IndyCar
Indianapolis 500 Notebook
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – Here is everything you need to know about the 107th running of ‘The Greatest Spectacle In Racing’, the Indianapolis 500.
What
- 107th 500-mile INDYCAR SERIES race conducted on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s oval. Ray Harroun won the inaugural race in 1911. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson is the defending race winner.
Nine Previous Winners In the Field
- Nine drivers entered have won the Indianapolis 500. Helio Castroneves has won the race four times (2001, 2002, 2009 and 2021) while Takuma Sato (2017 and 2020) has won twice. Scott Dixon (2008), Tony Kanaan (2013), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Will Power (2018), Simon Pagenaud (2019) and Marcus Ericsson (2022) are the other former winners in the field.
Roger Penske Winningest 500 Owner
- Team Penske has 18 wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the most of any team. Andretti and Chip Ganassi Racing have won five times while A.J. Foyt Enterprises and Rahal Letterman Racing have won twice. Meyer Shank Racing has one win.
Four Rookies In The Field
- Four Indianapolis 500 rookie drivers qualified for the race: Agustin Canapino, RC Enerson, Benjamin Pedersen and Sting Ray Robb.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou On Pole Position
- Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou won the NTT P1 Award with the fastest four-lap average for a pole winner at 234.217 mph in the No. 10 American Legion ‘Be The One’ Honda. Twenty-one drivers have won the race from the pole – most recently Simon Pagenaud in 2019.
Palou Going For Month of May Sweep
- Alex Palou has a chance to join Will Power and Simon Pagenaud as a winner on both the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and the famed 2.5-mile oval in the same season. Power accomplished the feat in 2018, while Pagenaud did it in 2019 – both sweeping the Month of May.
Sato Fastest in ‘Carb Day’ Final Practice
- Chip Ganassi Racing’s Takuma Sato posted the fastest speed in the ‘Carb Day’ final practice for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500. Sato turned a fast lap of 227.855 mph in the No. 11 Deloitte Honda with his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon right behind in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda.
Scott Dixon’s Ganassi Team Wins Pit Stop Competition
- PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Scott Dixon and his No. 9 ‘Wolfpack’ crew beat the Team Penske crew of Will Power to win the annual Miller Lite Carb Day Pit Stop Competition on Friday, winning the best-of-three stops to win $50,000 and a cool ring from Jostens.
Angela Brown to sing ‘God Bless America’
- World-renowned opera singer and Indianapolis-native Angela Brown will reprise her role of singing “God Bless America” during pre-race ceremonies for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 28. She last performed the beloved patriotic tradition for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2017.
Jewel to perform National Anthem
- Jewel, a multi-platinum singer-songwriter, actress, mental health lived experience expert and best-selling author, will perform the national anthem before the start of Sunday’s Indy 500. Jewel went from a girl who grew up with no running water on an Alaskan homestead to earning 26 music award nominations, becoming a multi-platinum recording artist who released one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Stephanie Beatriz Indy 500 Grand Marshall
- Stephanie Beatriz, from Peacock’s ‘Twisted Metal’ will serve as the Grand Marshall of ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’. As grand marshal, Beatriz will give the traditional command for drivers to report to their cars during the official pre-race ceremonies and will walk the Indy 500 red carpet. The command will be shown live on NBC’s Race Day broadcast, which kicks off at 11 a.m. (ET) and runs all the way through the Indy 500 checkered flag.
Pacers Tyrese Haliburton to drive Pace Car
- Indiana Pacers Guard Tyrese Haliburton, who had a breakout season in 2022-23, has been named honorary Pace Car driver for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Haliburton will drive the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 hardtop convertible and lead the field of 33 drivers to the start of ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’ “It’s a tremendous honor to be given the opportunity to drive the Pace Car and lead the field to start the Indy 500. Basketball and racing are big in Indiana, and it’s such a cool experience to represent the Pacers at the biggest race in the world.” said Haliburton.
Adam Driver Named Honorary Starter
- Indiana native Adam Driver, whose various accolades include nominations for two Academy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award, will serve as honorary starter, waving the green flag on Sunday. “Indy 500 Race Day is full of meaning for our drivers, our fans across the globe and most especially our active-duty military members and veterans,” said J. Douglas Boles, Speedway President. “Adam is not only a star recognized across the world but also a former U.S. Marine who will be a very fitting addition to ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’”
SUNDAY, MAY 28 Schedule
10:30 a.m. – Cars to the Grid
11:47 a.m. – Driver Introductions
12:14 p.m. – Indy 500 Pre-Race Ceremonies
12:29 p.m. – “Drivers to Your Cars”
12:38 p.m. – Command to Start Engines
12:45 p.m. – 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge (200 laps/500 miles), NBC/Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network
MADISON, IL (June 6, 2026) – Alex Palou and the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing team are continuing to lay down fast laps when it counts with Palou earning the pole position for Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway. The pole position is Palou’s fourth straight NTT P1 Pole award.
