Indy 500 qualifying updates from Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Welcome to 2024 Indianapolis 500 qualifying. Positions 13-30 for the May 26 race will be determined Saturday, while the top 12 spots and positions 31-33 will be determined Sunday. One of the 34 entries will fail to make the race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway‘s 2.5-mile oval.
If Fast Friday is any indication, Team Penske’s trio of Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power will put up front-row worthy speeds. They own the top three 4-lap qualifying simulation efforts.
Every driver is guaranteed one qualifying attempt Saturday, then the strategy begins. Here’s how Indy 500 qualifying works. Follow Nathan Brown for IndyCar Series coverage all season, and we have every qualifying attempt on Saturday.
First time through:Indianapolis 500 2024 qualifying order
Wall banger:Rinus VeeKay suffers crash in qualifying
5:50 p.m.: Indy 500 qualifying recap
Team Penske cruises to the front of Indy 500 qualifying, but NASCAR star Kyle Larson has a chance to win the pole position with one day of time trials remaining.
Will Power (233.758 mph), Scott McLaughlin (233.332) and defending race champ Josef Newgarden (233.293) take advantage of favorable early qualifying runs Saturday to dominate the top the speed chart.
Larson, trying to compete at Indy and in NASCAR’s 600-mile race at Charlotte on May 26, stands 6th (232.563) after the first day. The top 12 from Saturday return Sunday to go for the pole position.
Positions 13-30 are determined. Four drivers will compete for the last 3 spots: 2022 race winner Marcus Ericsson (230.603), Katherine Legge (230.830), Graham Rahal (230.685) and Nolan Siegel (228.276).
Top 12 going for pole position: Will Power, Scott McLaughlin, Will Power, Alexander Rossi (233.069), Kyle Kirkwood (232.764), Kyle Larson, Felix Rosenqvist (232.547), Santino Ferrucci (232.496), Takuma Sato (232.473), Pato O’Ward (232.434), Rinus VeeKay (232.419) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (232.385).
VeeKay withdraws his initial qualifying effort, which had been in the 10th row, in the closing minutes of the session, and vaults himself to the 11th spot.
Practice begins at noon ET on Sunday, with qualifying resuming shortly after 3 p.m.
Indy 500 qualifiers Nos. 13-30
Row 5
13. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, Andretti Global, 232.316
14. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, Chip Ganassi Racing, 232.306
15. (6) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 232.230
Row 6
16. (11) Marcus Armstrong (R), Honda, Chip Ganassi Racing, 232.183
17. (20) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing, 232.017
18. (4) Kyffin Simpson (R), Honda, Chip Ganassi Racing, 231.948
Row 7
19. (98) Marco Andretti, Honda, Andretti Global, 231.890
20. (06) Helio Castroneves (W), Honda, Meyer Shank, 231.871
21. (9) Scott Dixon (W), Honda, Chip Ganassi Racing, 231.851
Row 8
22. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 231.847
23. (41) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, AJ Foyt Racing, 231.826
24. (33) Christian Rasmussen (R), Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing, 231.851
Row 9
25. (66) Tom Blomqvist (R), Honda, Meyer Shank, 231.578
26. (77) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 231.514
27. (8) Linus Lundqvist (R), Honda, Chip Ganassi Racing, 231.506
Row 10
28. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, 231.465
29. (24) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, Dreyer & Reinbold-Cusick, 231.243
30. (30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, 231.100
5 p.m.: Indy 500 qualifying happy hour
With car number, driver, engine, team, 4-lap speed average in mph
(15) Graham Rahal, Honda, RLL, waves off.
(21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, Carpenter, withdraws his earlier effort that had been in the 10th row. He goes 232.419 and moves into 11th.
(51) Katherine Legge, Honda, Coyne, caution waves after 2 laps.
(28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, Andretti, 230.765; that’s 5 attempts and he remains outside the top 30.
(78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger, waves off after 2 laps; his first lap was 233.267 (good enough for 4th), but his engine loses power after Lap 2. He remains 21st and is livid on the team radio.
(15) Graham Rahal, Honda, RLL, 230.685; that’s an improvement but he remains outside the top 30.
(30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, RLL, 230.874; he remains 30th.
(9) Scott Dixon, Honda, Ganassi, waves off after 3 laps; he remains 20th.
