2026 M0nth of may at indianapoli

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, May 22, 2026) – He’s starting 23rd in the field of 33 drivers, but it’s hard to blame Josef Newgarden for being eager for Race Day for the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday.

Two-time “500” winner Newgarden led the final practice Friday for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” turning a top lap of 228.342 mph in the No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden also led the rain-shortened post-qualifying practice Monday at 226.198.

“It feels OK, feels all right,” two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden said of his car. “But today is Friday. We’ve got to be good on Sunday.

“I’m just ready to get to Sunday. Sunday is what’s going to matter with the Shell car. Team Chevy has done a great job for us this month, so I’m excited to go racing.”

The last time a driver won the Indy 500 from a starting position of 23rd or lower was in 1974, when Johnny Rutherford started 25th and earned the first of his three “500” victories.

Christian Rasmussen was second today with his best lap of 227.474 in the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing. David Malukas matched his starting position by ending up third at 226.565 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Indiana native Conor Daly continued to show consistent speed by clocking in fourth at 226.341 in the No. 23 DRR KINGSPAN ARCO Chevrolet of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Two-time “500” winner Takuma Sato rounded out the top five at 226.244 in the No. 75 Amada Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Pole sitter and reigning “500” winner Alex Palou was sixth at 225.986 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Four-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou is trying to become just the seventh driver to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in consecutive years.

Dennis Hauger was the fastest of the four rookies on the 2.5-mile oval, 10th at 225.187 in the No. 19 Only Bulls Honda of Dale Coyne Racing.

2016 “500” winner Alexander Rossi was back in his No. 20 Java House Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing after suffering injuries to a finger on his left hand and right ankle that required outpatient minor surgery due to a hard crash in practice Monday. Rossi, who is starting a “500” career-best second, was 31st today at 222.291 mph.

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“New York Dog” passed last year’s winner, “Slaw Dog,” on the backstretch during the final lap and narrowly edged “Chili Dog,” which also passed Slaw Dog on the final lap, to win the second running of the “Wienie 500,” a two-lap race featuring all six Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles (photo, above). The race aired on FOX after streaming on the app last year.

For the third consecutive year, Indianapolis 500 winners gathered Friday morning for a group photo on the Yard of Bricks alongside the Borg-Warner Trophy (photo, above). Each of the 16 drivers wore the exclusive navy blue blazer reserved for “500” champions, similar to the green jacket awarded to winners of The Masters. The left breast of each blazer features the iconic “Wing and Wheel” logo while the lining inside each coat showcases photos from the driver’s Indianapolis 500 victory.

OnlyBulls announced the launch of its “Last Row to Legend” Bitcoin Challenge, built around a historic milestone: No driver has won the Indianapolis 500 from the last row in the modern 33-car era. If a driver starting 31st (Sting Ray Robb), 32nd (Caio Collet) or 33rd (Jack Harvey) wins Sunday’s race, OnlyBulls will award one Bitcoin to the winning driver, one Bitcoin to a randomly selected OnlyBulls user and the equivalent of two additional Bitcoins distributed among eligible users with verified active accounts on Race Day, paid in either Bitcoin or BitcoinMAX tokens.

Longtime motorsports media and publishing executive Paul Pfanner was honored with the 2026 Russo-Marvel Award for passion, dedication and commitment to motorsports.

Veteran Indianapolis Motor Speedway and INDYCAR Director of Editorial Paul Kelly was honored with the 2026 Jim Chapman Award for excellence in motorsports public relations.

Andy O’Gara won the Clint Brawner Award, named for legendary Indianapolis 500-winning chief mechanic Clint Brawner. O’Gara is Katherine Legge’s crew chief on the No. 11 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet for HMD Motorsports with AJ Foyt Racing. O’Gara is a veteran mechanic and the husband of former INDYCAR SERIES driver Sarah Fisher.

A total of 3,331 practice laps – 8,327.5 miles, the approximate distance between San Francisco and Mumbai, India – were completed this month, with Christian Rasmussen’s speed of 232.255 in the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet for ECR the fastest.

Carson Hocevar, a Spire Motorsports driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, returned to IMS to attend Carb Day with Andretti Global. Spire and Andretti Global are owned by TWG Motorsports, so Hocevar spent the practice session in Will Power’s No. 26 TWG AI Honda pit stall. He also attended practice at the track last week with Andretti.

2026 Indy 500 purse is the largest in history, eclipsing $30 million

Felix Rosenqivst will receive record $4.34 million from a total purse of $30,906,400

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2026 Indy 500 purse is the largest in history, eclipsing $30 million

Felix Rosenqivst will receive record $4.34 million from a total purse of $30,906,400

Rosenqvist Earns Epic Victory in Closest-Ever Indianapolis 500 Finish

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Indianapolis Colts Receiver Alec Pierce in Fastest Seat at Indy 500

Newgarden Paces Final ‘500’ Practice on Miller Lite Carb Day

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