Welcome to The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.
The Indianapolis 500 is set for Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
From “Back Home Again In Indiana” to “Taps” to “Drivers, Start Your Engines” to the green flag to the checkered flag to the milk in Victory Lane, there is no other prerace like it, there is no other race like it, there is no other victory celebration like it.
The drivers of the INDYCAR Series work all year toward this race. Approximately 350,000 people — one person for approximately every 1,000 Americans — will attend. Several million will watch on television in the United States and around the world.
Here’s what to know about the 2026 Indianapolis 500:
What time will the race start?
The green flag is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ET. FOX coverage begins at 10 a.m. ET.
How long is the race?
It is 500 miles — 200 laps around the 2.5-mile oval. Unlike some other forms of racing, there is no overtime or provision for additional laps. An official race, if it rains or there are other factors for the race not to get to the finish, is 250 miles or beyond.
Is it really an oval?
It is a rectangular circuit. The frontstretch and backstretch are five-eighths of a mile each (1.25 miles total). The four turns are each a quarter mile (1 mile total). And the short chute between each turn one-eighth of a mile (0.25 mile total). The turns are banked 9 degrees, 12 minutes. The frontstretch and backstretch have no banking. The straightaways width is 50 feet; the turns width is 60 feet.
Does IMS have lights?
Not for the racing surface to be able to race at night.
How many Indy 500s have there been?
This is the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Who are the favorites?
You have to start with polesitter Alex Palou. He is the defending winner of the race and a four-time INDYCAR champion driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
And then? Most every other driver in the field could conceivably win the race depending on strategy, when they choose to pit, when the cautions come out and if they have to save fuel to make it work.
Alex Palou is eyeing a repeat at the Indy 500 in 2026.
In the 109 races, 21 winners have come from the pole and 46 have come from the front row. That should be good news for Palou, ECR Racing’s Alexander Rossi and Team Penske’s David Malukas. Another 21 drivers have won from the second row. This year, that’s Felix Rosenqvist, Santino Ferrucci and Pato O’Ward. And nine have come from the third row. This year that’s Kyffin Simpson, Conor Daly and Scott McLaughlin.
That leaves 33 winners (30 percent) who have won outside the third row. No driver who has started 18th, 23rd, 24th, 26th or 29th-33rd has ever won the race.
Rossi and O’Ward do have to go to backup cars after a hard crash in practice Monday. They get to keep their starting positions.
[WHO TO ROOT FOR: Guide To Choosing Your Favorite INDYCAR Driver]
What number of former winners are within the area?
There are 9 former winners within the area:
–Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021)
–Takuma Sato (2017, 2020)
–Josef Newgarden (2023, 2024)
–Scott Dixon (2008)
–Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014)
–Alexander Rossi (2016)
–Will Energy (2018)
–Marcus Ericsson (2022)
–Alex Palou (2025)
Castroneves, to me and different reporters, on the Drive for five: “Final yr, after I completed the race, I inform you what — I used to be already enthusiastic about. I used to be truly indignant just a little bit as a result of it was plenty of small errors. And even with the small errors, we nonetheless completed within the high 10. And that is the place my frustration got here in as a result of the automotive was wonderful, the setup was actually good.”
Is there anybody doing The Double?
Sure. Katherine Legge will drive within the Indianapolis 500 for HMD Motorsports as a part of an alliance with A.J. Foyt Racing. She is going to then journey to Charlotte and compete within the Coke 600 for Stay Quick Motorsports. Legge has made eight Cup begins during the last two years.
Katherine Legge is trying to turn out to be the primary girl to finish The Double on Sunday.
[WHO IS KATHERINE LEGGE? The Double Driver On Dogs & Being Fearless]
“It’s the alternative of a lifetime,” Legge stated in a digital information convention final week. “I will be the sixth individual to have ever [done] it, and that is on the earth, proper? That is actually cool. So I am excited.”
Do every other drivers within the area have NASCAR nationwide sequence expertise?
Sure. Conor Daly has three Cup begins, three O’Reilly Sequence begins and 6 truck begins.
Santino Ferrucci has 9 O’Reilly Sequence begins.
Are there any former F1 racers on this occasion?
Sure. There are 5 drivers who’ve competed in a Method 1 race.
–Takuma Sato raced from 2002-2008
–Marcus Ericsson raced from 2014-2018
–Romain Grosjean raced from 2012-2020.
–Mick Schumacher competed from 2021-2022.
–Alexander Rossi did 5 races in 2015.
Talking of Rossi, is he injured from his crash Monday?
The workforce says he has minor injuries to a finger on his left hand and his right ankle, each of which wanted outpatient procedures. They are saying he plans to take part in observe Friday and race within the Indianapolis 500.
Are there every other drivers nursing accidents?
It’s onerous to know. Mick Schumacher has been nursing an injured wrist from an accident firstly of the season that may probably require offseason surgical procedure.
Who’re the rookies within the race?
There are 4 drivers who will begin their first Indy 500:
–Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
–Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing
–Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing
–Jacob Abel, Abel Motorsports
Schumacher, Collet and Hauger are full-time rookies within the sequence. Abel was a rookie final yr however didn’t make the race. This will probably be his first begin of the 2026 season.
Mick Schumacher, that title sounds acquainted?
