times the winner started eighth, most recently Hélio Castroneves 2021.

This is Daly’s best starting position in the Indianapolis 500.

Daly could become the first Hoosier-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500 since Wilbur Shaw in 1940.

Daly has finished in the top ten in four consecutive Indianapolis 500s, and he has led a lap in four of the last five Indianapolis 500s.

Daly is tied with Mario Andretti for the 173rd-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 18.25. A victory would lower his average finish to 16.923. The worst Daly’s average finish can be after this race is 19.384.

Daly is still looking for his first IndyCar victory and this will be his 132nd career start. No driver has taken this many starts before a first career victory.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s only victory was on the team’s debut on January 29, 2000 at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Florida with Robbie Buhl.

Scott McLaughlin
This will be McLaughlin’s sixth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 6th (2024)
Car #3 has won the Indianapolis 500 eleven times, the most victories for a car number. The last victory was in 2009 with Hélio Castroneves.
Only once has the winner started ninth and that was Emerson Fittipaldi in 1993.

Last year, McLaughlin was classified in 30th after his accident behind the pace car before the race had gone green. No driver has won the Indianapolis 500 after finishing 30th the year prior.

McLaughlin needs to lead 34 laps to reach the 100 laps led milestone in the Indianapolis 500. Sixty-seven drivers have led 100 laps in the Indianapolis 500.

McLaughlin has completed all 500 miles in three of his five Indianapolis 500 starts.

McLaughlin is tied with Art Klein and Bill Whittington for 207th-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 19.8. A victory would lower McLaughlin’s average finish to 16.667. The worst his average finish can be after this race is 22.

McLaughlin could become the first driver to win the Bathurst 1000 and the Indianapolis 500.

McLaughlin could become the second New Zealander to win the Indianapolis 500, but the first New Zealand-born driver to win the race. New Zealand could become the sixth nation to produce multiple Indianapolis 500 winners.

Row 4:
Scott Dixon
This will be Dixon’s 24th Indianapolis 500 start.
2008 Indianapolis 500 winner.
Car #9 has won the Indianapolis 500 four times with Dixon’s 2008 victory being the most recent.
Twice has the winner started tenth, most recently Gil de Ferran in 2003.

Dixon is the all-time leader in Indianapolis 500 laps led with 677.
Dixon is 33 laps ahead of Al Unser in second.
Dixon is 339 laps ahead of the next closest active driver (Hélio Castroneves, 326 laps led).
Dixon has led in 16 Indianapolis 500s, the most all-time.
Dixon has led the most laps in the Indianapolis 500 a record six times.

Dixon is currently in an eight-way tie for most runner-up finishes in Indianapolis 500 history. Harry Hartz, Wilbur Shaw, Bill Holland, Jim Rathmann, Tom Sneva, Al Unser, Hélio Castroneves and Dixon have all finished runner-up three times in this race.

Dixon has the 32nd-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 10.9565. A victory would lower his average finish to 10.541667. The worst his average finish can be after this race is 11.875.

Dixon’s one top five finish through the first six races this season is his fewest to start a season since he had zero top five finishes in the first six races of the 2005 season.

Dixon could become the fifth-oldest Indianapolis 500 winner at 45 years, ten months and two days old.

Rinus VeeKay
This will be VeeKay’s seventh Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 8th (2021)
Car #76 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Three times the winner started 11th, most recently Alexander Rossi in 2016.

This is the best starting position for Juncos Hollinger Racing in the Indianapolis 500. Last year, Juncos Hollinger Racing scored its first top ten finish in the Indianapolis 500 when Conor Daly finished eighth.

VeeKay could become the second Dutchman to win the Indianapolis 500 after Arie Luyendyk.

VeeKay has led a lap in four of the last five Indianapolis 500s.

VeeKay has two top ten finishes in his last 14 starts.

VeeKay is tied with Roger McCluskey and Graham Rahal for the 166th-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 17.8333. A victory would lower Rahal’s average finish to 16.9473. The worst Rahal’s average finish can be after this race is 18.6315, dropping him into 183rd all-time.

VeeKay could become the tenth-youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 25 years, eight months and 13 days old. VeeKay could become the first Indianapolis 500 winner born in the 21st century.

It has been four years and nine days since VeeKay’s only career IndyCar victory, the 2021 Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He has made 84 starts since his only victory.

Takuma Sato
This will be Sato’s 17th Indianapolis 500 start.
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner (2017, 2020).
Car #75 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Twice has the winner started 12th, most recently Tony Kanaan in 2013.

Last year, Sato led a race-high 51 laps on his way to a ninth-place finish. Sato has led 138 laps in his Indianapolis 500 career, tied with George Robson, Pat Flaherty and Gary Bettenhausen for 48th all-time.

Sato started second in last year’s race, a career-best for him, before finishing ninth. This is his fifth consecutive year starting on one of the first five rows.

Only once has Sato finished in the top ten in consecutive Indianapolis 500s. He was third in 2019 before he won in 2020.

Sato has the 104th best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 15.4375. A victory would lower Sato's average finish to 14.5882. The worst Sato’s average finish can be after this race is 16.4705.

Sato could become the oldest Indianapolis 500 winner at 49 years, three months and 26 days old. Sato would become the first driver to win three Indianapolis 500s after turning 40 years old.

Row 5:
Ed Carpenter
This will be Carpenter’s 23rd Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 2nd (2018)
Car #33 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Four times the winner started 13th, most recently Hélio Castroneves in 2002.

Carpenter is tied with George Snider for the most Indianapolis 500 starts without a victory.

Carpenter could become the first Illinois-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500 since Floyd Davis was a co-winner with Mauri Rose in 1941. 

Carpenter led one lap last year, becoming the 41st driver to lead at least 150 laps in an Indianapolis 500 career.

Carpenter has finished outside the top ten in four consecutive Indianapolis 500s. He was 15th in last year’s race. No driver has won the Indianapolis 500 the year after finishing 15th in the race. It is the best finishing position to not produce an Indianapolis 500 winner in the following year.

Carpenter is tied with Danny Ongais for the 111th-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 15.909. A victory would lower his average finish to 15.2608. The worst Carpenter’s average finish can be after this race is 16.6521.

Carpenter could become the sixth-oldest Indianapolis 500 winner at 45 years, two months and 21 days old.

It has been 11 years, 11 months and 18 days since Carpenter’s most recent IndyCar victory (June 6, 2014 at Texas Motor Speedway). It would be the third-longest streak between victories in IndyCar history behind John Paul, Jr., who went 15 years, two months and three days between victories, and Juan Pablo Montoya, who went 13 years, nine months and 20 days between victories.

Hélio Castroneves
This will be Castroneves’ 26th Indianapolis 500 start.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021).
Castroneves’ victory in 2022 was the first Indianapolis 500 victory for car #06.
Only once has the winner started 14th and that was Bob Sweikert in 1955.

Castroneves could become the first five-time Indianapolis 500 winner.

Castroneves is one the four drivers with at least 25 Indianapolis 500 starts, trailing only A.J. Foyt (35), Mario Andretti (29) and Al Unser (27)

With a tenth-place finish last year, Castroneves tied A.J. Foyt for the most top ten finishes in the Indianapolis 500 with 17.

A top five finish would be Castroneves’ tenth in the Indianapolis 500 and he would join Al Unser and A.J. Foyt as the only drivers to reach that milestone.

If Castroneves completes 112 laps, he will surpass A.J. Foyt’s record for most laps completed in an Indianapolis 500 career. Foyt completed 4,909 laps or 12,272.5 miles in 35 starts. Castroneves has completed 4,798 laps or 11,995 miles in 25 starts. 

Castroneves has completed all 500 miles in a record 19 starts.

Castroneves has the 14th-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 9.12. A victory would lower his average finish to 8.807. The worst Castroneves’ average finish can be is 10.038.

Castroneves could become the oldest Indianapolis 500 winner at 51 years and 14 days old. Castroneves would join Emerson Fittipaldi and Takuma Sato as the only drivers to win multiple Indianapolis 500s after turning 40 years old.

Castroneves could become the third-oldest winner in IndyCar history behind only Mario Andretti (53 years, one month and seven days old) and Louis Unser (57 years, five months and 22 days old).

Christian Rasmussen
This will be Rasmussen’s third Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 6th (2025)
Car #21 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Four times the winner started 15th, most recently Juan Pablo Montoya in 2015.

Rasmussen led eight laps in last year’s race on his way to finishing sixth.

In each of his first two Indianapolis 500 starts, Rasmussen has made up exactly 12 spots from his starting position.

Rasmussen could become the fourth past Indy Lights champion to win the Indianapolis 500 joining Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Josef Newgarden

Rasmussen has yet to finish in the top ten this season. His best finish was 14th at Phoenix. He scored his first career victory last August in Milwaukee.

