Indianapolis 500 qualifying reduced to a one-day event after Saturday rainout
Drivers will get one shot to advance to the second round of qualifying on Sunday.
Qualifying for the 2026 Indianapolis 500 will take place over just one day. The first session of qualifying was rained out on Saturday, meaning all 33 cars attempting the race will finalize their starting spots on Sunday. Thanks to intermittent rain at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, no one made a qualifying attempt on Saturday before IndyCar canceled the day’s activity.
With 33 spots available in the field, no one will miss the race. This year’s qualifying is about track position and pit selection. On Sunday, every car will get one qualifying attempt starting at Noon ET.
Unlike in past Indy 500 qualifying sessions, teams will not be able to withdraw their qualifying times and make another qualifying attempt. The fastest 12 cars from the first round will move on to the second round of qualifying, while the cars from 13th on back will start where they qualified on their initial attempt. The top six cars from the second round of qualifying will then run for the pole position at 6 p.
m. The bottom six cars from the second round will start in spots Nos. 7 through 12.