INDIANAPOLIS – For the first time in more than four decades, a rookie won the pole for the Indianapolis 500.
Robert Shwartzman, a true underdog in this year’s race who has virtually no experience on ovals, won the Firestone Fast 6 on Sunday, outpacing two former Indy 500 winners and this season’s top IndyCar driver in the process.
Shwartzman, who went fourth during the pole shootout, exceeded 233 mph on his first lap. He finished with a four-lap average of 232.790 mph, putting him ahead of Sato, who started the Fast 6 with an impressive run of his own at 232.478 mph.
Sato kept the provisional pole through the first three drivers before Shwartzman’s blistering run. The rookie from Israel turned the third-fastest time during Top 12 qualifying earlier in the day.
Subsequent runs from Pato O’Ward (232.098 mph) and Felix Rosenqvist (231.987 mph) couldn’t catch Shwartzman.
The top six will be Shwartzman, Sato, O'Ward, Scott Dixon, Rosenqvist and Palou.
Top 12 Qualifying and Team Penske
The Firestone Fast 6 capped a busy day of practice and qualifying at the storied Indianapolis Motor Speeway.
A crash during Sunday’s practice session prevented Scott McLaughlin from seeking his second consecutive Indianapolis 500 pole.
McLaughlin confirmed his car wouldn't get back on the track for Top 12 Qualifying. It was just the start of a rough day for Team Penske, which saw Josef Newgarden and Will Power both fail tech inspections.
None of the three Team Penske drivers in the top 12 made a qualifying run on Sunday. That’s a far cry from the 2024 Indy 500, when Team Penske swept the front row, with McLaughlin taking the pole, Power qualifying second and Newgarden third.
The team settled for tenth, eleventh and twelfth positions instead.
Last Chance Qualifying
With Top 12 Qualifying complete, four drivers—Marcus Armstrong, Marco Andretti, Jacob Abel and Rinus VeeKay—battled for the last three remaining spots in the field of 33.
Armstrong went first with a run of 229.091 mph. It was enough to put him in the field, a gutsy comeback after he was involved in a significant crash during the Saturday morning practice session that prevented him from making a qualifying run.
Andretti responded with a 229.741 mph run that leapfrogged Armstrong and put him in the 31st position on the grid.
It then came down to VeeKay and Abel, the rookie. VeeKay’s first run had a four-lap average of 227.740 mph and Abel was unable to match that. The rookie then took a cooldown run as he prepared for another qualifying attempt.
VeeKay surprised almost everyone by pulling his initial run and making a second attempt. His four-lap average was slower than his first one at 226.913 mph. That set up Abel for a final run that could bump his teammate from the field.
But the rookie, like VeeKay, struggled to find speed on Sunday. His four-lap average of 226.394 mph sealed his fate, keeping him out of next week’s 109th Running.
Andretti claimed the 31st spot while Armstrong will start 32nd and VeeKay 33rd.
Field set for 109th Running
Here's the running order for the Indianapolis 500:
- Robert Shwartzman
- Takuma Sato
- Pato O’Ward
- Scott Dixon
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Alex Palou
- David Malukas
- Christian Lundgaard
- Marcus Ericsson
- Scott McLaughlin
- Josef Newgarden
- Will Power
- Conor Daly
- Alexander Rossi
- Kyffin Simpson
- Ed Carpenter
- Santino Ferrucci
- Devlin DeFrancesco
- Sting Ray Robb
- Christian Rasmussen
- Kyle Larson
- Louis Foster
- Callum Ilott
- Helio Castroneves
- Kyle Kirkwood
- Nolan Siegel
- Ryan Hunter-Reay
- Jack Harvey
- Colton Herta
- Graham Rahal
- Marco Andretti
- Marcus Armstrong
- Rinus VeeKay
Earlier updates below
7 p.m.
Felix Rosenqvist's run is solid but not good enough to catch the rookie. His four-lap average was 231.987 mph, putting him in fifth position.
