Álex Palou wins Indianapolis 500 pole

Álex Palou will start the Indianapolis 500 from pole after winning the Firestone Fast Six at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a four-lap average of 232.248 mph, IndyCar said. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver secured the top spot on May 17, not May 22, after a rain-disrupted qualifying weekend compressed the schedule. Palou is the defending Indianapolis 500 winner and will try on Sunday, May 24, to become a repeat champion in the 110th Running. IndyCar said the pole was the second of Palou’s Indy 500 career and came with the NTT P1 Award and a $100,000 bonus. ### When did Palou actually win the pole? May 17 was the day Palou won pole, according to IndyCar’s qualifying report. The confusion stems from later grid and preview stories published on May 22 that recapped a result already decided earlier in the week. IndyCar said rain washed out part of the qualifying program before Palou emerged on top in Sunday’s Fast Six session. (indycar.com) Palou said after the run that he was almost at a loss for words, according to IndyCar’s report. The Spaniard’s No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda delivered the quickest four-lap average of the session, and IndyCar said he beat a field that had to adjust to a disrupted weekend schedule. ### Who joins him on the front row? (indycar.com) Alexander Rossi will start second and David Malukas third, completing the front row for Sunday’s race. Motorsport.com’s published starting grid and multiple roundup reports listed Rossi alongside Palou on the front row, with Malukas in the third slot. (indycar.com) The 33-car field also includes nine previous Indianapolis 500 winners, according to Bleacher Report’s lineup story. That group gives the race a grid heavy with past winners as Palou tries to defend his 2025 victory from the front. ### Why is this pole more notable than a normal front-row start? (motorsport.com) Palou is attempting to become a back-to-back Indianapolis 500 winner, a feat Bleacher Report said would make him the second driver in four years to win the race in consecutive seasons. Starting first matters at Indianapolis because it gives the pole sitter clean air at the start and avoids some of the traffic deeper in the pack, though the 500-mile race is usually decided over strategy, cautions and fuel windows rather than qualifying alone. (bleacherreport.com) That last point is an inference based on the nature of the event, not a direct quote from the cited reports. IndyCar’s event page lists Palou as both the reigning series champion and the defending race winner. His pole run also underscored how strong Chip Ganassi Racing has remained at Indianapolis heading into race weekend. ### Were there other late-week developments on the grid? Josef Newgarden was fastest on Carb Day, according to race-week reports cited in the briefing, adding another prominent former winner to the list of contenders entering Sunday. (bleacherreport.com) Separate grid coverage also said Caio Collet and Jack Harvey failed technical inspection after qualifying, a wrinkle that affected the final shape of the lineup behind the front row. (indycar.com) Rossi also entered the week with injuries to a finger and ankle after a crash, according to IndyStar’s grid guide cited in the briefing. Even so, he kept his place on the front row next to Palou. ### What happens next and where can viewers watch? (motorsport.com) The 110th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. IndyCar’s event page says race-day coverage begins at 10 a.m. ET on Fox, while other race-week guides list the event for May 24 and identify Fox as the broadcaster. (indycar.com) (motorsport.com)