Palou takes pole ahead of Veekay and Rosenqvist; Harvey knocks Rahal off the field

The run-up to the 107th Indy 500 has officially begun.

Popularly referred to as “The Month of May” – presumably because “The Fortnight of May” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue – the next 15 days will feature nine practice sessions, two days of qualifying with one entry failing to make the field, a pit stop race and of course the Indy 500 itself on Sunday, May 28. NBC and especially Peacock collectively broadcast nearly 60 hours of coverage from the speedway.

2023 Indy 500 TV/Streaming Schedule

All times Eastern

Friday May 26
11am-1pm: Last Practice – “Carb Day” (Peacock, IndyCar Radio)
2.30pm-4pm: Pit stop competition (Pauw)

Sunday May 28
9-11 am: Pre-Race Show (Peacock)
11am-4pm: 107th Indianapolis 500 (NBC, Universo, Peacock, SiriusXM, IndyCar Radio)

Ganassi duo top speed charts on ‘Carb Day’

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Takuma Sato and Scott Dixon continued to show the strong pace of the past two weeks and topped the speed charts for Friday’s final practice on “Carb Day.” Sato completed 86 laps and had a top average lap speed of 227.855 mph. Dixon’s top average speed was 227.285, just 0.332 mph faster than Penske’s Will Power.

Legge, Rahal granted a shakedown session

Katherine Legge and Graham Rahal will get an extra 15-minute practice session apart from the rest of the field on Thursday to shake their rebuilt cars. Legge ran into Stefan Wilson during Monday’s practice session, sending both Wall and Wilson to hospital with a broken vertebra that will keep him out of the race.

Rahal, after initially failing to qualify in his normal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, will drive Wilson’s backup Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet. Legge’s RLL team was able to rebuild the original chassis of her wrecked car. The track will be open from 4:30-4:45 PM for Legge and Rahal to leave the pit lane, drive down the backstretch and come back into the pits to make sure the cars are in good condition for the last workout of Friday “Carb Day”. .

Best bets on the 2023 Indy 500

Despite having nine former winners in the field, only two, Scott Dixon and Takuma Sato, go into the weekend with more than 10-to-1 chances of victory, according to BetMGM. Three Hondas and two Chevrolets are among the top favorites to win.

Best odds of winning
• Alex Palou +550
• Pato O’Ward +650
•Scott Dixon +850
• Takuma Sato +1000

Starting grid 2023 Indy 500

1. Alex Palou (10), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

2. Rinus Veekay (21), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

3. Felix Rosenqvist (6), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

4. Santino Ferrucci (14), AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet

5. Pato O’Ward (5), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

6. Scott Dixon (9), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

7. Alexander Rossi (7), Arrow McLaren-Chevrolet

8. Takuma Sato (11), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

9. Tony Kanaan (66), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

10. Marcus Ericsson (8), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

11. Benjamin Pederson (55), AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet

12. Will Power (12), Team Penske Chevrolet

13. Ed Carpenter (33), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

14. Scott McLaughlin (3), Team Penske Chevrolet

15. Kyle Kirkwood (27), Andretti Autosport Honda

16. Conor Daly (20), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

17. Josef Newgarden (2), Team Penske Chevrolet

18. Ryan Hunter-Reay (23), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet

19. Romain Grosjean (28), Andretti Autosport Honda

20. Helio Castroneves (06), Meyer Shank Racing Honda

21. Colton Herta (26), Andretti Autosport Honda

22. Simon Pagenaud (60), Meyer Shank Racing Honda

23. David Malukas (18), Dale Coyne Racing/HMD Motorsports Honda

24. Marco Andretti (98), Andretti Autosport Honda

25. Devlin DeFrancesco (29), Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport Honda

26. Callum Ilott (77), Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

27. Agustin Canopino (78), Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

28. RC Enerson (50), Abel Motorsport Chevrolet

29. Katherine Legge (44), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

30. Christian Lundgaard (45), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

31. Sting Ray Robb (51), Dale Coyne Racing/Rick Ware Racing Honda

32. Jack Harvey (30), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

33. Graham Rahal (24), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet

Rahal to fill in for injured Wilson

Graham Rahal will replace Stefan Wilson in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet after the British driver suffered a broken vertebra in a crash during Monday’s practice session. Rahal was bumped off the field in dramatic fashion by Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate Jack Harvey in a desperate final qualifying run as the session ended Sunday afternoon.