Rasmussen could become the tenth-youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 25 years, ten months and 25 days old. Rasmussen could become the first Indianapolis 500 winner born in the 21st century.

Row 6:
Marcus Armstrong
This will be Armstrong’s third Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 18th (2025)
Car #66 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, Mark Donohue 1972.
Twice has the winner started 16th, most recently Dario Franchitti in 2012.

Armstrong started 16th in his Indianapolis 500 debut two years ago before an engine failure ended his race after six laps.

Armstrong’s best finish this season was fifth at Phoenix, the only other oval race held in 2026.

Armstrong could become the second New Zealander to win the Indianapolis 500, but the first New Zealand-born driver to win the race. New Zealand could become the sixth nation to produce multiple Indianapolis 500 winners.

Armstrong could become the second driver alphabetically by last name among Indianapolis 500 winners behind only Mario Andretti.

Armstrong could become the tenth-youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 25 years, nine months and 25 days old. He would become the youngest non-American winner. Armstrong could become the first Indianapolis 500 winner born in the 21st century.

Marcus Ericsson
This will be Ericsson’s eighth Indianapolis 500 start.
2022 Indianapolis 500 winner
Car #28 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, Ryan Hunter-Reay 2014.
Three times the winner started 17th, most recently Josef Newgarden in 2023.

Ericsson was second on the road last year before being disqualified post-race for having a modified Energy Management System cover. He was relegated to 31st in the final result with 17 laps led.

Three times has Ericsson finished outside the top 30 in his Indianapolis 500 career, including the last two years. The only driver to have three consecutive finishes outside the top 30 in the Indianapolis 500 was Paul Bost, who finished 31st, 37th and 40th from 1931 to 1933.

Ericsson has led 60 laps in his Indianapolis 500 career, ranking him 96th all-time.

Ericsson is one of 14 drivers to have won the Indianapolis 500 and finished last in the Indianapolis 500. The others are Howdy Wilcox, Louis Schneider, Bill Cummings, Sam Hanks, Jimmy Bryan, Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti, Tom Sneva, Buddy Lazier, Danny Sullivan, Kenny Bräck, Takuma Sato and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Ericsson is tied with Andy Linden, Geoff Brabham, Paul Tracy and Colton Herta for the 189th-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 19.0. A victory would lower his average finish to 16.75. The worst Ericsson’s average finish can be after this race is 20.75.

Christian Lundgaard
This will be Lundgaard’s fifth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 7th (2025)
Car #7 has won the Indianapolis 500 twice but not since Bill Holland in 1949.
The best finish for the 18th-starter is second, which occurred in 1920 by René Thomas and in 2009 and 2010 by Dan Wheldon.

Lundgaard enters as the most recent winner in IndyCar after he won the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. It was the second victory of Lundgaard’s career.

Three drivers have won the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis 500 in the same year. Will Power did it in 2018, Simon Pagenaud did it in 2019 and Álex Palou did it last year.

Since returning to IndyCar, McLaren has yet to have a driver win consecutive races. The last time a McLaren driver won consecutive races was when Johnny Rutherford swept the Atlanta doubleheader in 1979.

Last season, Lundgaard had consecutive podium finishes on two occasions, including a three-race streak that covered Thermal Club, Long Beach and Barber Motorsports Park.

In each of his first three Indianapolis 500 starts, Lundgaard has finished better than his starting position. In his first three starts, he finished at least 11 spots better than where he started.

Lundgaard could become the ninth-youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 24 years, ten months and one day old. Lundgaard could become the first Indianapolis 500 winner born in the 21st century.

Row 7:
Will Power
This will be Power’s 19th Indianapolis 500 start.
2018 Indianapolis 500 winner.
Car #26 has won the Indianapolis 500 twice, Dan Wheldon in 2005 and Takuma Sato 2017.
Twice has the winner started 19th, most recently Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2014.

Power could become the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 for Chevrolet and Honda in the DW12-era. He would become the 13th driver to win the Indianapolis 500 with multiple engine manufacturers.

Power is currently tied with Johnny Rutherford for the fifth-most 500-mile race victories in IndyCar history with five. 

Power has six consecutive finishes of 14th or worse in the Indianapolis 500. While he was third at Arlington in March, that remains his only top ten finish this season. 

Power needs to lead five laps to become the 42nd driver to lead at least 150 laps in an Indianapolis 500 career. Since winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2018, Power has led ten laps over the last seven Indianapolis 500s. He has failed to finish on the lead lap in four of the last five years.

Power is tied with Gordon Johncock for the 79th-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 14.333. A victory would lower his average finish to 13.631. The worst his average finish can be after this race is 15.315.

Power could become the sixth-oldest Indianapolis 500 winner at 45 years, two months and 23 days old.

Nolan Siegel
This will be Siegel’s second Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 13th (2025)
Car #6 has won the Indianapolis 500 five times, most recently with Sam Hornish, Jr. in 2006.
Three times the winner started 20th, most recently Al Unser in 1987.

Siegel’s best two finishes of the season have come in the last two races. He was 12th at Long Beach and tenth in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, ending a 12-race slump without a top ten finish.

Siegel had an accident in turn two on the final lap of last year’s Indianapolis 500, and he was classified in 13th.

Siegel’s only top ten finish on an oval was a seventh at Gateway in 2024, his first oval start.

Siegel could become the youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 21 years, six months and 20 days old. This is the second and last chance Siegel will have at becoming the youngest Indianapolis 500 winner. Siegel could become the first Indianapolis 500 winner born in the 21st century.

Louis Foster
This will be Foster’s second Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 12th (2025)
Car #45 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Only once has the winner started 21st and that was L.L. Corum and Joe Boyer in 1924.

Foster was the best finishing rookie in last year’s Indianapolis 500 in 12th.

In the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Foster was seventh, his first career top ten finish in IndyCar.

At 23 starts, Foster is tied with James Jakes for the sixth-most starts before a first career top ten finish in IndyCar history.

Foster could become the fourth past Indy Lights champion to win the Indianapolis 500 joining Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Josef Newgarden. 

In only one race this season has Foster finished better than his starting position. He was 16th at Long Beach after starting 17th. He did start and finish 13th at Arlington. Foster has finished better than his starting position in five of 23 career starts.

Foster could become the second-youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 22 years, nine months and 27 days old. He would be the youngest non-American winner. Foster could become the first Indianapolis 500 winner born in the 21st century.

Row 8:
Ryan Hunter-Reay
This will be Hunter-Reay's 18th Indianapolis 500 start.
2014 Indianapolis 500 winner.
Car #31 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, 1994 with Al Unser, Jr.
Twice has the winner started 22nd but not since Kelly Petillo in 1935.

Hunter-Reay could become the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 for Chevrolet and Honda in the DW12-era. He would become the 13th driver to win the Indianapolis 500 with multiple engine manufacturers.

Hunter-Reay led 49 laps in last year’s race, moving him to 27th all-time on 219 laps led. He is one of 31 drivers to lead at least 200 laps in an Indianapolis 500 career.

With Hunter-Reay running out of fuel in last year’s race and failing to restart the car, he has finished outside the top ten in four consecutive Indianapolis 500 starts.

Hunter-Reay has the 125th-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 16.411. A victory would lower his average finish to 15.554. The worst Hunter-Reay's average finish can be after this race is 17.333.

Hunter-Reay could become the sixth-oldest Indianapolis 500 winner at 45 years, five months and seven days old.

It has been seven years, eight months and eight days since Hunter-Reay’s most recent IndyCar victory (September 16, 2018 at Sonoma Raceway).

Josef Newgarden
This will be Newgarden’s 15th Indianapolis 500 start.
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner (2023-24).
Newgarden’s victory in 2024 was the 11th time car #2 has won the Indianapolis 500.
The best finish for the 23rd-starter is second by Wilbur Shaw in 1933.

This is the fifth time in six years Newgarden is starting outside one of the first four rows.

Newgarden could become the third driver to win three times in four Indianapolis 500 starts. Wilbur Shaw did it over 1937 to 1940. Mauri Rosi did it from 1941 to 1948 with three years where the race did not occur due to World War II.

Newgarden is one victory away from having 20 oval victories in his career. He would become the 12th driver in IndyCar history to win 20 oval races.

Newgarden is the only driver to win the Freedom 100 and Indianapolis 500 in a career.

Newgarden was the third past Indy Lights champion to win the Indianapolis 500 joining Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan.

Newgarden needs to lead 31 laps to reach the 100 laps led milestone in the Indianapolis 500. Newgarden is the only multi-time Indianapolis 500 winner to have led fewer than 100 laps. Sixty-seven drivers have led at least 100 laps in the Indianapolis 500.

Newgarden is tied with Earl Cooper for 58th-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 12.85714. A third victory would lower Newgarden’s average finish to 12.0667. The worst his average finish can be after this race is 14.2.

