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The Indianapolis 500 is “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” and the 110th running will take place this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
From Friday’s festivities to Sunday’s race, FOX will broadcast all the exciting moments of the event.
Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 Indy 500. This will come in handy if you’re new to racing or just need a refresher on how everything works.
If you’re looking for more race details ahead of the Indy 500, we’ve got you covered there, too.
Indy 500 Basics
The Indy 500 will take place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in suburban Speedway, just outside of Indianapolis. The green flag for 2026 is set for approximately 12:45 PM ET Sunday, May 24th.
One lap around this oval track is 2.5 miles long, meaning the 500-mile race consists of 200 laps. Alex Palou, the 2025 winner of the Indy 500, finished the race in two hours and 57 minutes. The average driving time is around three hours.
Who are the Indy 500 Announcers? That’s how you see
You can watch the Indy 500 pre-race and race telecasts on FOX and stream the telecasts on FOX One, FOX Sports.com and that FOX Sports App.
Coverage of the Indy 500 begins at 10 ET Sunday, May 24 on FOX with the pre-race show. Veteran host Chris Myers will lead the pre-race coverage, with former INDYCAR drivers Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick alongside him.
Danica Patrick and Townsend Bell at the 2025 Indy 500. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Will Buxton, Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe will be on call for live coverage of the race, with Jamie Little, Kevin Lee and Georgia Henneberry reporting from the pits. FOX Sports’ Tom Rinaldi will be on site with features and interviews.
FOX Sports’ “First Things First” will appear. Rob Gronkowski will be part of the all-day party in the Snake Pit (more on that later) on Sunday.
Who are the top betting favorites to win the Indy 500?
- Alex Palou: 5/2 (bet $10 to win $35 total)
- Pato O’Ward: 13/2 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
- David Malukas: 8/1 (bet $10 to win $90 total)
Who won the Indy 500 Pole?
Alex Palou, the reigning Indy 500 champion, claimed the pole position for this year’s Indy 500 during qualifying at IMS on Sunday, May 17. Alexander Rossi joins Palou on the front row and David Malukas starts behind Palou in third. Palou also claimed the pole position at the 2023 Indy 500, but finished the race in fourth place.
[Read More: 4 Takeways From Alex Palou Snagging Indy 500 Pole]
This time, however, Palou became the first defending Indy 500 champion to win the pole the following year since Hélio Castroneves did it in 2010.
What is the Indy 500 Trophy?
The Indy 500 trophy is known as the Borg-Warner Trophy – named after the creator and sponsor of the automotive supply company BorgWarner. It stands 5-foot-4, weighs 110 pounds and is valued at around $3.5 million. The trophy features a sculpted face and engraved name of each winner dating back to Ray Harroun in 1911.
Former Indy 500-winning drivers in the 2026 Indy 500 field (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
What do the flags at the Indy 500 mean?
The flags at the Indy 500, and in motorsports in general, look like traffic lights.
Green: Go
Yellow: Caution when all drivers must slow down
Red: All drivers must stop
Black: A driver must stop and go to the pit
Black and white checkered: End of the race
Past Indy 500 winners in the 2026 field
The Indy 500 field is always stacked, and this year is no exception. There are nine former Indy 500 winners in the field — including three multiple winners — and five former INDYCAR champions.
Here are the past Indy 500 champions and the years they won, competing for the 2026 crown:
Alex Palou (2025), Josef Newgarden (2023, 2024), Marcus Ericsson (2022), Hélio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021), Takuma Sato (2017, 2020), Will Power (2018), Alexander Rossi (2016), D Ryan (2016) and Scott Ryan (2016). (2008).
Helio Castroneves is trying to become the first driver with five Indianapolis 500 wins. He is one of four drivers to have won the race four times. (Photo by Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images)
Who are the 2026 Indy 500 Rookies?
There are four rookie drivers in the Indy 500, including Jacob Abel, Caio Collet, Dennis Hauger and Mick Schumacher. Collet initially did best in qualifying 10th, but he was dropped to the back of the field after a technical infringement on his car. Schumacher (27th), Hauger (29th) and Abel (30th) will all start at the back of the pack.
What is Carb Day?
Carb Day is the last day of hype before the weekend. On Friday, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway plays home to a series of festivities. The day starts at 11 ET with the final Indy 500 practice.
At 2pm ET there is the famous Oscar Mayer Wienie 500.
And after the Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge, there will be performances from Switchfoot and Counting Crows.
Why is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway called The Brickyard?
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is nicknamed the Brickyard because in 1909 it was completely covered in brick.
It was originally an asphalt-based race track, but it resulted in dangerous and fatal accidents. After more than 25 years of racing on bricks, IMS returned to an asphalt track. The track remains mostly asphalt, except for a middle section of the track at the start and end of the race – a series of blocks that the winner and the team kiss to honor the tradition after finishing the Indy 500.
What are some Indy 500 traditions?
Josef Newgarden celebrates after winning the 2024 Indy 500. (Photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
“Back Home Again in Indiana” is not the official state song, but given the song’s popularity, some might argue that it could be. It’s a 75-year tradition at the Indy 500, first run in 1946 by James Melton to celebrate soldiers returning home after World War II.
Winners of the Indy 500 dive with a bottle of milk. That tradition began in 1936 when winner Louis Meyer was presented with a bottle of buttermilk after the race. A dairy industry leader pushed to make this an annual custom, but it didn’t stick until the Indy 500 returned from its World War II hiatus in 1946. Now, each year, two Indiana dairy farmers are present in the Winner’s Circle. One performs the handover of the ice-cold milk to the winning driver, while the other delivers bottles of milk to the winning chief mechanic and team owner. Prior to the race, each racer submits their milk type preference, choosing between whole, 2 percent, and skimmed.
[INDY 500: 7 Things To Know About The Indy 500 Milk Tradition]
Like being drowned in milk, as mentioned above, the winners kiss the bricks. After a race, winning drivers and their teams kneel at the start-finish line to kiss the track’s exposed 3-foot-wide, 100-year-old strip of original brick pavement. This tradition debuted 30 years ago in 1996, when crew chief Todd Parrott and driver Dale Jarrett kissed the blocks after winning the race. Ricky Rudd followed suit in 1997, and thus the tradition stuck.
Who is performing at the Indy 500?
The Indy 500 isn’t just a race, it’s a shared experience filled with festivities and musical performances. As for the performers, Grammy winner Jordin Sparks will sing the national anthem ahead of Sunday’s race. Then there’s Jim Cornelison, who will sing “Back Home Again in Indiana.”
Along with Friday night concerts with Switchfoot and Counting Crows, there will be Sunday performances in the Snake Pit with the famous DJ Zedd.
What is Snake Pit?
The Snake Pit is an all-day concert held in the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. Grammy Award-winning DJ Zedd headlines the lineup. Crankdat, Wooli, it’s murph and Wax Motif will also perform at the race day concert during the 110th Indy 500.
Who are the Indy 500 dignitaries?
Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti will drive the pace car, which is the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X. Actor Brendan Fraser will usher in the start of the race and wave the green flag as an honorary starter. WNBA and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was named the grand marshal.
