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 17-18.

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

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 12 fastest drivers advance to Sunday’s ‘Top 12’ session for a shot at pole position.

Positions 13–30 are locked in and will not re-qualify on Sunday.

In the case of more than 33 entries, drivers outside the top 30 must compete in ‘Last Chance Qualifying’ on Sunday for the final three spots on the grid, with the slowest car not being allowed to start the race.

Sunday

Last Chance Qualifying

If there are more than 33 entries, drivers who were 31st or lower on Saturday compete for the final three spots on the grid. Each gets at least one attempt, and multiple attempts are allowed until the session ends. The slowest drivers are bumped and do not make the race.

Top 12 Qualifying

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

Firestone Fast Six

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.