Romain Grosjean
This will be Grosjean’s fourth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 19th (2024)
Car #18 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
The best finish for the 24th-starter is fourth on five occasions (Denny Hulme in 1967, Mel Kenyon in 1969, Sammy Sessions in 1972, Eliseo Salazar in 1995 and Townsend Bell in 2009).

Grosjean's car suffered damage during Monday practice after Alexander Rossi spun in turn two. Grosjean's team was able to repair the car and continue.

Grosjean could become the first Indianapolis 500 veteran to win the race a year after not participating since Al Unser won in 1970.

Since finishing eighth in the season opener at St. Petersburg, Grosjean has finished outside the top twenty in four of the last five races. His best finis on an oval was seventh in the first Iowa race in 2022.

Grosjean could become the fifth different Frenchman to win the Indianapolis 500. Only the United States and the United Kingdom have had at least five different drivers win the Indianapolis 500. 

Grosjean is still looking for his first career victory, and this will be his 71st career start. Thirteen drivers in IndyCar history have taken 71 starts or more for a first career victory. Bryan Herta’s first career victory came in his 71st career start at Laguna Seca in 1998

Row 9:
Kyle Kirkwood
This will be Kirkwood’s fifth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 7th (2024)
Car #27 has won the Indianapolis 500 three times, most recently with Dario Franchitti in 2007.
Only once has the winner started 25th and that was Johnny Rutherford in 1974.

Kirkwood was sixth on the road last year before being disqualified post-race for having a modified Energy Management System cover. He was relegated to 32nd in the final result with two laps led.

No driver has ever won the Indianapolis 500 after finishing 32nd the year prior.

This is the third time in five Indianapolis 500 starts Kirkwood is starting outside the first seven rows.

Kirkwood is the only driver this season to finish in the top ten in all six races, and he had finished in the top five in the first five races this season.

Kirkwood scored his first career victory on an oval last June at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Kirkwood could become the fourth Indy Lights championship to win the Indianapolis 500 joining Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Josef Newgarden.

Kirkwood could become the first Florida-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500. He was the first Florida-born driver to win any IndyCar race when he won at Long Beach in 2023.

Katherine Legge
This will be Legge's fifth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 22nd (2012)
Car #11 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, 2013 with Tony Kanaan.
The best finish for the 26th-starter is third by Don Freeland in 1956, Paul Goldsmith in 1960 and Simon Pagenaud in 2021.

Legge is attempting to become the sixth driver to start the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Kyle Larson started both races last year after he was only able to start at Indianapolis in 2024 due to a lengthy rain delay, and he was unable to replace Justin Allgaier mid-race in Charlotte due to rain ending the NASCAR race early.

Only Tony Stewart completed all 1,100 miles between both races. Stewart did that in 2001.

Legge has not finished on the lead lap in her first four Indianapolis 500 starts. She has not finished on the lead lap in an IndyCar race since the 2007 Champ Car race in Assen, Netherlands, where she was 12th. In 47 starts, she has finished on the lead lap only six times.

Legge’s most recent top ten finish was at Fontana on September 15, 2012.

Legge could become the fifth-oldest Indianapolis 500 winner at 45 years, ten months and 12 days old.

Mick Schumacher
This will be Schumacher’s first Indianapolis 500 start.
Car #47 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
Only once has the winner started 27th and that was by Fred Frame in 1932.

Through his first six IndyCar starts, Schumacher has yet to finish better than 18th.

Schumacher will join Jack Brabham, Clay Regazzoni and Romain Grosjean as Formula Two/GP2 champions to compete in the Indianapolis 500.

It has been five years, seven months and 28 days since Schumacher’s most recent victory. He won the 2020 Formula Two feature race from Sochi, Russia.

Schumacher will be the first German to start the Indianapolis 500 since Max Sailer, Christian Werner and Christian Lautenschlager all started the 1923 race in a three-car Mercedes effort. Sailer was eighth with his nephew Karl running the final 128 laps in relief. Werner was 11th with Max Sailer running two relief stints in his car and Lautenschlager also running a relief stint. Lautenschlager was 23rd out of 24 starters due to an accident after 14 laps in turn one.

Schumacher could become the third Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver to win Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after Danica Patrick and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Row 10:
Graham Rahal
This will be Rahal’s 19th Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 3rd (2011, 2020).
Car #15 has won the Indianapolis 500 three times, most recently with Buddy Rice in 2004.
Twice has the winner started 28th, inaugural winner Ray Harroun in 1911 and Louis Meyer in 1936.

This is the second consecutive year Rahal is starting 28th. He started 33rd in the two years prior to that. 

It has been 146 starts since Rahal’s most recent IndyCar victory (Belle Isle II in 2017). Rahal currently holds the record for most starts between victories. He made 124 starts between his victories at St. Petersburg in 2008 and Fontana in 2015.

Rahal has led 28 laps in his Indianapolis 500 career. His father Bobby led 126 laps in his 13 Indianapolis 500 starts.

Rahal could tie Salt Walther and George Snider for most 33rd-place finishes in the Indianapolis 500 at three.

Rahal has finished outside the top ten in five consecutive Indianapolis 500s.

Rahal is tied with Roger McCluskey and Rinus VeeKay for the 166th-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 17.8333. A victory would lower Rahal’s average finish to 16.9473. The worst Rahal’s average finish can be after this race is 18.6315, dropping him into 183rd all-time.

Dennis Hauger
This will be Hauger’s first Indianapolis 500 start.
Car #19 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
The best finish for the 29th-starter is second in 1911 by Ralph Mulford and in 2002 by Paul Tracy.

Hauger is currently the top rookie in the championship, sitting 15th on 100 points. He is coming off his best finish of the season as he was eighth in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

Hauger will become the second Norwegian-born driver to start the Indianapolis 500, joining Gil Andersen, who started the first six Indianapolis 500s. Andersen started first in 1912. His best finish was third in 1915 where he led 26 laps.

Hauger could become the second Dale Coyne Racing driver to win Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after Santino Ferrucci.

Hauger could become the fourth-youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 23 years, two months and seven days old. Hauger could become the first Indianapolis 500 winner born in the 21st century.

Jacob Abel
This will be Abel's first Indianapolis 500 start.
Car #51 won the 1998 Indianapolis 500 with Eddie Cheever.
The best finish for the 30th-starter was fourth in 1936 by Mauri Rose.

Abel failed to qualify for last year’s race with Dale Coyne Racing. This year, Abel is running with his family’s team, Abel Motorsports, which currently fields four cars in Indy Lights.

The most recent driver to win Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year a year after failing to qualify for the race was Patricio O'Ward in 2020.

Abel’s best finish in his rookie season was 11th in the second Iowa race.

Abel could become the second Kentucky-born driver to win the Indianapolis 500 joining Danny Sullivan, who won in 1985.

Abel could become the ninth-youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 25 years, two months and 15 days old. Abel could become the first Indianapolis 500 winner born in the 21st century.

Row 11:
Sting Ray Robb
This will be Robb’s fourth Indianapolis 500 start.
Best Finish: 16th (2024)
Car #77 has never won the Indianapolis 500.
The best finish for the 31st-starter is fourth in 1951 by Andy Linden.

Last year, Robb was caught in a lap 91 accident when Kyle Larson spun in turn two and collected Robb and Kyffin Simpson.

After finishing outside the top twenty in the first five races of this season, Robb was 17th in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

Robb could become the ninth-youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 24 years, eight months and 21 days old. Robb could become the first Indianapolis 500 winner born in the 21st century.

Robb could become the first Idahoan to win the Indianapolis 500.

Robb led 23 laps two years ago in the Indianapolis 500, the third-most behind Scott McLaughlin (66) and Josef Newgarden (26).

Caio Collet
This will be Collet’s first Indianapolis 500 start.
Car #4 has won the Indianapolis 500 five times, most recently with Emerson Fittipaldi in 1993.
The best finish for the 32nd-starter is second in 1957 by Jim Rathmann and 1981 by Mario Andretti.

Collet originally qualified tenth, but his qualifying time was disallowed after his car was found to have unapproved hardware on his car for the Energy Management System cover.

Collet could become the fourth Brazilian to win Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year joining Christian Fittipaldi, Hélio Castroneves and Rubens Barrichello.

Collet could become the third A.J. Foyt Racing driver to win Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year joining Donnie Allison and Benjamin Pedersen.

Collet could become the sixth-youngest Indianapolis 500 winner at 24 years, one months and 21 days old. Collet could become the first Indianapolis 500 winner born in the 21st century.

Jack Harvey
This will be Harvey’s ninth Indianapolis 500.
Best Finish: 9th (2020)
Car #24 has won the Indianapolis 500 once, Graham Hill 1966.
The best finish for the 33rd-starter is second in 1980 by Tom Sneva and 1992 by Scott Goodyear.