Mick Schumacher is the son of seven-time Method 1 champion Michael Schumacher, who had nice success at Indianapolis — on the highway course, the place he gained 5 Method 1 races. Mick Schumacher is a rookie this yr driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
“I am very a lot now trying ahead to the race,” Schumacher stated Tuesday in a digital information convention. “I feel that is going to be the spotlight of the yr. It is such a particular occasion and such a particular race, and I simply can’t wait for everyone to be right here.”
Mick Schumacher is the son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher.
Who’re different huge names in new locations?
Will Energy, after 17 years at Penske, is now at Andretti World, the place he changed Colton Herta. Energy hasn’t had a simple transition as he sits 14th within the standings. He has pace however not the outcomes.
“This group is nice,” Energy stated in a information convention Monday. “The individuals are nice. Clearly we’re working onerous placing processes in place. I feel we had actually good dealing with automobiles right here [in qualifying], however clearly there was just a little little bit of pace missing.
“However, actually, I feel our race automobiles are actually good simply with the work we have carried out within the brief interval we have had main as much as this. I am undoubtedly trying ahead to the race.”
His alternative at Penske, David Malukas, sits third within the standings and can begin the race Sunday within the entrance row.
“There was plenty of strain going into preseason, not simply even for this race, but additionally all of the races,” Malukas stated at his post-qualifying information convention.
“It is simply been an unimaginable begin. I am simply so grateful, so grateful. And each single day I present as much as the monitor just a little bit extra assured, just a little bit extra blissful to only to be right here and be part of this Workforce Penske household.”
Talking of Penske, the place are the executives who have been launched final yr?
The three executives launched after a technical violation was found in qualifying previous to the 2025 Indy 500 are all at Indianapolis hoping to win the race.
–Former Penske INDYCAR President Tim Cindric is again at Workforce Penske, however solely as a strategist for Scott McLaughlin.
–Former Penske INDYCAR managing director Ron Ruzewski is now the workforce principal at Andretti World.
–Former Penske INDYCAR common supervisor Kyle Moyer is director of competitors at Arrow McLaren and strategist for Christian Lundgaard, who gained the Indy Grand Prix on the highway course a pair weeks in the past.
Moyer stated it’s “odd” to be at Indy and never with Workforce Penske. A part of that’s as a result of he has been reunited with Tony Kanaan, who he had labored with at Andretti, and they’re within the previous Andretti store.
“I assumed I’d most likely retire at Penske,” Moyer advised me. “That didn’t occur. It was very, very good that McLaren and TK and [McLaren CEO] Zak [Brown] gave me the supply for her to have the ability to run one other skilled workforce and be on high of the sport.
“I hoped I may do one other one of many greater groups once more and lucky sufficient that it labored out right here.”
Ruziewski stated being on the Indy 500 isn’t emotional as a result of it’s with a brand new workforce.
“Unbiased of what group I am working with, this place is — it is an emotional place,” Ruzewski stated throughout a information convention Monday. “Truthfully, it is why I do it. It is why I am in INDYCAR and never one other sequence.
“This place is particular. It is the best race on the earth. I’ve been tremendous lucky to drink the milk seven occasions, and I solely wish to drink it the eighth time even worse.”
What are these automobiles?
These specifically-built automobiles, designed by Dallara, use twin-turbocharged, 2.2-liter, V-6 engines with hybrid know-how. Chevrolet and Honda present engines to groups. The automobiles weigh 1,635 kilos with out driver or gas.
The automobiles are about 40 inches excessive with a wheelbase of 117.5-121.5 Inches. Firestone does the tires.
The automobiles attain 240 mph in qualifying and can attain round 225 mph through the race.
Why does the winner drink milk?
The milk custom goes again 90 years in the past to 1936 when Louis Meyer, celebrating as the primary driver ever to win three Indianapolis 500s, drank buttermilk in victory lane.
[GOT MILK? Drivers’ Make Celebratory Milk Choice If They Win In 2026]
Who will sing the nationwide anthem?
Jordin Sparks. She additionally sang the nationwide anthem in 2015 and 2024.
Singing “America The Lovely” will probably be Indiana native Ephraim Owens.
Who will give the command?
There are two main instructions for the Indianapolis 500.
The primary is “Drivers To Your Vehicles” — that will probably be carried out by Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
The second is the command to begin engines. That probably will probably be Roger Penske, proprietor of INDYCAR and IMS dad or mum firm Penske Company (and proprietor of Workforce Penske). Penske gave the command final yr, and it historically has been somebody from the monitor proprietor’s household.
Who will drive the tempo automotive?
NCAA champion Indiana College soccer coach Curt Cignetti will drive the tempo automotive previous to the opening lap of the race. Don’t know who he’s? Google him.
Indiana soccer coach Curt Cignetti will make a uncommon look through the Indy 500.
Who will wave the inexperienced flag?
Actor Brendan Fraser, who was born in Indianapolis.
Will Gronk be there?
After all. Rob Gronkowski would be the “grand marshal” of the Snake Pit.
The Snake Pit?
Sure, that’s an space in Flip 3 the place followers used to look at the race that IMS has now become a live performance venue that has a number of acts earlier than and through the first portion of the race. Anticipated to carry out on the EDM pageant are Crankdat, Wooli, it’s murph and Wax Motif earlier than headliner Zedd takes the stage.
Lastly, what’s the climate forecast?
The FOX Climate forecast, as of Tuesday morning, is for temperatures within the mid-70s and a 52 p.c likelihood of rain.
