Scott McLaughlin during practice for the 2026 Indianapolis 500. Image: Joe Skibinski
Last year’s winner Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou picked up where he left off at the speedway.
The Spaniard topped the first practice and went on to win pole position for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
It’s the second time Palou will lead the field after taking top spot for the 2023 running. That year, he went on to finish fourth.
So is starting from pole position a good omen? The stats suggest so.
The Indianapolis 500 has been won from pole position a total of 21 times.
The last driver to do it was Simon Pagenaud in 2019 with Team Penske. The first to do it was Jimmy Murphy in 1922.
The 2000s were particularly plentiful for winners from pole, with four that decade – namely Buddy Rice (2004), Sam Hornish Jr. (2006), Scott Dixon (2008), and Helio Castroneves (2009).
Starting from the front row is favourable too. Third place has won it 14 times, while second place has won it 11 times.
That’s not to say starting at the front is the be-all and end-all.
The lowest any driver has won the Indianapolis 500 from is 28th – a record shared by inaugural race winner Ray Harroun in 1911 and Louis Meyer in 1936.
The Indianapolis 500 has never been won from 18th, 23rd, 24th, 26th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, or 33rd.
David Malukas (left), Alexander Rossi (middle), and pole position winner Alex Palou pose for the front row photoshoot at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Image: Chris Owens
Who are the Indy 500 favourites?
As last year’s winner and the pole position sitter, it stands to reason that Alex Palou will be the short-priced favourite.
The four-time IndyCar champion is in a rich vein of form with three wins already this season.
Given the above stats, it stands to reason that Alexander Rossi and David Malukas should be at short odds too.
A decade ago, Rossi won the 2016 Indianapolis 500 on debut after a short-lived spell in Formula 1.
The American has gone on to become an IndyCar staple. His best performance since then was second in 2019 behind Simon Pagenaud.
Malukas will make just his fourth Indianapolis 500 start this year, which is his first with Team Penske. Last year, he finished runner-up to Palou.
What time does the Indy 500 start in Australia?
The 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 gets underway at 2:45am AEST on Monday, May 25.
How to watch the Indianapolis 500 in Australia
The Indianapolis 500 will be live and exclusive on streaming service Stan Sport from 12am AEST on Monday, May 25.
Indianapolis 500 race day schedule (AEST)
Monday, May 25
1:47am – Driver introductions
2:24am – US national anthem
2:29am – “Drivers, to your cars” Command
2:36am – Back Home In Indiana, performed by Jim Cornelison
2:38am – Command to start engines
2:45am – Green flag for 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500 live timing
Live timing for the Indianapolis 500 is available via the official IndyCar website.
Indianapolis 500 pole position winner Alex Palou pose for the front row photoshoot at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Image: Matt Fraver
Who is on pole position for the Indy 500?
How many rookies have won the Indy 500 pole position?
Robert Shwartzman (2025), Teo Fabi (1983), and Walt Faulkner (1950) are the only Indianapolis 500 rookie pole position winners.
Other rookies have started from pole position, including Tony Stewart in 1996 after Scott Brayton suffered fatal injuries in a crash after qualifying.
Lewis Strang began from the pole for the inaugural 500 in 1911 when starting position was determined by entry postmark date.
Jean Chassagne also started from pole when the grid was determined by a random draw.
Scott McLaughlin crosses the yard of bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Image: Amber Pietz
Where is Scott McLaughlin starting in the 2026 Indy 500?
Scott McLaughlin will line up ninth on row 4 in the #3 Pennzoil Chevy.
Where is Will Power starting in the 2026 Indy 500?
In his first Indianapolis 500 start with Andretti Global, Will Power is set to start the #26 Andretti Global Honda from 19th.
Where is Scott Dixon starting the 2026 Indy 500?
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon will start from 10th. He was promoted one place after AJ Foyt Racing driver Caio Collet was disqualified for a technical infringement.
Where is Marcus Armstrong starting the 2026 Indy 500?
Meyer Shank Racing driver Marcus Armstrong will start his third Indianapolis 500 from 16th, equalling his debut performance with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2024.