“It was incredible and so much fun, especially that first lap,” said Palou, who turned a two-lap average speed of 174.353 mph in the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “The #10 Honda Honda had so much speed. The team I have around me is incredible. My car was on rails today; it was incredible.”
David Malukas starts second in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet after a two-lap average of 173.244 mph. Malukas could only look on in disbelief as Palou knocked him off the pole.
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood starts third in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda following a two-lap average of 173.206 mph.
“ It was a good run for us,” said Kirkwood, the 2025 WWWT Raceway winner. “P3 is a really good starting spot and we can definitely do some great things from there. Last year we won from 10th, so it’s nice to be able to be at the front.”
2026 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Felix Rosenqvist starts fourth in the No. 60 SiriusXM Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin will start 5th in the No. 3 Dex Imaging Chevrolet.
Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon starts 7th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda and CGR’s Kyffin Simpson will start 14th in the No. 8 Sunoco Honda.
Television coverage of Sunday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 begins at 8 PM CT / 9 PM ET on Fox. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on the INDYCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation (Channel 160).
DETROIT, MI (May 31, 2026) – Alex Palou is back in victory lane after winning Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, his fourth win of 2026 and 12th win in his past 25-races.
“It was a tough one,” said Palou. “The team did an incredible job one again with the strategy. Pit stops were incredible. The number 10 Honda Honda looked really good and I think every time it has been on track it’s had a win.”
Palou and the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda fought off Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood on two late-race restarts as Palou was on the harder Firestone Primary tire and Kirkwood was on the softer Firestone alternate tire.
“It was very tough with the temperature on the tires,” explained Palou. “On the restarts I couldn’t really be at the level of Kirkwood, Power and some of the guys who were able to get a little more tire temp than I Wass able to.”
“The Sam’s Club Honda was really fast,” said Kirkwood, who is second to Palou in the Championship. “We took a little bit of a gamble on tires there being the only guy on reds (alternate) at the end. It nearly paid off. It was so, so, close. They’re a great team and he’s a great driver.”
Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Graham Rahal finished third in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda, tying Rahal’s best finish of the year.
“We had a lot of pace when we needed it,” explained Rahal. “We go lucky a little bit with the yellow.”
IndyCar
Alex Palou wins Detroit IndyCar Pole; Scott Dixon earns 4th starting spot; Honda sweeps front row
DETROIT, MI (May 30, 2026) – Alex Palou is starting on the pole position for the third consecutive NTT IndyCar Series Race, winning the number 1 starting spot for Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.
Palou’s fast lap of 1-minute, 1.9017-seconds (95.668 mph) in the No. 10 Honda Racing Corporation Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was 0.005542-seconds ahead Will Power, who will start second in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda of Andretti Global. This is Power’s best starting position since switching to Andretti in the offseason.
“I’m super happy that we got the pole position,” said Palou. “The Fast Six was very exciting, especially with only getting one lap. The tires were not up to temperature, but this #10 Honda Honda car was on rails.”
“It was really nice to get into the Fast Six,” said Power, IndyCar’s all-time pole winner. “It’s my second time in the one lap shootout this year. It’s very difficult to beat Alex, so heading into the race I think we just have to put our heads down and see what we can do. The Honda is very good and I’ve been really enjoying running with Honda power all year.”
The front row Honda sweep on Chevrolet’s doorstep may bode well for the manufacturer as Honda has won every race at Detroit since the series switched to the downtown street circuit beginning in 2023.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin spoiled the Honda party, locking down the third starting spot with a lap of 1:02.4559 in the No. 3 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet.
Six-time series Champion Scott Dixon qualified a season-best fourth at 1:02.6085 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda to give Chip Ganassi Racing two of the top 4 starting spots.
“I was just a little too aggressive going for it,” said Dixon. “The No. 9 PNC Bank Honda has speed and it’s good to be starting up front.”
Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard will line up fifth after a fast lap of 1:02.7870 in the No. 7 Chevrolet, despite losing an engine in the morning practice.
Kyle Kirkwood continued the Firestone Fast Six Honda party qualifying sixth in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda despite locking his tires up at one point and two power slides during his quick lap.
David Malukas will start last in the field after bringing out a red flag during his qualifying run. Malukas smacked the wall in turn 7 causing heavy damage to the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet.
Sunday starts with a 30-minute morning warmup at 9:30 a.m. followed by the 100-lap race at 12:30 p.m. on Fox and the IndyCar Radio Network.
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