Harvey originally qualified 29th, but his qualifying time was disallowed after his car was found to have unapproved hardware on his car for the Energy Management System cover.

This will be the fourth time Harvey has started on the last row in his career.

Last year, Harvey led three laps in the Indianapolis 500, his first time ever leading the race.

This will be Harvey’s second IndyCar start in a Chevrolet-powered car. His first was last year's Indianapolis 500 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

Harvey has not had a top ten finish in his last 32 IndyCar starts. His most recent top ten finish on an oval was seventh in the first Texas race in 2021.

Harvey is tied with Derek Daly and Louis Tomei for the 201st-best average finish among the 266 drivers with at least five Indianapolis 500 starts at 19.5. A victory would lower his average finish to 17.444. The worst Harvey's average finish can be after this race is 21.0.

Harvey is still looking for his first IndyCar victory, and this will be his 95th start. Only four drivers made more starts before their first career victory.

Fox's coverage of the 110th Indianapolis 500 will begin at 10:00 a.m. ET on Sunday May 24 with green flag scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ET. The race is scheduled for 200 laps.

Track Walk: 110th Indianapolis 500

The seventh round of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season is the 110th Indianapolis 500. For the first time in 16 years, the defending race winner is starting on pole position. Past winners take up the first two spots on the grid. However, the next seven spots over the first three rows feature drivers who have never won this race. Three of them have yet to win any IndyCar race. There are nine past winners in this race and 24 drivers hoping to become the 77th different winner of this famed event.

Coverage

Time: Fox's pre-race coverage begins at 10:00 a.m. ET on Sunday May 24.
TV Channel: Fox

Announcers: Will Buxton, Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe will be in the booth. Kevin Lee, Georgia Henneberry and Jamie Little will work pit lane. Chris Myers, Danica Patrick and Tony Stewart will participate in pre-race and post-race coverage.

Indianapolis 500 Weekend Schedule
Carb Day:
Practice - 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET (2 hours). 

Pit Stop Competition - 2:30 p.m. ET
Sunday:
Race - 12:45 p.m. ET (200 laps).

Palou Pondering More History

Everything goes through Álex Palou, and the man who has won three consecutive IndyCar championships and won last year's Indianapolis 500 will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday from pole position. 

It is the first time the defending race winner has started on pole position since Hélio Castroneves did it in 2010 after Castroneves scored his third "500" victory in 2009.

For Palou, this is his second pole position for the Indianapolis 500. He started first in 2023 as well. This makes the Catalan driver the 19th person to win multiple Indianapolis 500 pole positions.

Every time Palou takes to the racetrack, he is likely on the verge of making history. This time is no different. He is seeking to become the 22nd pole-sitter to win the Indianapolis 500. It has not been done since 2019 when Simon Pagenaud took victory. Of the 18 other drivers with multiple Indianapolis 500 pole positions, eight also won the race from pole position. 

Another victory would be the 23rd of Palou's career and it would put him in a tie for 20th all-time with Tommy Milton, the first driver to win multiple Indianapolis 500s. A Palou victory would make him the seventh driver to win the "500" in consecutive years, and it would be the first time in the race's history that consecutive winners have happened in succession after Josef Newgarden won in 2023 and 2024.

Beyond the victory, Palou is 62 laps led away from 2,000 laps led in his career. He would be the 25th driver to reach that milestone. If he retains the championship lead after this race it will be the 58th race Palou has held the championship lead after. That would move him into fourth all-time surpassing Will Power. Palou is only six races behind Scott Dixon for third all-time in most times leading the championship. 

Like last year, Palou enters the Indianapolis 500 on a good run of form. He has four consecutive top five finishes, three of which were podium results. Through the first six races of 2026, Palou has won half the races. The only blemish is being caught in an accident early in the Phoenix race in March. Four of the last eight Indianapolis 500 winners had won a race prior to Indianapolis. Six of the eight had at least a top five finish. The exceptions are Takuma Sato, whose best finish in 2020 prior to Indianapolis was eighth, and Hélio Castroneves, who was a part-time entrant in 2021 with Meyer Shank Racing and Indianapolis was Castroneves' first start of that season. 

At Indianapolis, Palou has three consecutive top five finishes and five consecutive top ten finishes. Palou could become the ninth driver to have at least four consecutive top five finishes in the Indianapolis 500. Ted Horn holds the record with nine consecutive top five finishes from 1936 through 1948, as for three years the race was not held due to World War II. Rodger Ward had a six-year streak from 1959 through 1964.  Harry Hartz had five top five finishes in his first five Indianapolis 500 starts from 1922 to 1926. 

Five drivers have had exactly four-year streaks of top five finishes including Bill Holland (1947-50), Jim Rathmann (1957-60), Al Unser (1982-85), Roberto Guerrero (1984-87) and Al Unser, Jr. (1989-92).

Palou has never finished worse than ninth when driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in this event. Palou could also make a little history for his car owner. Chip Ganassi turns 68 years old on race day. Ganassi has never won the Indianapolis 500 when it has fallen on his birthday. The best finish for a Ganassi car in an Indianapolis 500 that has fallen on Ganassi's birthday was third with Charlie Kimball in 2015. Scott Dixon was fourth in that race as well. 

A Sleeper Starting Second

There was some excitement as Alexander Rossi qualified second to Álex Palou as it was Rossi's best qualifying effort ever for the Indianapolis 500. Rossi's only other front row start was in his sophomore year in 2017 when he rolled off from third starting position. This will be the sixth time Rossi has started in one of the first three rows of the Indianapolis 500. This is also Ed Carpenter Racing's return to the front row after a two-year absent. Celebrations were quickly sullied.

During the Monday practice session, Rossi spun exiting turn two and hit the barrier. Patricio O'Ward and Romain Grosjean were also collected in this accident. Rossi walked away from the accident, but he required outpatient surgery for an injury to a finger on his left hand and for an injury to his right ankle. Ed Carpenter Racing will be forced to switch to a backup car for Rossi and the #20 team. O'Ward will also be switching to a backup car while Grosjean's team repaired its primary entry. 

The accident was a setback for what was setting up to be a promising challenge for Indianapolis 500 victory for Rossi and ECR. The good news is Rossi's backup car is the car he ran in last year's "500." Rossi's race started from 12th on the grid in that car, and he led 14 laps before a fire in the pit lane ended his race after 73 laps. He was classified in 28th.

In ten Indianapolis 500 starts, Rossi has seen the checkered flag eight times. In seven of those races, he has finished in the top seven. The only time he did not finish in the top seven was in 2021, when Rossi was trapped a lap down after requiring emergency service to pit for fuel. Rossi could not get back on the lead lap and finished 29th, losing another lap in the process. He has six top five finishes in this event. 

Rossi enters this weekend having led 107 laps in his Indianapolis 500 career. That is tied with Sam Hornish, Jr. for 64th all-time. Among active drivers, Rossi ranks ninth. 

Though we are celebrating the ten-year anniversary of Rossi's memorable victory in the 100th Indianapolis 500, he enters this race approaching four years since his most recent victory. It has been 60 starts since he stood on the top step of the podium. After winning seven times in his first 60 starts, Rossi has only won once in his last 110 starts. 

It has been much longer since Rossi has won on an oval. His most recent oval victory wast he 2018 Pocono race. There have been 40 oval races since Rossi's most recent victory. Thirteen different drivers have won an oval race since Rossi.

Ed Carpenter Racing has won one of the three most recent oval races as Christian Rasmussen had a phenomenal drive to win at Milwaukee last August. It was the team's first oval victory since Josef Newgarden won at Iowa in 2016. ECR has had a top ten finisher in five consecutive Indianapolis 500s, but it has not had a top five finisher since Ed Carpenter was fifth in 2021.

The good news for Rossi is when he wins, he starts at the front. He has started in the top three for seven of his eight career victories. The lone expiation is his Indianapolis 500 victory where he started 11th. 

Chasing a First Indianapolis Victory

Recent years have been favorable to new winners. Three of the last four Indianapolis 500s have seen a first-time winner with the only exception in there being Josef Newgarden, who won in consecutive years. When do these first Indianapolis 500 victories occur?

For Marcus Ericsson, his Indianapolis 500 victory came in his fourth season in IndyCar. The year before, Ericsson scored the first two victories of his career. The 2022 Indianapolis 500 was the 52nd start of his career, but only his fourth in the "500."

Josef Newgarden had a longer wait for his first Indianapolis victory. It was his 12th start in the "500" and the 187th start of his career. He had won 26 times in his career up to that point. Only Will Power had won more races before his first "500" victory than Newgarden. Newgarden was also already a two-time champion.

As for Álex Palou, he had 15 career victories in his first 85 starts entering last year's Indianapolis 500, his sixth time starting the Memorial Day classic. He also had three championship to his name.

