Memorial Day is approaching, and that means one thing: The Indianapolis 500 is getting very close. But first, the 34 entries in this year’s race must practice and whittle the field down to the fastest 33 by the end of the week. The Indy 500 is unique amongst most other races in the fact that it offers nearly 40 hours of on-track running before the green flag flies on Sunday, May 26th.
Alex Palou comes into practice fresh off of a win on the IMS Road Course on Saturday, just as he did in 2023. While the Spaniard hasn’t won the 500 yet in four attempts, he’ll likely come into race day as one of the favorites. Another big story is Kyle Larson. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion will be the first driver since Kurt Busch in 2014 to attempt “The Double”, AKA competing in both the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte in the same day. Given the California native’s knack for other racing disciplines like sprint cars and endurance racing, Larson comes into the opening days of practice with a lot of eyes on him. NBC and Peacock will have coverage of every on-track session.
It’s IndyCar’s biggest month, so here is all the on-track action taking place over the next two weeks:
Weekend Schedule and How to Watch
Practice 1 (Rookie Orientation and Veteran Refreshers): Tuesday, 5/14 – 9:00 a.m. EST/13:00 GMT on Peacock/Sky Sports F1
Practice 2: Tuesday, 5/14 – 1:00 p.m. EST/17:00 GMT on Peacock/Sky Sports F1
Practice 3: Wednesday, 5/15 – 12:00 p.m. EST/16:00 GMT on Peacock/Sky Sports F1
Practice 4: Thursday, 5/16 – 12:00 p.m. EST/16:00 GMT on Peacock/Sky Sports F1
Practice 5 (Fast Friday): Friday, 5/17 – 12:00 p.m. EST/16:00 GMT on Peacock/Sky Sports F1
Practice 6 (Pre-Qualifying): Saturday, 5/18 – 8:30 a.m. EST/12:30 GMT on Peacock/Sky Sports F1
Qualifying (Day 1): Saturday, 5/18 – 11:00 a.m. EST/15:00 GMT on Peacock/Sky Sports F1
Practice 7 (Pre-Qualifying): Sunday, 5/19 – 12:00 p.m. EST/16:00 GMT on Peacock/Sky Sports F1
Qualifying (Day 2 – Pole/Bump Day): Sunday, 5/19 – 3:00 p.m. EST/19:00 GMT on NBC/Sky Sports F1
Practice 8: Monday, 5/20 – 1:00 p.m. EST/17:00 GMT on Peacock/Sky Sports F1
Practice 9 (Carb Day): Friday, 5/24 – 1:00 p.m. EST/17:00 GMT on Peacock/Sky Sports F1
Pit Stop Challenge: Friday, 5/24 – 2:30 p.m. EST/18:30 GMT on Peacock/Sky Sports F1
108th Running of the Indianapolis 500: Sunday, 5/26 – 11:00 a.m. EST/15:00 GMT on NBC/Sky Sports F1 (Green flag at 12:45/16:45)
Notes:
- Some rookies will have to complete rookie orientation on Day 1. That consists of multiple sets of laps run at preset speeds before they can be eligible to qualify.
- All cars receive a 100 horsepower boost on Fast Friday.
- A draw for the qualifying order will take place after practice on Friday.
You can find a full list of IndyCar broadcasters outside of the United States and the United Kingdom here.
All IndyCar sessions are covered live on IndyCar Radio.
TCF will have coverage of every practice day as it happens. Check back here and follow @gabe_perrin on X for recaps after every day of practice and qualifying.
