With Abel Motorsports confirming it is entering RC Enerson in the Memorial Day Weekend classic, the stakes suddenly got higher for all concerned. Indianapolis Motor Speedway has a remarkable habit of creating surprise stories, including David vs. Goliath moments. None of the full-time entrants gets a bye.
After the GMR Grand Prix activities on the Indy road course conclude on Saturday, May 13, the legendary 2.5-mile oval is prepared through Sunday and Monday. Track action will begin early on Tuesday, May 16, with installation laps beginning at 9.00am local (Eastern) time, and then a two-hour session for all oval veterans. All rookies and refreshers present passed their orientation programs in April’s two-day test.
However, the Abel team were not there, so Enerson will get a two-hour window on that Tuesday, 1.00-3.00pm, to complete his refresher course. This comprises the second and third stages of the Rookie Orientation Program, namely: Phase 2 – 15 laps at 210-215mph and Phase 3 – 15 laps at 215-plus mph. Once completed, all 34 cars will be on track from 3.00 to 6.00pm.
On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the cars will be on track from 12 noon to 6.00pm. That Friday, May 19, is traditionally when race setups take less of a priority and qualifying simulation runs take precedence. Fast Friday, as it is known, sees the BorgWarner turbos common to the Honda and Chevrolet engines get wound up from 1.3-bar boost to 1.5-bar, a level at which they’ll remain until end of play on Sunday evening.
Every driver is seeking four laps without the aid of a tow from another car, in order to gauge their qualifying potential on Saturday and Sunday. But occasionally a driver will “accidentally” pick up a distant draft and benefit. Marco Andretti ran a 234.991 for Andretti Autosport back in 2020 – the fastest practice lap seen at the Speedway since 1996! – but to his credit, two days later he did go on to claim pole with a four-lap average of 231.068mph.
At 6.15pm that day, the draw will be made by representatives of each of the 34 participants to determine the order in which they will make their initial qualifying runs the following day. Generally, teams and drivers like to make their first runs early, long before the day’s temperatures have hit their peak. However, the vagaries of Indiana weather mean that it can be sunny in the late morning and yet colder, cloudier – more performance-friendly – in the early afternoon… In this case, it truly is the luck of the draw.
The field will be divided in half for two final half hour practices on Saturday morning before qualifying commences at 11am. When every car in the qualifying order for Saturday has had at least one chance to qualify, teams may choose from two lanes for subsequent attempts. Cars in the Priority Lane (Lane 1) must withdraw their qualified time but get priority access to the track ahead of Lane 2. That second lane is for cars that have already qualified and want to try to improve their position, but choose not to risk forfeiting the speed average they have already set.
When the gun goes off at 5.50pm, positions 13-30 will be set, and those drivers will not requalify on Sunday. The 12 drivers who will contest the front four rows of three, and the four drivers who will squabble over the three slots on the last row will now have been defined.
On Sunday, May 21, from 11.30am, the dozen drivers still in the fight for pole will get a one-hour practice session, and this will be immediately followed by an hour’s practice for the desperate quartet due to battle over the last row.
From 2.00 to 3.00pm comes Top 12 qualifying, in which positions 7 through 12 will be determined. Their running order is based on Saturday times, slowest to fastest, and each car is guaranteed one attempt. The quickest of the six advance to the Firestone Fast Six shootout.
At 4.00pm, the four Last Chance Qualifiers will compete for positions 31-33. Each car is guaranteed one attempt and may make multiple attempts until time expires at 5.00pm. Each car’s most recent qualification speed will remain eligible for the starting lineup until the time is withdrawn or qualifications end.
At 5.15pm comes the Firestone Fast Six shootout for pole position in the 107th running of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Positions 1-6 will be determined and running order is based on times from top 12 Qualifying, slowest to fastest. Each car is guaranteed one attempt.
The top 12 drivers on the starting grid will receive IndyCar Series points, with the P1 Award winner earning 12, the second fastest 11, down to one point for the 12th-placed starter
On Monday, May 22, the engines are returned to 1.3-bar turbo boost – race boost levels – for two hours of practice, 1.00-3.00pm. Several teams and drivers say this can be an extremely useful session, since it covers the kind of time frame of the Indy 500 itself, therefore with (hopefully) comparable temperatures and track conditions.
There is no track activity from Tuesday, May 23, through Thursday, May 25, and gates are closed to the public. However, on the Tuesday and Wednesday, from 11.00am to 1.00pm, teams are allowed to do static pit stop practice on pitlane, albeit with no engines running and no fuel.