Legge, Wilson crashes during Monday practice

The first crash of the month of May occurred in the seventh practice session when Katherine Legge and Stefan Wilson got caught up in Turn 1 with about 50 minutes left in the session. Running in a pack down the front stretch, Legge couldn’t slow her car down enough and crashed into the rear of Wilson, sending them both crashing into the wall.

Wilson gave a thumbs up as he was placed on a board before being transported to the field medical center, while Legge got out of her car under her own power. Follow medical staff said Wilson was communicative and cheerful and is being transferred to an area hospital for advanced imaging.

2023 Indy 500 Practice Results

Harvey shocks Rahal in last chance qualifying

With five minutes left in qualifying for Sunday’s last chance, Jack Harvey was not in the Indianapolis 500 field. At the end of what looked like his last run, he was still out of the field of 33. But the team and Harvey made the decision to make one last desperate run without the luxury of cooling the engine. Harvey crossed the line to make that final run with seconds left on the clock, knocking Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate Graham Rahal out of the field by 0.004s.

Indy 500 qualifying format

There are 34 entries competing for 33 starting spots in the 107th Indianapolis 500. Qualifying is split into two days, with most of the field entering the seven-hour marathon session on Saturday. On Sunday there will be sessions for the final three spots – and one elimination – the top 12 and top six shootout for pole. The drivers’ average speed over a four-lap run determines their position.

Qualifying Day 1 – Saturday, May 20
Grid spots 13-30 enclosed
• After each car has had one chance at a four-lap run, they may choose one of two lanes for subsequent attempts to beat their times. Lane 1 has priority to track entry, but teams must give up their previous qualifying speed to enter.

Qualifying Day 2 – Sunday, May 21
Grid spots 1-12 and 31-33 enclosed
•In the first one hour session, the top 12 cars make runs with places 7-12 determined.
• The bottom four cars will have one hour to determine who will and will not enter the race, with spots 31-33 locked.
• Finally, the top six cars have a 30-minute session to determine pole position through sixth place.

107th Indianapolis 500 entry list

Josef Newgarden (2), Team Penske Chevrolet
Scott McLaughlin (3), Team Penske Chevrolet
Pato O’Ward (5), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Helio Castroneves (06), Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Felix Rosenqvist (6), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Alexander Rossi (7), Arrow McLaren-Chevrolet
Marcus Ericsson (8), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Scott Dixon (9), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Alex Palou (10), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Takuma Sato (11), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Will Power (12), Team Penske Chevrolet
Santino Ferrucci (14), AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet
Graham Rahal (15), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
David Malukas (18), Dale Coyne Racing/HMD Motorsports Honda
Conor Daly (20), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
Rinus Veekay (21), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
Ryan Hunter-Reay (23), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet
Stefan Wilson (24), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet
Colton Herta (26), Andretti Autosport Honda
Kyle Kirkwood (27), Andretti Autosport Honda
Romain Grosjean (28), Andretti Autosport Honda
Devlin DeFrancesco (29), Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport Honda
Jack Harvey (30), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Ed Carpenter (33), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
Katherine Legge (44), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Christian Lundgaard (45), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
RC Enerson (50), Abel Motorsport Chevrolet
Sting Ray Robb (51), Dale Coyne Racing/Rick Ware Racing Honda
Benjamin Pederson (55), AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet
Simon Pagenaud (60), Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Tony Kanaan (66), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Callum Ilott (77), Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
Agustin Canopino (78), Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
Marco Andretti (98), Andretti Autosport Honda

2023 Indy 500 weather forecast

Going into the first week of practice for the 107th Indianapolis 500, rain threatens to hamper two days of track running—the first two sessions Tuesday, May 16, and “Fast Friday” May 19. Otherwise, the forecast calls for cool temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s with scattered cloud cover. But being the Midwest, conditions can change in the blink of an eye.