The top six will be Shwartzman, Sato, O'Ward, Dixon, Rosenqvist and Palou.
6:55 p.m.
Pato O'Ward can't match Shwartzman's speed. He finishes behind Sato at 232.098 mph for the provisional third position. Felix Rosenqvist will make the sixth and final run.
6:50 p.m.
Robert Shwartzman's first lap exceeded 233 mph. His blistering, fearless run in the No. 83 car leapfrogged Sato with a four-lap average of 232.790 mph. The rookie is guaranteed a front-row starting position. Pato O'Ward is next.
6:44 p.m.
Scott Dixon puts together a solid run, but he's unable to catch Sato. He finishes with a four-lap average of 232.052 mph. Rookie Robert Shwartzman goes next.
6:39 p.m.
Alex Palou can't match Sato's initial run. None of his laps exceeded 232 mph. He finishes with a four-lap average of 231.378. For now, Sato stays in pole position. Scott Dixon, a five-time Indy 500 pole winner, is next.
6:35 p.m.
Takuma Sato makes the first run of the Firestone Fast Six. The two-time Indy 500 champion puts together a four-lap average of 232.478 mph. Alex Palou--who has dominated the IndyCar season, gets the next run. Sato's first lap exceeded 233 mph.
6:22 p.m.
Abel's final run was unable to top VeeKay. The rookie finished with a four-lap average of 226.394 mph. VeeKay will start in the final 33 spot. Andretti will start 31st and Armstrong 32nd.
The Firestone Fast Six will battle for the pole next. Eachd driver gets to make a final run. The four-lap average will determine both the pole sitter and positions in the first two rows.
6:17 p.m.
With the clock ticking on Last Chance Qualifying, Rinus VeeKay took a gamble and made a qualifying run to prevent Abel from determining his fate. VeeKay pulled his previous run, taking him out of the field and putting everything on the line. He finished with a four-lap average of 226.913 mph. Abel will have to beat that. Andretti and Armstrong are in no danger of being bumped.
6 p.m.
With about 20 minutes left in Last Chance Qualifying, Abel hit the track seeking to cool down his car before making another qualifying attempt.
5:57 p.m.
Abel angles for another qualifying run. He seeks to bump teammate Rinus VeeKay from the field. Meantime, Marcus Armstrong tells the FOX broadcast he is watching closely and prepared to make another run if necessary.
5:45 p.m.
Rinus VeeKay utilized his hybrid early. He put together a 227.740 mph run and finished ahead of Abel, his teammate. It looks like, for now, it'll be a battle between VeeKay and Abel for the final spot in the race. Plenty of time remains for multiple runs.
5:37 p.m.
Jacob Abel had the third run in Last Chance Qualifying. The rookie finished with a four-lap average of 227.112 mph, putting him third (the No. 33 slot) with a run by Rinus VeeKay still ahead.
5:31 p.m.
Marco Andretti had a four-lap average of 229.741 mph, putting him at the top of the board for now.
5:25 p.m.
Marcus Armstrong's run came in at 229.091 mph. Andretti, Abel and VeeKay are next.
5:20 p.m.
With Top 12 qualifying wrapped up, four drivers will battle it out for the three remaining spots in the Indy 500 field of 33.
Marcus Armstrong gets the first run in Last Chance Qualifying. Armstrong was involved in a frightening crash during Saturday's practice session that prevented him from making a qualifying run.
4:55 p.m.
Here are the six drivers who will battle for the pole:
- Felix Rosenqvist 232.532 mph
- Pato O'Ward: 232.186 mph
- Robert Shwartzman (rookie): 232.008 mph
- Scott Dixon: 231.971 mph
- Alex Palou: 231.800 mph
- Takuma Sato: 231.686 mph
David Malukas (231.599 mph), Christian Lundgaard (231.360 mph) and Marcus Ericsson (231.014 mph) didn't make the cut for the Firestone Fast Six. Neither did any of the three Team Penske drivers who qualified for Top 12 qualifying.