Covering all 76 drivers to win the Indianapolis 500, on average their first victory in the event took 4.815 starts to happen. If you adjust the numbers to only take into consideration the winners since World War II, that number increases to 5.52 starts. If you want to go hyper-recent and only look at the years since reunification, the ten first-time Indianapolis 500 winners during that span took 7.5 starts for that victory.

Considering careers beyond the "500," on average a driver had 5.263 victories in their career at the time of their first career Indianapolis 500 victories. If you adjust those numbers based on the time periods above, and the 50 Indianapolis 500 winners since World War II had on average 6.72 victories at the time of their first "500" win. For the ten first-timers since reunification, the average number of career victories when they won Indianapolis for the first time shoots up to 12.8. Only three of first-time winners since 2008 had fewer than a dozen victories.

Among the drivers seeking their first Indianapolis 500 victory in this race, 12 are making at least their fifth Indianapolis 500 start. None of these drivers have won more than nine races in their careers.

Patricio O'Ward leads all drivers with most victories without an Indianapolis 500 in this year's race. O'Ward's nine victories would be level with Ralph DePalma and Gil de Ferran, who each won nine times before they won their first Indianapolis 500. This will be O'Ward's seventh start in Indianapolis. DePalma and de Ferran each won in their fourth Indianapolis start.

Scott McLaughlin has seven career victories, but he has yet to win at Indianapolis in what will be his sixth career start. Rodger Ward, Gordon Johncock and Juan Pablo Montoya each had seventh career victories prior to their first Indianapolis victory. Ward and Johncock each won Indianapolis for the first time in their ninth starts. Montoya won his first "500" on debut as he had run a full season in CART before running Indianapolis as a one-off. 

Felix Rosenqvist is starting fourth, the inside of row two, and Rosenqvist's only victory came nearly six years ago Road America. Eight drivers had only one career victory to their name when they won at Indianapolis for the first time. The most recent was Takuma Sato, whose 2017 Indianapolis 500 victory came just over four years after his first career victory at Long Beach. Rosenqvist will be making his eighth Indianapolis 500 start this weekend. Sato's first Indianapolis 500 victory also came in his eighth start.

Rinus VeeKay and Christian Rasmussen have also each only won once in their IndyCar careers and are looking for their first "500" victory. This will be VeeKay's seventh "500" and Rasmussen's third.

Christian Lundgaard picked up his second career victory in the most recent race, the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. It snapped a 46-race winless streak for Lundgaard. Marcus Ericsson is the most recent driver to have only two career victories prior to a first Indianapolis 500 victory. Other notable names that had only two career victories prior to their first "500" win was Bill Vukovich, Jim Rathmann, Parnelli Jones, Mark Donohue and Jacques Villeneuve. 

However, this will be Lundgaard's 76th career start. That is more than all the other drivers who had only two career victories at the time of their first Indianapolis victory.

Chasing a First Victory Period

There are those who have not won the Indianapolis 500 and then there are those who have not won an IndyCar race ever. Fifteen of the 33 starters have never won an IndyCar race, and each of the first three rows of the grid feature a winless driver. Row four is home to two. 

These drivers do not have to fret. Though they have yet to taste glory anywhere that does not mean it is beyond their reach in IndyCar's greatest race. Eighteen drivers have had the Indianapolis 500 be their first career victory. However, nine of those drivers won over an 18-race stretch from 1913 to 1932. In the last 60 years, there have only been five drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 with zero victories to their name.

While that might sound defeating, a few drivers should be feeling confident that they could make their own little bit of history.

David Malukas is starting on the front row, and his first six races with Team Penske have been rather exceptional. Maukas is the top Penske driver in the championship in third on 185 points, 52 points behind Álex Palou in the championship lead. Malukas is coming off a runner-up finish in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and he has been the top Penske finisher in three of the last four races. Starting third, this is the sixth consecutive race where Malukas is the top Penske starter, and it is his fourth consecutive top five start. 

This will mark Malukas' 68th career start. He was runner-up in last year's race after post-race penalties were applied, and he has five podium finishes, four of which have come on ovals. 

In the middle of row two is Santino Ferrucci, who has already made Indianapolis 500 history with seven top ten finishes from his first seven starts, a record start to an Indianapolis 500 career. Three of those results have been in the top five. This is the third time in four years Ferrucci is starting on row two. While his results are incredible, he has only led 16 laps in his Indianapolis 500 career, 11 of which were in 2023 when he finished third. The only other time he has led multiple laps was when he led two in 2021.

Ferrucci will be making his 100th start in the Indianapolis 500. Only three drivers have taken 100 starts or more to pick up their first career victory. Two of Ferrucci's three career podium finishes came last year when he was second at Detroit and third at Road America. Nine of his 11 career top five finishes have come on ovals. Ferrucci's best finish this season was eighth at Barber Motorsports Park.

Seventh starting position is the home to Kyffin Simpson, who in 40 starts has yet to win the race, and he has only stood on the podium once in his career. Simpson was third last year at Toronto, one of three top five finishes in his IndyCar career. His best oval result was fourth in last year's Nashville season finale. 

This season, Simpson's best finish is tenth, which occurred at Phoenix and Long Beach. His career average finish is 16.9.

Then there is Conor Daly. Driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Daly picked up his best starting position for the Indianapolis 500 when he qualified eighth. Running as a one-off driver this year, Daly has a streak of four consecutive top ten finishes in the "500," and he hs finished eighth in two of the last three years. 

Daly has made 132 starts and has yet to win in IndyCar. The record for most starts before a first victory is Michel Jourdain, Jr.'s 129 before he won the 2003 CART race at Milwaukee. Daly has two podium finishes, a second at Belle Isle in 2016 and a third at Milwaukee in 2024. Both those races were the first races of doubleheader weekends. Daly's last race was the 2025 Nashville season finale where he finished fifth, the sixth top five finish of his career.

The only other winless driver starting in the top half of the grid is Marcus Armstrong, and Armstrong is starting 16th. Last season, Armstrong was eighth in the championship with 11 top ten finishes. He was third at Iowa, his second career podium finish. He was third at Detroit in 2024. He has finished 11th or better in five of six races in 2026. This weekend will be the 53rd start of Armstrong's career.

If there is any reason for encouragement for the winless drivers it is that of the five drivers in the last 60 years to have their first career victory come in the Indianapolis 500, three of them won in a year ending with the number six.

Graham Hill won on his IndyCar debut in the 1966 Indianapolis 500. Buddy Lazier won the first Indianapolis 500 during the Indy Racing League-era in 1996. Alexander Rossi won on his Indianapolis 500 debut, his sixth career start, in 2016.

Making Up for Last Year

While Álex Palou will look back on last year's race with some fondness, most will not share such joy. A few drivers will look back at 2025 and wish things had gone a little differently.

Marcus Ericsson was second on the road after leading with 15 laps to go in last year's race. Ericsson's car would ultimately be disqualified and relegated to 31st in the final results after an illegal modified Energy Management System cover was found on the car in post-race inspection. Either way, it completed a hat-trick of rough results for the Swede.

In 2023, Ericsson was second, but he was leading at the start of the final lap before Josef Newgarden passed him in the one-lap dash for victory, preventing Ericsson from becoming a consecutive winner of the race. In 2024, after hours of waiting out the rain-delay, Ericsson was caught in an opening corner accident and classified in 33rd. It capped off a month where Ericsson had to start on the last row after a having suffered an accident in practice. Tack on a 31st classification in 2025 and Ericsson has now finished outside the top thirty in three of his seven Indianapolis 500 starts.

With two consecutive results outside the top thirty at Indianapolis, Ericsson could become only the second driver in Indianapolis 500 history with three consecutive finishes outside the top thirty. Paul Bost had finishes of 31st, 37th and 40th in his three Indianapolis 500 starts from 1931 to 1933.

Also pinged with the same infraction for the illegally modified EMS cover was Kyle Kirkwood in last year's race, and like his Andretti Global teammate Ericsson, Kirkwood was knocked back from sixth to 32nd in the final results. It would have been Kirkwood's best finish at Indianapolis after starting 23rd.

Kirkwood enters this year's race riding a good wave of momentum. He has six consecutive top ten finishes to open this season and he is the only driver to finish in the top ten of every race this season. However, he is coming off his worst finish in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis where he was ninth. A lengthy pit stop due to an issue with the wheel nut on the front right tire cost him valuable positions, and he lost ground in the championship to Álex Palou.

Josef Newgarden had extra work to do in last year's race. After his car was found with an illegally modified attenuator before Sunday qualifying, Newgarden was moved to 32nd on the grid. In the race, Newgarden moved forward and was in a position to crack the top five, keeping his hopes of a third consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory alive. However, the fuel pump failed on his car with about 65 laps remaining. 

