Indy 500 qualifying order draw, 33 cars

Indianapolis Motor Speedway and INDYCAR released the qualifying draw for the 110th Indianapolis 500 on Friday, setting the order for the first runs in Saturday’s time trials. The draw covers a 33-car entry list, which matches the 33 starting spots for the race scheduled for May 24 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (indycar.com) Day One qualifying begins at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, May 16, and determines positions 16 through 33, while the fastest cars advance into Sunday’s rounds for the pole fight. Scott Dixon will be the first driver on track when qualifying opens, according to the official Saturday order published by INDYCAR. Scott McLaughlin is scheduled to run second, Pato O’Ward third, David Malukas fourth and Christian Lundgaard fifth. (indycar.com) At the other end of the order, Jacob Abel drew 32nd and Katherine Legge 33rd. ### Who drew the earliest Saturday qualifying spots? Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner and a six-time INDYCAR champion, drew the No. 1 position for the opening qualifying attempts on Saturday. The rest of the top 10 in the published order are Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward, David Malukas, Christian Lundgaard, Dennis Hauger, Nolan Siegel, Caio Collet, Graham Rahal and Helio Castroneves. (indycar.com) The middle of the order includes Josef Newgarden in 10th, Will Power in 11th, Felix Rosenqvist in 12th, Santino Ferrucci in 13th and Marcus Ericsson in 14th. Alex Palou, the reigning Indianapolis 500 winner listed on the event page, drew 31st. (indycar.com) ### How does the two-day qualifying format work this year? INDYCAR said Day One on Saturday runs from 11 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. ET and will set positions 16 through 33 in the field. The fastest nine cars from Saturday are locked into Sunday’s Top 12 qualifying session, while cars ranked 10th through 15th move into a new Final 15 round on Sunday for the last three spots in the Top 12. (indycar.com) Sunday’s format starts with the Final 15 round at 4 p.m. ET, where positions 13 through 15 are set and the fastest three drivers advance. Top 12 qualifying follows at about 5 p.m. ET to decide positions seven through 12 and cut the field to the Firestone Fast Six, which begins at about 6:35 p.m. (indycar.com) ET to determine the first two rows and the pole winner. The pole sitter also receives a $100,000 prize, INDYCAR said. ### Why does a 33-car draw matter this weekend? The official entry list shows 33 cars entered for the 110th running, the same number as the race’s traditional starting field. That means every entrant is expected to make the race, but qualifying still decides where each car starts and which drivers advance into Sunday’s pole-position rounds. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) J. Douglas Boles, president of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said in a May 11 statement that the added Sunday round would create “even more excitement and drama” during qualifying weekend. Boles said the field’s depth was part of the reason for the revised procedure. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) ### Which notable names are in the field? Josef Newgarden, a two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner, is entered in the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet. Helio Castroneves, a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, is in the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda, while Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Takuma Sato are also listed as former race winners on the official entry sheet. (indycar.com) Three rookies are identified on the official entry list with an “R”: Caio Collet for A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Dennis Hauger for Dale Coyne Racing and Mick Schumacher for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Jacob Abel also is entered for Abel Motorsports in the No. 51 Chevrolet. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) ### When are the next qualifying sessions? Saturday, May 16, is the full-field qualifying day, with all 33 cars guaranteed an initial attempt before teams can choose additional runs through the priority and non-priority lanes. Sunday, May 17, then stages the Final 15, Top 12 and Firestone Fast Six sessions that complete the front four rows of the grid. The 110th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (indycar.com 1) (indycar.com 2)