Indy 500: TV schedule, starting grid, betting odds, storylines, weather and more

Yahoo

22-05-2025

The famed 'Month of May' concludes this Sunday with the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500. Team Penske's Josef Newgarden is aiming to become the first driver ever to win three consecutive Indy 500s, but to do so, he'll have to do it from the final row of the grid.
Robert Schwartzman will lead the field to the green flag after becoming the first rookie since 1983 to win the pole. Eight former Indy 500 winners are in the 2025 field, combining for 13 victories in the previous 108 editions of the race.
Here's what to know ahead of the 2025 Indy 500:
All times ET
Friday, May 2311 a.m.: Carb Day final practice (FS1)
Sunday, May 2510 a.m.: Pre-race show (Fox)12:20 p.m.: National anthem (Fox)12:45 p.m.: 109th Indy 500 (Fox)
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile low-banked squared oval) in Speedway, IndianaBanking: Turns - 9.2 degrees | Straights - flatRace length: 200 laps for 500 milesFuel window: 30-35 green flag laps
Penske penalties: All three Team Penske Chevys made it into last Sunday's Fast 12 qualifying round for a shot at the pole, but one crashed in the morning practice and two others were removed after failing inspection. The cars driven by Newgarden and Will Power were each found to have an illegally modified attenuator, which is the rear-end crash structure. The attenuator is a spec part that by rule cannot be modified.
Larson and "The Double": For the second straight year, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson will attempt "The Double" — running the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600, which take place just hours apart in Indiana and North Carolina in two very different types of race car. Larson admirably qualified fifth for the Indy 500 last year but rain delayed the start of the race by four hours. He finished 18th and immediately boarded a plane bound for Charlotte, but in an ironic twist of fate, the same weather system that delayed the start in Indianapolis curtailed his attempt to at least jump into his Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet in the late stages of the Coca-Cola 600. He'll start 19th for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.
Sensational Schwartzman: Only two times in the 108-year history of Indianapolis 500 had a rookie ever qualified first for the race. Until last Sunday. Schwartzman, racing for Prema, became the first Indy debutant since Teo Fabi in 1983 to win the pole position. What's more — it's his first time driving an oval in his professional career after coming up through the European karting and Formulae system, while also driving endurance cars on the side.
Row 1Robert Schwartzman, Prema Racing-ChevroletTakuma Sato, RLL Racing-HondaPato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren-Chevrolet
Row 2Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing-HondaFelix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing-HondaAlex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda
Row 3David Malukas, AJ Foyt Racing-ChevroletChristian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren-ChevroletMarcus Ericsson, Andretti-Global-Honda
Row 4Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske-ChevroletConor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing-ChevroletAlexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolet
Row 5Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing-HondaEd Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing-ChevroletSantino Ferrucci, AJ Foyt Racing-Chevrolet
Row 6Devlin DeFrancesco, RLL Racing-HondaSting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing-ChevroletChristian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolet
Row 7Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren/Hendrick-ChevroletLouis Foster, RLL Racing-HondaCallum Ilott, Prema Racing-Chevrolet
Row 8Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing-HondaKyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global-HondaNolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren-Chevrolet
Row 9Ryan Hunter-Reay, DRR-Cusick Motorsports-ChevroletJack Harvey, DRR-Cusic Motorsports-ChevroletColton Herta, Andretti Global-Honda
Row 10Graham Rahal, RLL Racing-HondaMarco Andretti, Andretti Global/Curb Agajanian-HondaMarcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing-Honda
Row 11Rinus Veekay, Dale Coyne Racing-HondaJosef Newgarden, Team Penske-ChevroletWill Power, Team Penske-Chevrolet
Despite the 32nd starting spot, Newgarden has the fifth-best odds to win entering the weekend – likely due to his status as the two-time defending race winner. Pato O'Ward, having posted two second-place finishes at the Speedway in addition to a fourth and sixth, enters with the best odds at 5-to-1. Runaway championship leader Alex Palou and six-time series champion Scott Dixon are among the top favorites behind O'Ward.
Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Pato O'Ward +500
Alex Palou +600
Scott Dixon +700
Scott McLaughlin +800
Josef Newgarden +1200
Takuma Sato +1300
Felix Rosenqvist +1500
The race day forecast calls for partially cloudy skies with a high temperature of 67 degrees. There is a 25 percent chance of precipitation. Last year's race was infamously delayed by rain for four hours, which ultimately cost Kyle Larson his chance at running 'The Double.'