Structure of the 109th Indianapolis 500 Field
Get ready for what might be the most exciting qualifying weekend in motorsports history.
During a weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 34 entries will be pushing themselves and their cars to the limit, all vying for a spot in a 33-car field. It’s a tight competition, with one car ultimately missing out by the end of Sunday.
Full Field Qualifications
Saturday, May 17th
11am to 5:50pm Eastern
Qualifying kicks off on Saturday, as everyone aims to secure one of the 30 available spots. Only the top 30 will solidify their positions in the 33-car race. Cars that fail to qualify in that top 30 will have to wait until Sunday for another chance.
Before the first day of qualification, a random draw will determine the qualifying order for the day. Here are the details from this year’s draw:
A third warm-up lap may be allowed at the discretion of the race director. Each vehicle is granted two warm-up laps before attempting their qualifying laps.
The qualifying process consists of four timed laps, with the total time recorded as the official qualifying time. However, it’s the average speed from these laps that ultimately determines the car’s position.
During qualifying, two lanes will be set up in the pit lane for teams to choose from for their qualifying attempts. Lane 1 is the “priority lane,” granting cars priority over those in Lane 2, but vehicles in Lane 1 have to surpass their previous qualifying speeds to claim that priority.
A key point to remember is that, in terms of eligibility for the Indianapolis 500, it’s the car that holds the entry, not the driver. This means if a driver gets injured before the race, another driver can take their place, even if they haven’t qualified in a different car.
Once Saturday’s session concludes, the top 30 positions will be filled. Cars finishing between 13th and 30th secure places in the Indianapolis 500, while the top 12 cars contend for pole positions. The bottom four cars will have to fight it out on Sunday for the final three available spots.
Top 12 Qualifiers
Sunday, May 18th
4:05pm to 5:05pm Eastern
Sunday is crucial as the entire lineup gets finalized, but one team will surely receive disappointing news.
Post-4pm Eastern, the first qualifying session will begin with three rounds. The top 12 cars from Saturday’s qualifications will compete for six positions in the “Fast Six” shootout.
The process starts with the slowest car from Saturday’s qualifiers and builds up to the fastest. The top six cars will earn spots in the Firestone Fast 6, determining their positions on the grid, while the next six fill spots 7 through 12.
Last Chance Qualification
Sunday, May 18th
5:15pm to 6:15pm Eastern
The four cars that didn’t qualify in Saturday’s session will take to the track for a last-chance qualifying session to vie for the final three spots. Each car is guaranteed one attempt, but they can make multiple attempts until time runs out.
To aid in engine cooling, additional cooldown laps are allowed after each qualifying run, up until 10 minutes remain in the session.
The latest qualifying speeds are valid for the starting lineup until they expire or the time runs out. With 34 cars in the qualifying field, that means one car will not make it through by the end of the last chance qualifier.
Firestone Fast Six
Sunday, May 18th
6:25pm to 6:55pm Eastern
This final session of the weekend establishes pole positions for the 109th Indianapolis 500.
The six fastest drivers from the top 12 qualifying session will each receive one qualifying run, with the order determined by their times from that session.