Newgarden went winless into the final race of the 2025 season, where he took victory at Nashville. At Phoenix in March, Newgarden won again thanks to fresh tires on a late pit stop that allowed him to make his way through the field. He has not won multiple times within the first seven races of the season since 2023, the first year he won the Indianapolis 500. For this year's race, Newgarden will start 23rd. It is the sixth time in the last seven Indianapolis 500s Newgarden has started outside the first four rows. 

The 109th Indianapolis 500 was in Ryan Hunter-Reay's hand as he took the lead though pit strategy, but he stretched his fuel far enough that he could make it on one fewer stop. However, Hunter-Reay ran out of fuel as he entered pit lane for his final stop, and his car would not restart to allow him to return to the race. His 48 laps led were the second-most of the race behind Takuma Sato's 51. 

It was the fourth consecutive Indianapolis 500 start where Hunter-Reay has finished outside the top ten, and he has not finished in the top five in his last six "500" starts. Last year was the fifth time he has led more than 25 laps in the Indianapolis 500, and he now ranks 27th all-time in laps led with 219. 

Then there is Scott McLaughlin. McLaughlin's fifth Indianapolis 500 start didn't even last a lap. He spun on the front straightaway while behind the pace car. Laps started to be counted though the track surface was still damp after a light shower passed over the track as the cars were about to leave the grid. If it weren't for the three disqualifications for post-race inspection violations to Ericsson, Kirkwood and Callum Ilott, for an illegal front wing end plate, McLaughlin would have been classified in 33rd. Instead, he was generously given 30th. In five Indianapolis 500 starts, McLaughlin's lone top ten finish remains a sixth in 2024, and his average finish is 19.8.

It has been 24 races since McLaughlin's most recent victory. While he was second from pole position at St. Petersburg to open this season, the New Zealander has not finished in the top five in the last five races. He has not gone six consecutive races without a top five finish since Long Beach to Road America in 2022.

Only twice has a driver won the Indianapolis 500 the year after finishing 30th or worse. Louis Meyer was 33rd in 1932 and then won in 1933. Mario Andretti was 33rd in 1968 and then won in 1969. 

The Rookie Scrap

Four rookies are in the field and thanks to a post-qualifying inspection infraction none of them start better than 27th. In Indianapolis 500s with at least four rookies, this is the first time none of the rookies have started better than 27th. 

The leading rookie on the grid will be Mick Schumacher in 27th. Schumacher was also the top starting rookie in the only other oval race this season at Phoenix where he started fourth. Unfortunately for Schumacher, he has yet to be the top rookie finisher this season. His best result was 17th at Long Beach, and that is one of only two times he has not been the worst rookie finisher. The other was when he was 18th at Phoenix. He was on his way to a top ten finish in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis before being penalized for spinning Santino Ferrucci in turn nine. Schumacher ranks last in the championship on 54 points. 

Starting in the middle of row nine will be Dennis Hauger. Hauger is currently the top rookie in the championship, 15th through six races on 100 points. He is only seven points behind Will Power and six points ahead Rinus VeeKay. Hauger has two top ten finishes, a tenth at St. Petersburg and an eighth in the most recent race, the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He was 15th at Phoenix after an early spin and he led during a pit cycle. Hauger finished in the top five of all four of his oval starts last year in Indy Lights, and he had three podium finishes on ovals.

To Hauger's outside will be Jacob Abel, the only rookie who is a one-off entrant. Abel failed to qualify for last year's Indianapolis 500. This year, Abel is running for his family's team Abel Motorsports. This is Abel Motorsports' second Indianapolis 500 start. The team ran R.C. Enerson in 2023, who started 28th but his race only lasted 75 laps before a mechanical issue, classifying Enerson in 32nd. Abel had only one top fifteen finish last season. That was 11th in the second Iowa race. 

Caio Collet was the fastest rookie qualifier as he made the Fast 12, and Collet was set to start tenth until unapproved hardware was found on the car for the cover of the Energy Management System. Jack Harvey's car was also found with the same offense. Both these drivers were moved to the rear of the grid, and Collet will start 32nd. Collet's best finish this season was 12th at Arlington. He has not finished in the top fifteen of the other five races. In two Indy Lights seasons, Collet never won an oval race, and in eight starts his best finish was third with four top five finishes.

Three of the last four Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year have not been the best finishing rookie. Each of those three drivers did not make it to the end of the race. Five consecutive Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year have not finished in the top ten. This is the longest stretch without an Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year finishing in the top ten since the honor was first awarded in 1952.

The Weather Report

Showers appear to be persistently in the picture for the entire weekend.

Chance of precipitation sits at 31% for Friday with temperatures settling into the low-60s. Showers increase in probability around noon, the middle of the Carb Day practice. Winds will be between ten to 15 mph from the East Northeast.

Temperatures will creep up a few degrees on Saturday with a high around 66º F with the chance of precipitation inching up to 34%. Winds will die down and be between five and ten mph but shift to be from the West Northwest.

Sunday has a 33% chance of precipitation with temperatures climbing to a high around 74º F and winds dying down. There is a chance rain could hold off developing until later in the afternoon.

Carb Night Classic - Thursday Edition

In anticipation of the precipitation, the Road to Indy races from Indianapolis Raceway Park have been moved up to Thursday night, tonight, instead of taking place on Friday night.

USF Pro 2000 has 20 cars entered for the Freedom 90. 

Jack Jeffers and Frankie Mossman are tied on 87 points in the championship lead. Jeffers won on the IMS road course two weeks ago, his second victory of the season. Mossman has finished on the podium in three of four races this season. 

Leonardo Escorpioni had finishes of 12th and 16th on the IMS road course, and he is 29 points off the championship lead. Michael Costello is two points further back with Brady Golan in fifth on 54 points. Jacob Douglas won the first race on the IMS road course and he is tied for sixth in the championship with G3 Argyros. Andrés Cárdenas has 50 points with Christian Cameron on 45 points and Mac Clark rounds out the top ten on 44 points. Clark was second in the first IMS road course race.

Testing was held on Wednesday, and Cameron was fastest at 19.6723 seconds. Indy Lights driver Tymek Kucharczyk will be competing in the Freedom 90 to get oval experience, and he will be teammates with Cameron with TJ Speed Motorsports. Kucharczyk was second at 19.7327 with Thomas Schrage rounding out the top three for TJ Speed Motorsports at 19.7705 seconds. 

The Freedom 90 will close out tonight's proceedings at 7:30 p.m. ET. The race will be 90 laps or 50 minutes.

Sebastián Garzón leads the U.S. F2000 championship with three victories and five podium finishes from five races. Garzón has scored 141 points and he has a 47-point lead over Brad Majman, who won the third race of the IMS road course triple-header. Eddie Beswick has 77 points in third with Evan Cooley up to fourth on 68 points after a trio of top five finishes on the IMS road course. 

João Vergara has scored 65 points, two more than Ayrton Cahan. Liam Loiacono has scored 56 points. Anthony Martella won the Freedom 75 last year, and he won the first race from the IMS road course nearly two weeks ago. Martella has 54 points. The IMS road course marked the debut for Oliver Wheldon, who qualified on pole position. Broken suspension ended Wheldon's first race, but he finished third and second in the next two races, and he is ninth in the championship on 51 points despite missing the opening round. Welsey Gundler rounds out the op ten on 49 points.

Thomas Nordquist was the fastest in U.S. F2000's test on Wednesday at 20.8380 seconds ahead of his DEForce Racing teammate Garzón at 20.8890 seconds. Wheldon was third fastest at 20.9713 seconds with Majman in fourth at 21.0726 seconds and Ryan Giannetta in with at 21.0906 seconds. Beswick was sixth quickest at 21.0918 seconds.

The Freedom 75 will be held at 6:30 p.m. ET and run for 75 laps or 45 minutes.

Fast Facts

This will be the eighth IndyCar race to take place on May 24 and the first since Juan Pablo Montoya won the 99th Indianapolis 500 in 2015.

Only one IndyCar race held on May 24 was not the Indianapolis 500. Paul Tracy won the 1997 Gateway CART race on this day.

This year's race is on the 45th anniversary of Bobby Unser's third Indianapolis 500 victory, the 39th anniversary of Al Unser's fourth Indianapolis 500 victory, and the 34th anniversary of Al Unser, Jr.'s first Indianapolis 500 victory, the closest Indianapolis 500 victory ever at 0.043 seconds over Scott Goodyear.

The other May 24 Indianapolis 500s were Eddie Cheever's victory in 1998 and Hélio Castroneves' third victory in 2009. 

This will be the 179th 500-mile race in IndyCar history.

The United States has produced the most 500-mile race winners with 67. Brazil and the United Kingdom has each produced seven 500-mile race winners. Canada has had four, Italy and France have each had three winners. Sweden has two winners. The Netherlands, Mexico, Colombia, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Spain have each produced one winner. 

