Two days of practice are complete from Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for the 110th Indianapolis 500. While plenty of laps have been turned, two news stories have emerged involving a semi-frequent topic ahead of each Indianapolis 500 and... well... another semi-frequent topic ahead of each Indianapolis 500, but one that does not happen often and generally attractions more attention and fanfare.
The Necessary Reason for an Unnecessary Qualifying Change
As you may have heard, there has been an adjustment to Indianapolis 500 qualifying. This year's format sees an increase in potential pole-sitters competing on Sunday as the top fifteen from Saturday qualifying will advance to the three-round run for pole position the following day.
The top nine from Saturday will be guaranteed a spot in the Fast 12 while tenth through 15th will compete in the "Final 15" to determine the final three Fast 12 participants. From there, the Fast 12 and Fast Six will take place as they have since 2022.
With only 33 entries for this year's race, the Last Chance Qualifying session will not be held. That session had taken place between the Fast 12 and Fast Six.
From a sporting perspective, there was no reason to change the qualifying format. When it came to broadcasting, something had to be done since there was no Last Chance Qualifying. IndyCar was budgeted three hours for qualifying on Sunday, and without the Last Chance Qualifying, they only had two hours worth of track activity. They had to fill the hour.
The Final 15 is a quick fix, but what happens should 34 cars or more enter in 2027? This is where IndyCar could have its hand caught in the cookie jar. It has just filled three hours by making the pole position portion into a three-round affair. Taking away three cars and returning to the Fast 12 next year devalues the Final 15 as just a schtick.
It is all arbitrary. Why was the Fast Nine chosen over 15 years ago when it it was first introduced? There was no need to increase to the Fast 12 from the Fast Nine. No one was expressing a desire to see more cars qualifying. We were happy with nine. This change does make qualifying feel like more of a sideshow if one year it is 15 cars potentially competing for pole position and the next year it is back down to 12.
Qualifying is not a holy event. We have seen qualifying butchered a lot over the last 20 years. From only locking in 11 cars at a time over three qualifying days before bump day to the 24-9 split over two days to the Fast Nine to everyone qualifying on Saturday to determine the Fast Nine and then everyone qualifying again on Sunday to set the entire grid, we have seen qualifying manipulated practically every way imaginable to justify its existence as a two-day process a week before the race itself.
It would be nice if IndyCar stuck to something and didn't change it.
That is how qualifying was for decades. It never changed. Nothing was added. The rules were consistent each year. Not all change is bad. There can be evolutions, but the tweaks every three or five years don't really do much.
My concern is qualifying will continue to be expanded on Sunday, especially if it is more difficult to get more than 33 entries. My fear is qualifying becomes bloated again with everyone running again and each row becomes an elimination format. The bottom six run and then the slowest three fill row 11. The next six run and then row ten is filled. That is extreme, but where do we draw the line? We are already expanding to 15 qualifiers with a shot at pole position. What is stopping an expansion to 18 in the future?
If we are going to have a "Final 15" and three rounds on Sunday, the only request I make for Saturday qualifying is to bring back the limit of three attempts. Cars are still going to qualify multiple times as there will be teams hoping to break into the top fifteen and teams that want to break into the top nine, but we shouldn't see teams running four or five times and waving them off after two laps.
The attempts should matter. How many times do we need to see the same cars on track doing the same thing to set the grid? If teams are going to run over and over again, there should be some stakes when a car makes a qualifying run. That gives a viewer a reason to tune in. If we are going to see 45 waived off attempts, there becomes a decrease in urgency to watch. You are seeing more cars bail out after one or two laps than cars completing full attempts.
I can live with every team getting one attempt where they do not have to withdraw a time, but if you are going to return to the track for a third run, that third run should be the one you are going to live with. It forces the teams to make a decision and brings some strategy into Saturday qualifying.
