Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Alex Palou Claims Indy 500 Pole in One-Day Qualifying Shake-Up

The defending winner becomes the first since 2010 to take pole the year after a victory.

Overview

  • Palou secured pole Sunday with a 232.248 mph four‑lap average after rain wiped out Saturday and compressed qualifying into a single‑day, three‑round format that cut the field from 33 to 12 to 6.
  • Alexander Rossi will start second at 231.990 mph and Team Penske’s David Malukas third at 231.877 mph to complete the front row for the May 24 race.
  • Felix Rosenqvist set the pace in the first two rounds but lost speed in the Fast Six and will start fourth in what teams described as hotter, slicker conditions.
  • Several past winners qualified deeper in the pack, with two‑time winner Josef Newgarden starting 24th and Andretti Global’s entries, including Kyle Kirkwood, mired in the back half.
  • Katherine Legge qualified 27th and plans to run the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca‑Cola 600 on the same day, a 1,100‑mile “Double” only five drivers have attempted and none by a woman.