Qualifications for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 were completed Sunday, with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou earning the NTT P1 Award. Sunday marks Palou’s first pole position of the season as he leads the championship standings.
With qualifications beginning Saturday and the top-12 drivers advancing to qualifying Sunday, a four-lap average of 233.398 mph by Palou placed him in the third position. Only Arrow McLaren’s Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi had better times in Saturday’s qualifications with average speeds of 233.947 mph and 233.528 mph, respectively.
Prior to the top-12 qualifying Sunday, the top 12 drivers were given an hour-long practice session to fine-tune their cars for the day. In the session, Palou finished second with his best lap being a lap of 235.609 mph.
In top-12 qualifying, Palou finished fourth with an average speed of 233.779 mph — advancing him to the Firestone Fast Six. With a run at the pole on the line, Palou laid down the fastest pole speed in the 107-year history of the Indianapolis 500 –– a four-lap average of 234.217 mph.
Firestone Fast Six Results:
Driver, 4-lap qualifying average in mph, Team, Manufacturer
Alex Palou, 234.217, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
Rinus VeeKay, 234.211, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet
Felix Rosenqvist, 234.114, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
Santino Ferrucci, 233.661, A.J. Foyt Racing, Chevrolet
Pato O’Ward, 233.158, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
Scott Dixon, 233.151, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
Each of the 33 drivers that qualified for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 will return to the racecourse Monday for a two-hour practice session from 1 to 3 p.m. The practice will be televised on Peacock.