Eleven of the last 15 Indianapolis 500s have been completed in under three hours. Only five of the first 87 Indianapolis 500s that went the distance were completed in under three hours.

This year's grid features...

12 Americans...

Three New Zealanders...

Three Britons...

Two Swedes...

Two Brazilians...

Two Danes...

A Spaniard...

A Mexican...

A Caymanian...

A Dutchman...

A Japanese...

An Australian...

A Frenchman...

A German and...

A Norwegian.

This will be the 18th consecutive Indianapolis 500 to feature at least ten different nationalities.

Ten drivers have won on both the oval and road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They are Alex Lloyd, Jack Harvey, Dean Stoneman, Colton Herta, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi and Álex Palou.

The drivers who could become the 11th driver to win on both the oval and road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend are, Patricio O'Ward, Rinus VeeKay, Christian Rasmussen, Louis Foster, Kyle Kirkwood, Dennis Hauger, Jacob Abel and Sting Ray Robb.

Rinus VeeKay or Christian Lundgaard could join Will Power, Simon Pagenaud, Scott Dixon Alexander Rossi, Josef Newgarden and Álex Palou as the only drivers to win an IndyCar race on the IMS oval and road course. 

The last fastest rookie qualifier has been the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in three consecutive years.

The average starting position for an Indianapolis 500 winner is 7.449 with a median of fifth.

Eight of the last nine Indianapolis 500 winners have started in one of the first three rows. 

The average number of lead changes in the Indianapolis 500 is 14.779 with a median of ten. 

In the DW12-era, the average number of lead changes in the Indianapolis 500 is 38.35714 with a median of 35. 

The driver who led the most laps has won only two of the last 14 Indianapolis 500s, Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2014 and Simon Pagenaud in 2019. 

The driver who led the most laps has not won the last six Indianapolis 500s. The last time there were at least six consecutive Indianapolis 500s where the driver who led the most laps did not win the race was an eight-year streak from 1990 through 1997.

The average number of cautions in the Indianapolis 500 is 7.568 with a median of seven. The average number of caution laps is 43.411 with a median of 43.

In the last 15 Indianapolis 500s, 11 races have had more than five cautions.

This will be the 77th Indianapolis 500 victory for Firestone. 

This will be the 26th Indianapolis 500 victory for Dallara, extending Dallara's record for most Indianapolis 500 victories for a chassis manufacturer.

If Honda wins the race, it will be the manufacturer's 17th Indianapolis 500 victory. Honda is currently second all-time in victories for engine manufacturers, 11 victories behind Offenhauser's 27. 

Chevrolet is third all-time with 13 Indianapolis 500 victories.

Predictions

Álex Palou, but if it isn't Álex Palou... well... it is difficult to pick against Álex Palou. Most of Palou's laps led will come in the final 80 laps of the race, and the driver who leads the most laps within the first half of the race will finish outside the top five. Josef Newgarden will be the biggest improver from his grid position at the checkered flag. The best Dane will be Christian Lundgaard. Ryan Hunter-Reay does not have any issues running out of fuel. Marcus Ericsson has at least a top 15 finish. Kyle Kirkwood makes up at least 12 positions. Katherine Legge sees the checkered flag but she finishes at least one lap down. Ed Carpenter will be the best finishing Ed Carpenter Racing driver. Sleeper: Scott Dixon. 

Musings From the Weekend: What is Missing?

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

A driveshaft failure appears to be the only thing that stopped Max Verstappen (and Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer and Daniel Juncadella) from victory in the 24 Hours Nürburgring. Formula E fulfilled the Ascension Weekend tradition of racing at Monaco. NASCAR had an ordinary weekend in Dover with an unordinary prize for Dover. MotoGP had a rough race in Barcelona, and our thoughts and prayers are with Álex Márquez and Johann Zarco after their accidents. Rain washed out Saturday qualifying from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but on Sunday Álex Palou continued to make history as he took pole position. We also found out late last night the qualifying times for Caio Collet (tenth) and Jack Harvey (29th) were disallowed due to modifications made to the Energy Management System covers in post-qualifying inspection. Collet and Harvey will be moved to 32nd and 33rd respectively on the grid. Plenty happened on Sunday,  from this point of view, it has been a rather subdued week in the buildup to the Indianapolis 500.

What is Missing?

It feels like something is missing this May. I don't know what it is. 

It does feel like this is another race. Obviously, it is isn't. See the week of practice, special qualifying session, and everything else that fills the pomp and circumstance. It is the Indianapolis 500. We have a full week ahead and we still have to act like the pit stop competition is a good event. 

Yet, it feels lacking. 

Have all the good stories been told? 

I have been thinking about the 2020s, since we are more than halfway through the decade. 

We had a race behind closed doors in August because of a global pandemic, which also included Fernando Alonso and it was the first Indianapolis 500 with the aeroscreen...

We had a race that was a semi-return to normalcy with a limited crowd that turned into seeing the fourth four-time winner driving as a one-off with a new team after leaving the most successful IndyCar team...

A full return and a race that one of the greatest in IndyCar history lost due to a pit lane speeding penalty, and it turned out to be Jimmie Johnson's only Indianapolis 500 debut...

A one-lap shootout that gave a champion his first Indianapolis 500 victory...

A race that was delayed until the middle of the afternoon, that featured Kyle Larson attempting "The Double," which turned into a single, Team Penske entering as a pariah, and only the sixth driver to win the race in consecutive years thanks to a breathtaking last lap pass...

Another attempt at The Double, more Team Penske controversy, an unthinkable pole position for a rookie, a possible five-time winner, a possible three-consecutive winner for the first time in race history, a sold out crowd, and a race that turned out to be Álex Palou's crowning achievement after already winning everything else in IndyCar within his first five seasons, which was also the first Indianapolis 500 with the hybrid engine...

Especially based on the last two seasons, it is pretty tame entering the race in 2026. It is still a special race, there is still a driver attempting The Double, the grandstands sold out over a week before the race, and it still feels muted this May.

What am I looking for? 

Come race day, this malaise will be forgotten. The passion remains for this race. Looking through notes and record books and preparing for what we may see is still as enjoyable as it has ever been, but there is a zip that isn't quite there. 

Maybe we have been spoiled rotten the last few years through the good and the bad times. There was general thankfulness a race happened at all six years ago. The few years after that there saw gratefulness it returned and didn't lose a beat. Then we had some pretty phenomenal racing, and we have had landmark winners. We have had it pretty good. 

Some of it could be down to wondering what could come next, and the stories are there. Not everyone has an Indianapolis 500, and Patricio O'Ward sits in the sentimental chair, the fan favorite a growing number would like to see win after a number of close calls. There are the underdog stories, can Conor Daly and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, the little team that could, pull off a storybook ending? Can Scott McLaughlin find redemption after last year's accident on the pace laps? Does Ryan Hunter-Reay get another bite at the apple after his car quit on the final pit stop? 

We are not lacking on history either. Palou winning again would put him in another exclusive club. We could crown him driver of the 2020s at that point. If it isn't Palou, Scott Dixon has been waiting 18 years for his second Indianapolis 500 victory, one that would be more than deserved and everyone would be thrilled to celebrate. Josef Newgarden could snag a third and we could restart the watch for fourth. Hélio Castroneves can still win a fifth, creating a club of his own and becoming the oldest winner in the century-plus history of this race. 

This can still be the stage for a breakout performance. Kyle Kirkwood, David Malukas, Santino Ferrucci and Christian Rasmussen are all going to be around for a while, but this race could set the course for their futures and how they will be remember in IndyCar history. 

The potential is there. Something special will happen. We don't know what it will be yet, and that is alright. It is ok that it isn't clear either. For the better part of this decade, it has been clear what we are watching for or the story has stood out from the very beginning. That has not been the case in 2026. No driver or group of drivers looked dominant in practice. The grid is pretty even at the moment. That does make it harder to set expectations. When many outcomes feel possible, you cannot focus on one.

Qualifying weekend did make me feel better. Even just writing these words got the hairs to stand up over what is possible. Coincidentally, I wrote about a similar feeling on this Monday last year. That was a little different because it had more to do with the tone around the series and this is a little more personal, but maybe it is something to note. Maybe I should be thinking differently entering practice week. It is a thought for 2027.

What matters most is this week and what happens on race day. Once it is over, the stubborn rut of practice week will become a forgotten feeling. The only trace will be these words to confirm it was not all hunky-dory in the lead up. Not every Indianapolis 500 is a building buzz from May 1st through the checkered flag. Life is more complicated than that. Sometimes it is flat, and that isn't a bad thing. 

It will work itself out. It always does. 

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Álex Palou, but did you know...

The #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol Mercedes-AMG of Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz won the 24 Hours Nürburging.

