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The month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is all about speed, nerves and history. This weekend, INDYCAR’s biggest stars will push their cars to the limit in qualifying for the 2026 Indy 500.
Drivers will battle for pole position over two days of qualifying action. With speeds expected to top 230 mph as teams chase a spot in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Indy 500 qualifying, including TV schedule, streaming information and format.
How to watch Indy 500 Qualifying
- Dates: Saturday 16 May and Sunday 17 May
- Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, IN
- TV channels: FOX, FS1, FS2
- Streaming: FOX One, the FOX Sports app and FOXSports.com
Indy 500 qualifying schedule
Saturday qualification – day 1
Full field qualification:
- Practice: 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. ET (FS2)
- Qualifying: 11am to 2pm ET (FS2)
- Qualifying: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM ET (FS1)
- Qualifying: 4 to 6 p.m. ET (FOX)
Sunday qualification – day 2
- Practice: 1 to 3 p.m. ET (FS2)
- Final 15 qualifier: 4 to 5 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Top 12 Qualifiers: 5 to 6:35 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Firestone Fast Six: 6:35 to 6:55 p.m. ET (FOX)
How does Indy 500 qualifying work?
Drivers will get to practice on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week, with drivers getting the extra boost on Friday to prepare for qualifying. Lots will be drawn for qualifying order after practice on Friday.
On Saturday, each driver can drive four laps in the order from the qualifying draw. A driver does not have to write a time, but typically the driver goes out and gives a speed.
Once all the cars have had a chance to qualify, there will be two lines to qualify:
- A priority line for all drivers who have not qualified or withdrawn their qualifying time.
- A secondary line for any driver who has not withdrawn the qualifying time.
Those in the priority line are going to exit before anyone in the secondary line. If a driver who hasn’t withdrawn a previous time runs slower than the previous time, INDYCAR can force them to end the run – so no one can just run a slow run to prevent another driver from getting on the track before qualifying ends at 5:50 PM ET on Saturday.
The top 15 drivers from Saturday advance to Sunday to determine their order in the standings. The drivers 16.-33. starts the Indianapolis 500 in that order. If there were more than 33 cars, the drivers 31st and worse would have to qualify again on Sunday to determine the final three spots.
Who Won the Indy 500 Pole Last Year?
Rookie Robert Shwartzman won the pole for the 2025 Indianapolis 500 with a four-lap average speed of 232.790 mph.
When is the 2026 Indy 500?
The 2026 Indy 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, 2026 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on FOX and will be streamed on FOX One.
Coverage begins at 10 ET, and the green flag drops at 12:30 p.m. ET.
