The 110th Running of the Indy 500 is all set to take place at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24. The Greatest Spectacle in Racing will make up the seventh round of the 2026 IndyCar Series, which is currently led by Alex Palou. So, here is all you need to know about the 2026 Indianapolis 500.
Following qualifying for the event on May 17-18, it was Alex Palou who secured pole position for the historic race this time around. Alongside him on Row 1 will be Alexander Rossi and David Malukas, as a total of eight former winners of the race look to hunt down the Spaniard.
Palou is the reigning champion of the Indy 500 after having secured his first win on an oval at the 109th running of the event. He is also the reigning IndyCar Series champion and, as previously mentioned, currently leads the championship.
Helio Castroneves with four wins, and Takuma Sato and Josef Newgarden with two each, are also part of the grid for Sunday’s race. Castroneves, who starts 14th, has yet another chance to take the all-time record with five wins at the Indy 500. Meanwhile, Sato starts 12th and Newgarden starts 23rd.
The 2026 Indy 500 will go ahead as scheduled on Sunday unless rain throws a spanner in the works. Both the 2024 and 2025 races were delayed due to the weather but still ran the full 500 miles. So, let’s take a look at all the important information you need ahead of a potentially hectic 2026 Indy 500.
Everything you need to know about the 2026 Indy 500
Schedule and Timings
Sunday, May 24
National Anthem: 12:20 EDT track time (GMT-4)
Race Start: 12:45 PM EDT track time
As previously mentioned, the qualifications have already concluded on May 17-18. A total of seven practice sessions have also been held at the Brickyard over the month of May.
Note: All times are mentioned in the Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4), as the race will take place in this time zone. Fans worldwide may convert these timings as per their time zones to catch the race.
Where is the Indy 500?
The race will take place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. The race will go on for 200 laps at the 2.5 miles-long circuit, making up for a total of 500 miles.
Where to Watch
The 500-mile race will be broadcast live on the below-mentioned platforms:
- United States of America: FOX
- United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland: Sky Sports F1
- Mexico: ESPN
- Canada: TSN & TSN+
- Brazil: BAND & ESPN
- Australia: Stan Sport
- New Zealand: Sky Sport
- Germany: Sky Sports & MotorVision+
- France: Canal+
- Spain: MoviStar+
- Netherlands: Ziggo Sport
- Italy: Sky Italia
- Sub Saharan Africa: Canal+
- South Africa: ESPN
- Japan: Gaora Sports
IndyCar Live will stream the race and the entire 2026 season for a fee, including in India, South Korea and other parts of Asia. A complete list of broadcasters for each country and region is available on IndyCar.com.
Edited by Samyak Sharma