Fabio Di Giannantonio won MotoGP's Catalunya Grand Prix. Álex Márquez won the sprint race by 0.041 seconds over Pedro Acosta, the closest sprint race in MotoGP history. Manuel González won in Moto2, his second victory of the season. Máximo Quiles won in Moto3, his third consecutive victory and his fourth victory of the season.

Nyck de Vries and Oliver Rowland split the Monaco ePrix.

Nicolò Bulega swept the World Superbike races from Most, and Bulega is now 15-for-15 this season. Valentin Debise swept the World Supersport races.

Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR All-Star Race from Dover, his second All-Star Race victory. Corey Day won the Grand National Series race, his second victory of the season. Kyle Busch won the Truck race, his 69th career victory in that series.

Coming Up This Weekend

110th Indianapolis 500.

61st Canadian Grand Prix, which is a sprint weekend for the first time.

77th Coca-Cola 600.

Super Formula will have a doubleheader from Suzuka.

Supercars will be at Symmons Plains.

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters have a weekend at the shore racing along Zandvoort.

First Impressions: 110th Indianapolis 500 Sunday Qualifying

1. Álex Palou is inevitable. With four laps at a 232.248-mph average in the Fast Six session, Palou won pole position for the 110th Indianapolis 500. One year after an incredible victory to check all the boxes on an illustrious IndyCar before he even turned 30 years old, Palou adds to his legacy as he is now a two-time pole-sitter for the Indianapolis 500, the 19th driver to hold such an honor multiple times. Starting first, his defense of the Borg-Warner Trophy starts off on a strong note.

Palou wasn't blitzing the competition this week. He was there but it was not apparent he would be the driver to beat in qualifying. He doesn't need to be the fastest in qualifying. Palou just has to be close. Start in the top eight and his odds are greater than most starting on the front row.

Every race feels it is destined to be Palou's. This is no different. We are at a moment in time when every race goes through one driver. The question is "Who is finishing second?" That is even true for the Indianapolis 500.

Palou controls all history and every other driver's legacies. We are on the verge of looking back at a driver who has everything and a great number of talented drivers with little to show for their careers.

2. Alexander Rossi is on the front row, as Rossi ran at 231.990 mph to take second. Ed Carpenter Racing has not been the usual pole position threat in recent years, but it has found something, and Rossi's track record at Indianapolis is rather encouraging.

Rossi does not come from behind. His only victory from outside the top five is his first career victory, the 100th Indianapolis 500, which happened a decade ago, and he won from 11th on an empty tank. He is at the front this year. As long as he doesn't lose track position, we know Rossi can be a factor. He hasn’t really ever had to race Palou, a mighty task for all on the grid. Rossi has to find his 2018 form to win this one. 

3. David Malukas' first Indianapolis 500 for Team Penske sees him on the front row after running four laps at 231.877 mph. Malukas continues to be consistently quick. He is the best starting Team Penske driver for another race.

This change has not spooked Malukas. Being paired with Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin has not rattled him. Malukas is the driver Penske can feel most confident in, but Malukas still has much to prove to win a race. He has run well, but the closing laps of the Indianapolis 500 are a foreign realm for him. If the pressure hasn’t got to him yet, he could be fine, but we will find out a lot about him next Sunday 

4. It was another year where Felix Rosenqvist lost speed in qualifying, and after topping the Fast 12, Rosenqvist could not remain on the front row. He will start fourth after running at 231.375 mph.

Rosenqvist looks good. He has looked good all week, but as has been the problem with Rosenqvist for years, he qualifies well but then the pace vanishes in the race. We see him start in the top five but he does not finish there enough and he seldomly finishes better than where he starts when at the front. He could be a factor, but history suggests it will be tough to hang around.

5. Starting fifth will be Santino Ferrucci, as Ferrucci ran a 230.846-mph average. We know how well Ferrucci has run at Indianapolis. This pace was a little better than we were expecting. Ferrucci looked like a Fast 12 factor, but the Fast Six was perhaps out of reach.

For a driver who has finished in the top ten in every Indianapolis 500 start, it is tough to believe it will continue. Nothing lasts forever, even when you are quick. This field is tough. Ferrucci is up there, but he will need to beat some incredible drivers.

6. Patricio O'Ward rounds out row two after running at 230.442 mph. This has not been the most impressive week for O'Ward, but there are plenty of positives. Arrow McLaren has not looked spectacular, but O'Ward has shown good pace, He is in the conversation.

It might not feel like O'Ward's year at this moment, but he is in the picture. The team should be motivated. A teammate won the most recent race, but to cement himself as the McLaren leader, a victory in the Indianapolis 500 will go much further. He is still McLaren's favorite going into race day.

7. Falling shy of the Fast Six was Kyffin Simpson, who will start seventh. Simpson surprises us. He does well, but there are still races where he is anonymous. He is good until he isn't. On this occasion, he looked really good and he has held his own against two outstanding Chip Ganassi Racing teammates. Will it carry over to the race? There are a lot of tough drivers on the grid. Simpson will need his greatest performance on Sunday.

8. It is hard to be disappointed in your best starting position ever for the Indianapolis 500, but Conor Daly was expecting more. It has still been a successful qualifying week to start eighth. This has been the best May of Daly’s career. The tough part will be the race. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing raced well last year after Ryan Hunter-Reay wound up at the front. The strategy is much different when starting eighth. That is a question mark for this group entering race week.

9. The road to redemption will begin from ninth for Scott McLaughlin. It is a good spot. It felt like McLaughlin could make the Fast Six, but ninth is a good spot. As long as he gets through the pace laps, he should be fine. He is going to drive a smart race. He usually does.

10. Our fastest rookie qualifier is Caio Collet. Good for him! However, we have seen two other A.J. Foyt Racing drivers as the fastest rookie in recent years and those drivers were Matheus Leist and Benjamin Pedersen. How did it turn out for those guys? I hesitate to get too excited about any rookie qualifying tenth in the Indianapolis 500. We have seen them come and go. Four laps is one thing. The race is 200. After that we can draw conclusions about Collet.

11. Scott Dixon will start 11th. Good, but not great, and that has been the story of Dixon's season. He has done well, but he has been just outside the picture of being a challenger. Perhaps that is what he needs. Perhaps his next big result is just from the fringe.

12. Considering Juncos Hollinger Racing had never made the Fast 12 before this year, Rinus VeeKay ending up 12th is a big result for this group. VeeKay has run well at Indianapolis, and he should be filled with encouragement. The problem is seeing how JHR handles the pressure of being at the front. It hasn't run at the front of many races before let alone running at the front of the Indianapolis 500. Twelfth isn’t the sharp point of the grid, but it is closer to first than most. 

13. Takuma Sato just missed out on the Fast 12 as did Ed Carpenter and Hélio Castroneves to make one of the oldest rows in Indianapolis 500 history. If there was any magic left at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it would be hiding out on row five. Sato did well last year. Carpenter hasn't been that much of a challenger recently. You cannot rule out Castroneves. There is no shortage of feel-good stories. 

14. Row six will feature Christian Rasmussen, Marcus Armstrong and Marcus Ericsson. We have seen Rasmussen drive forward in each of his first two Indianapolis 500s. Armstrong is starting much better than last year, and he raced well. Andretti Global never really showed confidence all week. None of its cars crack the top half of the field. Ericsson is its best qualifier. I don't know if Ericsson can keep pulling out strong performances from 18th starting position.

15. The early draw did not benefit Christian Lundgaard as he and Nolan Siegel sandwich WIll Power on row seven. Lundgaard went forward last year. Power hasn't been great this year. Siegel has done better in recent races. 

16. You will see Louis Foster start 22nd next to two past winners, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Josef Newgarden. I didn't think Newgarden would be that far off. It felt like he had the pace to make the Fast 12. Starting 32nd didn't stop him last year, and if the car didn’t break, he could have been in the top five. He is actually in a better position this year but still has a lot of work to do. 

17. Row nine features Romain Grosjean, Kyle Kirkwood and Katherine Legge. Kirkwood has seemed frustrated the entire week. At least Dale Coyne Racing wasn't bumped this year. I think 27th was rather good for Legge.

18. Mick Schumacher is the second-fastest rookie qualifier in 28th. That is probably as good as it was going to be for Schumacher. He is two spots ahead of Graham Rahal. Some things never change. Jack Harvey will be between the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers. I wasn't convinced Harvey would make the Fast 12. I didn't think he would be on row ten though.

19. The last row party features two rookies, Dennis Hauger and Jacob Abel. Last-place will be Sting Ray Robb. With no reason to push it, I am sure they are happy just to get through qualifying. The big prize is on Sunday. It does not feel like any of these three have what it takes to pull off the unprecedented. Each will be happy to complete all 200 laps. 

20. And now we wait! One week until race day. Plenty of time to ponder what is to come. And that is what we will do. Stay tuned.