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Indy 500 Qualifying Begins Under Revamped Two-Day Format

A new pole-day shootout raises the stakes for the front row with streamlined TV coverage across FOX and FS1/FS2.

Overview

  • Qualifying, which runs Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17, uses four-lap average speeds to set the 33-car grid at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
  • Saturday locks in positions 16–33 and sorts the fastest into advancement paths, with the top nine moving straight to Sunday’s Top 12 and cars 10–15 entered in the Final 15.
  • Sunday’s sequence sets the front: the Final 15 fills three open Top 12 slots, the Top 12 trims to six, and the Firestone Fast Six decides pole and the first two rows.
  • Drivers can re-qualify on Saturday using two pit-lane queues, with a faster-access priority lane that requires withdrawing a prior time and a second lane that protects the original run.
  • Fans can watch on FOX with key Sunday rounds starting at 4 p.m. ET, with practices and Saturday blocks on FS1/FS2 and live streaming available on fubo and FOX One, while storylines include Helio Castroneves’ five-win bid and Katherine Legge’s planned ‘Double.’