The Indy 500 qualifying sessions are truly electrifying — so much so, they have their own weekend seven days prior to the race itself.

230mph heroics, high-speed barrier brushes, nail-biting jeopardy and thousandths of a mph difference are all in a day’s work for IndyCar stars, making it an unmissable event.

The road to making the 33-car field is one of the more – if not the most – unique and complex in all of racing, spanning multiple days and divided into several phases.

It’s a unique blend of speed and strategy, as drivers vie not only for a coveted place in the 33-car field, but also for the ultimate prize: pole position at The Brickyard.

Here’s a breakdown of how it all works.

Format overview

Before teams even think about making the grid, they put in the hours: five days of practice during the week, as teams refine and ‘trim-out’ their cars to find as much speed as possible.

The qualifying process then takes place over two days: Saturday and Sunday of qualifying weekend, this year on May 16-17.

Every driver’s qualifying run consists of four consecutive timed laps with the average speed, not time, determining their starting position.

For 2026, IndyCar has made notable changes to the format, adding a new ‘Final 15’ intermediate round and removing the threat of bumping. With exactly 33 entries, every car that completes qualifying will start the race.

Saturday

All entered cars get one qualifying attempt, with the order determined by a blind draw. After all cars have completed their first attempt, teams may choose from two pit exit lanes for second and subsequent attempts – with sometimes a huge gamble to be made.

The cars in the priority lane (Lane 1) must withdraw their previous time, but get priority access to the track ahead of Lane 2. Lane 2 is reserved for cars that have already qualified but want to improve their position.

At the end of Saturday, the top nine fastest drivers are locked directly into Sunday’s ‘Top 12’ session. Drivers who end up 10th-15th advance to the new ‘Final 15’ round. Positions 16-33 are set and those drivers do not re-qualify on Sunday.

With exactly 33 entries in 2026, there is no Last Chance Qualifying and no bumping. Every car that completes a qualifying run will start the race.

Sunday

Final 15 qualifying (from 9pm BST)

The 15 drivers who ended Saturday 10th–15th each get one four-lap attempt. The three fastest join the nine already locked into the Top 12 session, completing the field of 12. Positions 13-15 are set based on these runs.

Top 12 qualifying (from ~10pm BST)

The 12 fastest cars from the combined Saturday/Final 15 sessions each make another four-lap run in reverse order of speed. The six fastest advance to the ‘Firestone Fast Six’, while positions 7-12 are set based on these runs.

Firestone Fast Six (from ~11.35pm BST)

The fastest six from the Top 12 session each make a final four-lap run, again in reverse order. This session determines the pole position and the order of the first two rows.

The pole winner earns 12 points in the championship, with points awarded down to 1 point for 12th fastest.

Fun facts

Scott McLaughlin has the highest four-lap average pole speed at 234.220 mph, set in 2024.