Friday, May 26, is Carb Day. From 11.00am to 1.00pm, the cars will hit the oval for the final time before the race. Then at 2.30-4.00pm comes the ever-popular pitstop competition, after which the Miller Lite Concert begins, this year featuring Bryan Adams and Soul Asylum.
Saturday, May 27, sees a one-hour driver autograph session at the Pagoda Plaza from 9.00 to 10.00am. The drivers will then move to the pitlane for the famous public driver meeting, before at 11.20am departing on charter buses to take part in the 500 Festival parade and activities downtown.
The gates open with quite literally a bang at 6.00am on Sunday, May 28, as the cannon goes off. All 33 cars to start the race are then put through a mandatory tech inspection in the garages from 7.00 to 8.30am, and at 9.00am they are pushed out to pit lane. The first static engine warm-up is 9.20-9.30am, after which the Red Carpet Show gets underway for special guests and celebrities. At 10.15-10.25 there is a second engine warm-up; then all cars are sent to the grid.
There then follows a lap for previous Indy winners, and a parade of historic Indy cars, and at 11.35-11.45am there is the third and final engine warm-up. Then the 33 starters are introduced to the crowd on a podium on the front straight, row by row, before all posing for a group photo.
From 12.17pm comes the invocation, anthem and flypast, and at 12.29pm drivers are ordered to their cars. At 12.38pm will come the “Drivers start your engines” command, with the green flag for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 expected to fall at 12.45pm.
Schedule of events for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500
Tuesday, May 16
8.00am – Gates open
9.00-9.05am – Install period, all entries
9.15-11.15am – All oval veterans practice – Peacock
12.40 – Pace Car Ceremony
1.00-3.00pm – Refresher orientation program – Peacock
3.00-6.00pm – All cars practice – Peacock
6.00pm – Gates close
Wednesday, May 17
10.00am – Gates open
12.00-6.00pm – All cars practice – Peacock
6.00pm – Gates close
Thursday, May 18
10.00am – Gates open
12.00-6.00pm – All cars practice – Peacock
6.00pm – Gates close
Friday, May 19
10.00am – Gates open
12.00-6.00pm – All cars practice at 1.5-bar boost – Peacock
6.00pm – Gates close
6.15pm – Qualification order drawing
Saturday, May 20
8.00am – Gates open
8.30-9.00am – Group 1 practice – Peacock
9.00-9.30am – Group 2 practice – Peacock
11.00am-5.50pm – Qualifying – Peacock (2.30-4.30pm NBC)
6.00pm – Gates close
Sunday, May 21
10.00am – Gates open
11.30am-12.30pm – Top 12 practice – Peacock
12.30-1.30pm – Last Chance practice – Peacock
2.00-3.00 – Top 12 qualifying – Peacock
4.00-5.00 – Last Chance qualifying – NBC
5.15-6.00pm – Firestone Fast Six qualifying – NBC
6.00pm – Gates close
6.15pm – Race day pit selection, IndyCar teams move their pits to their raceday location
Monday, May 22
11.00am – Gates open
1.00-3.00pm – All cars practice (at 1.3-bar race boost)
3.00pm – Gates close
Tuesday, May 23 thru Thursday, May 25 – Gates closed
Friday, May 26
8.00am – Gates open
11.00am-1.00pm – All cars practice – Peacock
2.30-4.00pm – Pit stop competition – Peacock
3.00pm – Concert gates open
4.00pm – Concert featuring Bryan Adams and Soul Asylum
6.00pm – Gates close
Saturday, May 27
8.00am – Gates open
9.00-10.00am – Driver autograph session
10.30am – Public driver meeting
11.20am – 500 Festival charter buses depart pitlane
12.00-1.30pm – Indy 500 Festival parade in downtown Indy
3.00pm – Gates close
Sunday, May 28
6.00am – Gates open
9.00-9.20am – IndyCars pushed out to pitlane
9.20-9.30am – Engine warm-up #1
9.20-9.40am – Sponsor truck laps
9.30-10.30am – Red Carpet Show
10.15-10.25am – Engine warm-up #2
10.30-10.55am – IndyCars pushed onto grid
10.37-10.44am – Indy winners lap
10.55-10.58am – Historic Indy cars lap
11.00am – NBC coverage begins
11.29-11.31am – Military appreciation lap
11.35-11.45am – Engine warm-up #3
11.47 – Driver introductions to the crowd
11.56 – Driver group photo
12.14 – In grid formation
12.17-12.27 – Invocation/Anthem package
12.29 – “Drivers, to your cars”
12.38 – “Drivers, start your engines”
12.45 – Green flag drops on 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge (200 laps)
4.00pm – NBC coverage concludes
4.00pm – Gates close