(20) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter, waves off after 2 laps as engine loses power; he remains 16th.
(33) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter, caution waves on Lap 4; he remains 23rd.
(28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, Andretti, caution waves; he remains outside the top 30.
(23) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, D&R/Cusick, 232.385; he moves into 11th. He says he’s “pleasantly surprised” by the improvement from the 20s in the Fast 12.
(51) Katherine Legge, Honda, Coyne, waved off; she remains out of the top 30.
(26) Colton Herta, Honda, Andretti, 232.316; moves from 12th to 11th.
Track conditions: 83 degrees, mostly sunny; track temperature 123.1 degrees
2 p.m.: Indy 500 qualifying resumes
With car number, driver, engine, team, 4-lap speed average in mph
(24) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, D&R/Cusick, 231.090; he remains 28th and suffers an engine issue upon finishing the run.
(17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, waves off after one lap at 233.499; no reason is immediately given for waving off.
(7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 233.069; that’s a better speed average but he remains 4th.
(6) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 232.230; he stands 13th.
(5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 232.434; he moves up to 10th.
(18) Nolan Siegel, Honda, Coyne, waved off after Lap 1; remains 34th.
(45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, 231.157; remains 27th.
(51) Katherine Legge, Honda, Coyne, 230.830; she improves on her first run but remains outside the top 30.
(15) Graham Rahal, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, 230.388; he improves on his first run but remains outside the top 30.
(41) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, AJ Foyt, 231.826; 20th among current qualifiers.
4 p.m. track conditions: 81 degrees, partly cloudy; track temperature 117.7 degrees
(21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter, 231.166; VeeKay’s run stands 29th and all 34 cars have completed qualifying runs. The last 4 at the moment (fastest to slowest): Marcus Ericsson, Katherine Legge, Graham Rahal, Nolan Siegel.
(28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, Andretti, 230.342; he does not improve, remains 30th.
(5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 231.833; 19th among current qualifiers.
“You can’t take this track for granted,” a frustrated O’Ward said while walking toward Gasoline Alley. “One day looks good, and the next it’s upside down.”
(06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, Meyer Shank, caution waves after 3 laps; he remains 16th.
(75) Takuma Sato, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, 232.472; he moves into 9th among current qualifiers.
(18) Nolan Siegel, Honda, Dale Coyne, 228.276; he improves by more than 1.5 mph but remains last among 33 qualifiers; Rinus VeeKay has not been on track since his crash. Team owner Dale Coyne says he believes the team can find more speed in Siegel’s car.
3 p.m. track conditions: 81 degrees, partly cloudy; track temperature 119.7 degrees
(98) Marco Andretti, Honda, Andretti, waves off on Lap 1; he remains 15th among current qualifiers.
(66) Tom Blomqvist, Honda, Meyer Shank, 231.578; 22nd among current qualifiers.
(28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, Andretti, caution waves on 4th lap; he remains 29th.
(78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger, caution waves on 4th lap; he remains 18th.
(6) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 231.728; 19th among current qualifiers. His initial attempt was disallowed after the car failed tech inspection.
(9) Scott Dixon, Honda, Ganassi, 231.851; 17th among current qualifiers.
(77) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger, caution waves on 4th lap; his earlier attempt remains, which is currently 20th.
(27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, Andretti, caution flag waves during 4th lap; his earlier attempt remains, which is currently 5th.
(17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 232.563; Larson stands 6th among current qualifiers.
“I’ll definitely take that,” Larson said on pit road. “It’s good to be in the show.”
(5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 229.840; he complains of issues changing gears.
(23) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, D&R/Cusick, 231.695
(7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 232.962; that’s the best of the non-Penske cars.
Track conditions: 80 degrees, mostly cloudy; track temperature 112.3 degrees
1:30 p.m.: Team Penske leads Indy 500 qualifying
All drivers have had an opportunity to make a qualifying attempt, though Pato O’Ward, Scott Dixon, Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay are waiting to take a run. Kyle Larson did not complete his first run, Rinus VeeKay crashed and Callum Ilott’s run was disallowed after his car failed tech inspection.
Team Penske again rules the track. Will Power (233.758 mph), Scott McLaughlin (233.332) and defending champ Josef Newgarden (233.293) top the 4-lap speed chart.