2026 Indianapolis 500 starting grid
Pos
Num
Driver
Team
Engine
Row 1
1
10
Alex Palou
Chip Ganassi Racing
Honda
2
20
Alexander Rossi
ECR
Chevrolet
3
12
David Malukas
Team Penske
Chevrolet
Row 2
4
60
Felix Rosenqvist
Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian
Honda
5
14
Santino Ferrucci
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Chevrolet
6
5
Pato O’Ward
Arrow McLaren
Chevrolet
Row 3
7
8
Kyffin Simpson
Chip Ganassi Racing
Honda
8
23
Conor Daly
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Chevrolet
9
3
Scott McLaughlin
Team Penske
Chevrolet
Row 4
10
9
Scott Dixon
Chip Ganassi Racing
Honda
11
76
Rinus VeeKay
Juncos Hollinger Racing
Chevrolet
12
75
Takuma Sato
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Honda
Row 5
13
33
Ed Carpenter
ECR
Chevrolet
14
6
Helio Castroneves
Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian
Honda
15
21
Christian Rasmussen
ECR
Chevrolet
Row 6
16
66
Marcus Armstrong
Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian
Honda
17
28
Marcus Ericsson
Andretti Global
Honda
18
7
Christian Lundgaard
Arrow McLaren
Chevrolet
Row 7
19
26
Will Power
Andretti Global
Honda
20
6
Nolan Siegel
Arrow McLaren
Chevrolet
21
45
Louis Foster
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Honda
Row 8
22
31
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Arrow McLaren
Chevrolet
23
2
Josef Newgarden
Team Penske
Chevrolet
24
18
Romain Grosjean
Dale Coyne Racing
Chevrolet
Row 9
25
27
Kyle Kirkwood
Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian
Honda
26
11
Katherine Legge
HMD Motorsports w/ AJ Foyt Racing
Chevrolet
27
47
Mick Schumacher
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Honda
Row 10
28
15
Graham Rahal
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Honda
29
19
Dennis Hauger
Dale Coyne Racing
Chevrolet
30
51
Jacob Abel
Abel Motorsports
Chevrolet
Row 11
31
77
Sting Ray Robb
Juncos Hollinger Racing
Chevrolet
32
4
Caio Collet
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Chevrolet
33
24
Jack Harvey
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Chevrolet
What is the lowest starting position from which the Indy 500 has been won?
Ray Harroun in 1911 and Louis Meyer in 1936 both won the Indianapolis 500 from 28th.
How many previous winners are in the 2026 Indy 500 field?
There are nine Indianapolis 500 winners in the starting 2025 field. They include Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021), Scott Dixon (2008), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Takuma Sato (2017, 2020), Will Power (2018), Marcus Ericsson (2022), Josef Newgarden (2023, 2024), and Alex Palou (2025). They have 14 wins collectively.
The record for the most winners in a field is 10 in 1992. The fewest previous winners the Indy 500 field has had is zero, which, other than the inaugural race, was in 1912, 1913, 1915, and 1916.
Will Power with Andretti Global teammate Marcus Ericsson, who are both Indianapolis 500 winners. Image: Amber Pietz
How many rookies are in the 2026 Indy 500?
The 2026 Indianapolis 500 features four rookie drivers – Mick Schumacher, Dennis Hauger, Jacob Abel, and Caio Collet.
Although Abel contested the Indianapolis 500 in part last year, given that he was knocked out in qualifying on Bump Day, he is still considered a rookie.
Collet was set to start 10th but was relegated to second-to-last after it was discovered that illegal modifications had been made to his car.
Schumacher is the highest-starting rookie in 27th for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Who has the most Indy 500 starts in the 2025 field?
Four-time winner Helio Castroneves has 25 starts to his name. He will drive for Meyer Shank Racing in 2026.
AJ Foyt has the most starts of all time with 35 between 1958 and 1992.
Scott Dixon during practice for the Indianapolis 500.
Who has led the most laps at the Indy 500?
Is Scott Dixon the unluckiest man at Indy? The stats seem to suggest so. Despite having led 677 laps, he’s only won the race once. That’s more than three times the race distance.
Dixon has led in 16 of his 22 starts – all of which have been with IndyCar heavyweights Chip Ganassi Racing.
Helio Castroneves is next on that leaderboard among active drivers with 326 laps led at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Who are the oldest and youngest drivers in the Indy 500?
At 51 years old, Helio Castroneves is a bona fide IndyCar veteran. The youngest driver is Nolan Siegel at just 21 years old.
The oldest driver to ever race at the Indianapolis 500 was AJ Foyt at 57 years and 128 days old in 1992. AJ Foyt IV remains the youngest starter, celebrating his 19th birthday in 2003.
Castroneves (50) and Takuma Sato (48) could become the oldest winners of the Indianapolis 500. That record is held by Al Unser Sr who was 47 and 360 days when he won the race in 1987.
If Nolan Siegel (20) or Kyffin Simpson (21) win the Indy 500, they’ll become the youngest drivers in history to win it, breaking the record held by 1952 winner Troy Ruttman who was 22.
Why do drivers drink milk after winning the Indy 500?
The winner of the Indianapolis 500 drinks milk in victory lane because of a tradition dating back to 1936 when Louis Meyer requested buttermilk after his win.
It’s been a tradition ever since for the winner to take a swig of milk as part of post-race celebrations.
Helio Castroneves started his own milk tradition by pouring it over his head.
Each year, drivers select what kind of milk they’d like to drink.
The original buttermilk option was eventually phased out despite some drivers still wanting it.