Last year, there were 73 qualifying runs attempted on Saturday. That was about 5.6 attempts an hour over the entire session, and it always takes about three hours to get through the line the first time. If you limited every entry to three attempts, there would still be the possibility of seeing 99 attempts in a 33-car field. Even if everyone only took two attempts, that would still be 66 qualifying runs, plenty to fill a day. Last year, there were 11 waived attempts. We saw 62 competed attempts in 2025 anyway. What are we losing if we prevent teams from going out four or five times with no fear of losing their grid spot?
Returning to a three-attempt limit would not curb on-track action. It would heighten the on-track action we would get to see. If we are considering anymore qualifying changes for 2027, limiting the number of attempts on Saturday should be on the table.
Legge's Double
Somewhat unexpectedly, it was announced early Wednesday Katherine Legge would attempt "The Double" of running the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day. Legge is entered in the Indianapolis 500 in the #11 Chevrolet for HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing. She will drive the #78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet at Charlotte.
Legge returns to the Indianapolis 500 after last competing in 2024, and she has run two of the last three Indianapolis 500s. Last year, she made her NASCAR Cup Series debut at Phoenix in March, and she started seven Cup races in 2025. Her best finish was 17th in the Brickyard 400. She also competed on the 1.5-mile oval at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. She ran the Cup race at Watkins Glen last Sunday.
On Monday night, while walking the dog, I thought about The Double and the decade waits between attempts. Robby Gordon made his final attempt in 2004, and there was not another serious attempt until 2014 when Kurt Busch entered both events. That was Busch's only run at it, and it was another decade before the next driver stepped up to the plate. That was Kyle Larson, and he attempted it in two consecutive years.
I was content that it would be another decade until someone would try it again, and I was thinking the next driver to attempt it would be someone we are not thinking about, a driver not even on our radars. I also thought that might be the time an IndyCar driver decides to add Charlotte to their schedule rather the other way around with a NASCAR driver.
Then enters Katherine Legge.
She will be the seventh driver to attempt it. John Andretti was the first in 1994. Davy Jones also made an attempt in 1995, but Jones didn't qualify for the Coca-Cola 600. Robby Gordon made five attempts between 1997 and 2004. Tony Stewart first made the attempt in 1999, and Stewart completed all 1,100 miles in 2001. Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson are the two most recent drivers to attempt it.
For as much as we bemoan the lost spontaneity in motorsports and drivers trying to run everything they can, Legge fulfills what we wish drivers would be. Even if there was a lot of planning, the fact it was not announced until 11 days until race day makes it appear it is done on a whim, and that is fine. This wasn't a case of looking for the best car or trying to do it right. It is about attempting it with what you can put together, and some times that is all you need in motorsports. The little teams can punch above their weigh and do the unthinkable.
The hope is to complete all 1,100 miles. It has only happened once in 12 attempts from some of the best drivers to every live. Three of the six drivers before Legge won NASCAR Cup championships. Andretti and Gordon both won in practically everything they ever drove. Even Jones won the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall, the most recent American driver to win Le Mans overall.
This is a challenge, but this is why we love it and we should appreciate what Legge is attempting. It might not work. We will live with that, but if it does, we will celebrate it, and Legge will rightfully receive her plaudits for doing what many dream but few actually chase.
Even if Legge completes all 200 laps in Indianapolis and finishes 22nd and completes all 400 laps in Charlotte and finishes 31st, it is a remarkable achievement. Yes, Tony Stewart would have better finishes from his 2001 attempt, but if it was easy, we wouldn't have been waiting a decade between each attempt. We wouldn't have drivers saying all the right things but never pulling the trigger. There wouldn't be drivers always putting on the qualifier that they would attempt The Double "with the right team” or “under the right circumstances.” They would just do it.
Legge has nothing to lose in this attempt, and God bless her for going for it. Many drivers have spoken glowingly of attempting The Double and never go for it. For drivers that are not full-time in either series, or really have nothing to lose, The Double should be a goal. It is a chance to standout while the racing world has forgotten you. Plenty of drivers are out there with talent who are anonymous. The Double would at least get everyone's attention. There is no reason why it isn't something attempted every two or three years even if by drivers we would never expected it form.
In 2026, Legge is going for it, and if she succeeds, we win in the process.