11 a.m.: 2024 Indy 500 qualifying begins
With car number, driver, engine, team, 4-lap speed average in mph
(06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, Meyer Shank, 231.871
(15) Graham Rahal, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, 230.233
(33) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing, 231.682
(26) Colton Herta, Honda, Andretti Global, 232.236
(41) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, AJ Foyt, 231.346
(75) Takuma Sato, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, 232.140
1 p.m. conditions: 78 degrees, mostly cloudy; track temperature 105.8 degrees
(10) Alex Palou, Honda, Ganassi, 232.306
(60) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, Meyer Shank, 232.574
(66) Tom Blomqvist, Honda, Meyer Shank, 231.403
(30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, 231.100
(24) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, Dreyer & Reinbold/Cusick, 231.243
(51) Katherine Legge, Honda, Dale Coyne, 230.244; she brushes the outside wall in Turn 4 on Lap 4 but continues to finish the run.
(20) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing, 232.017
(98) Marco Andretti, Honda, Andretti Global, 231.890
(8) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, Ganassi, 231.506
(28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, Andretti Global, 230.603
(45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, 231.465
(14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, AJ Foyt Racing, 232.496
(18) Nolan Siegel, Honda, Dale Coyne Racing, 226.621
Noon ET conditions: 76 degrees, mostly cloudy; track temperature 104.4 degrees
(11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, Ganassi, 232.183
(2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, Penske, 233.293
(12) Will Power, Chevrolet, Penske, 233.758
∎ Chip Ganassi Racing replaces the engine on Scott Dixon’s car. Dixon seeks a record-tying 6th pole position. Ganassi’s team has struggled to find its customary speed in practice.
(6) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren, 231.995; run is later disallowed for failing tech inspection
(78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 231.847
∎ Kyle Larson, who is trying to complete the Indy 500-NASCAR double on May 26, suffers a mechanical issue on Lap 4 and pulls onto pit road without completing the run. He says he isn’t sure what caused the issue.
(77) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 231.514
∎ Rinus VeeKay spins and crashes in Turn 2 before taking the green flag. He has a slight limp as he exits the car but is released from the infield medical center to drive.
VeeKay said he had fought understeer starting the run: “I had a huge moment really late. I don’t really understand how that happened.” While calling the incident a “huge leap backward,” the driver says he is confident of making the field.
(4) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, Chip Ganassi Racing, 231.948
(3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, Penske, 233.332
(27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, Andretti Global, 232.764
Conditions: 73 degrees, mostly cloudy; track temperature is 94.3 degrees.
10 a.m.: Chip Ganassi Racing cars practice Indy 500 qualifying runs
Two more Chip Ganassi Racing cars take simulated qualifying runs: Alex Palou (232.336 mph) and Scott Dixon (231.148). Conor Daly also goes (231.570) and says afterward he is much more confident than yesterday. Nine of the 34 cars hit the track.
9:30 a.m.: Most drivers pass on Indy 500 practice
Just 6 of the 17 available drivers turn laps in the first round of practice. Chip Ganassi Racing’s cars have been the busiest. Kyffin Simpson (230.385 mph) and Marcus Armstrong (231.323) make 4-lap simulated qualifying runs. Often the best-running Hondas, Ganassi’s cars have lagged somewhat in practice.
Nolan Siegel, who crashed Friday, returns in what had been Jack Harvey’s road course car. After exiting the car, Siegel acknowledges a bit of discomfort adjusting to the different car.
8:30 a.m.: Indy 500 practice delayed by fog
Drivers will have a 1-hour practice session, with half the field allowed 30 minutes each on track before qualifying. It was scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. ET, but visibility is poor because of fog. Track officials pushed back the session to 9 a.m.
Indy 500 news from IndyStar
‘Today went a lot smoother’:Kyle Larson records 2nd fastest lap on Indy 500’s Fast Friday
Teamwork:Ganassi Racing’s vets prepare rookie class
Snakes on the track?!:Alexander Rossi discusses Indy 500 practice and an unusual visitor
What channel is Indy 500 qualifying on?
TV/streaming: Peacock
Radio/streaming: IndyCar Radio (93.5 and 107.5 FM in Indianapolis), SiriusXM Channel 218
