Indy qualifying revised to one-run Top12

INDYCAR revised the Indianapolis 500 qualifying format on Saturday after persistent rain washed out the first day of time trials at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The new plan compresses qualifying for the 110th Indianapolis 500 into a single Sunday program, with all 33 cars getting one four-lap attempt to set the field. The change replaces the original two-day structure that had allowed multiple Saturday attempts to sort much of the grid. Pole position will still be decided through the Firestone Fast Six, and the NTT P1 Award still carries a $100,000 prize. ### How did the schedule change after Saturday’s rainout? Saturday, May 16, had been scheduled as Day One of qualifying, with positions 16 through 33 to be set and the fastest nine cars locked into Sunday’s Top 12 session. INDYCAR had also added a new “Final 15” round for cars ranked 10th through 15th, creating an extra elimination step before the Top 12. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) The revised schedule issued Saturday night scrapped that split-weekend structure. INDYCAR said qualifying will begin at noon ET on Sunday, May 17, after split-group practice at 9:30 a.m., and all 33 qualifiers will line up in the order drawn Friday and receive one attempt to post a traditional four-lap speed. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) ### What does “one run to make the Top 12” actually mean? Under the updated rules, each driver gets a single initial qualifying run to try to place among the 12 fastest cars. Those first runs now do more than establish the back half of the field — they also determine who advances into the later rounds that decide the first four rows and pole. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) The original format had allowed drivers to make multiple Saturday attempts, either waiting in line or withdrawing earlier times to jump the queue in a faster lane, according to pre-weekend format descriptions and schedule coverage. With Saturday lost to weather, that flexibility disappeared, leaving one timed shot for every entrant before the field is split for the remaining rounds. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) ### Which parts of Sunday stayed the same? The Top 12 and Firestone Fast Six rounds remain in place. Indianapolis Motor Speedway said the 12 fastest cars from the opening round will advance, and the quickest six from that session will move on to the Fast Six to decide positions one through six. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) The pole winner still receives the NTT P1 Award and a $100,000 prize. The remaining five drivers in the Fast Six will fill out the first two rows, while positions seven through 12 are set from Top 12 qualifying results. ### What was dropped from the earlier 2026 plan? (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) The extra “Final 15” round announced on May 11 no longer applies under the rain-shortened schedule. That round had been designed to give the six cars ranked 10th through 15th on Saturday one attempt each on Sunday to claim the final three spots in the Top 12. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) By moving all 33 cars into Sunday’s opening session, INDYCAR effectively removed the need for a separate last-step qualifier into the Top 12. The result is a more compressed path: one run for everyone, then Top 12, then Fast Six. That is an inference from the revised schedule released by IMS and the earlier May 11 format bulletin. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) ### When and where can fans follow the rest of qualifying? Indianapolis Motor Speedway said live qualifying information is available through its Indianapolis 500 live grid and event pages. The speedway’s main event page lists the 110th Indianapolis 500 for Sunday, May 24, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) Sunday’s program starts with split-group practice at 9:30 a.m. ET and qualifying at noon ET, according to the updated IMS notice. The compressed format will determine all 33 starting spots and then narrow the field to the Top 12 and Fast Six before the race on May 24. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com 1) (indianapolismotorspeedway.com 2)