IndyCar adds Final 15 qualifying twist

IndyCar has changed the way the Indianapolis 500 field will be sorted this weekend, inserting a new Sunday round called the “Final 15” between Saturday’s opening qualifying session and the final fight for pole. The series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced the change on May 11, days before PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying begins at the 2.5-mile oval. The revision keeps Saturday’s four-lap qualifying runs for all entries, but it adds another elimination stage on Sunday before the Top 12 and Firestone Fast Six sessions. The result is a longer path to the front of the grid for the fastest cars, including Scott Dixon as he pursues a sixth Indy 500 pole. ### Where does the new “Final 15” fit into the weekend? Saturday, May 16, remains the first full day of qualifying, with every car guaranteed one attempt in the established order before teams can choose later runs through separate lanes, according to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway qualifying format page. The speeds from that opening day still determine which cars move on. Sunday, May 17, now starts with a one-hour practice for positions 10-15 from day one, followed by a one-hour practice for positions 1-9, the Speedway schedule shows. At 4 p.m. Eastern, the new “Final 15” session will set positions 13-15, with the fastest three drivers advancing into the Top 12 round. The Top 12 session then sets positions 7-12 and sends the fastest six into the Firestone Fast Six, which determines the pole and the rest of the first two rows. ### What changed from the previous setup? IndyCar said the added round creates “another layer” in the contest for pole position at the 110th Indianapolis 500. Under the revised structure, drivers who finish Saturday in positions 10-15 are no longer done with their weekend if they want to reach the front rows. Three of them can now race their way forward on Sunday. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) The practical effect is that Sunday now has three elimination steps at the front of the field instead of two. Positions 13-15 are locked in after the Final 15, positions 7-12 are fixed after the Top 12, and only six cars remain eligible for pole in the final session. ### Why does Scott Dixon come up immediately in this format? (indycar.com) Scott Dixon enters the weekend with five Indianapolis 500 poles, and IndyCar said a pole on Sunday would give the Chip Ganassi Racing driver six and tie Rick Mears for the event record. Dixon, 45, is also the 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner and a six-time series champion, according to his IndyCar driver profile. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) Rick Mears’ mark has stood as the race standard, so any pole run by Dixon now sits alongside the debut of the new qualifying ladder. IndyCar’s own preview material highlighted Dixon’s pursuit as one of the central storylines entering practice and qualifying week. ### Does this affect the rest of the field, not just the pole contenders? The Indianapolis Motor Speedway format page says the Final 15 decides positions 13-15 and promotes only the fastest three into the Top 12. (indycar.com) That means drivers who were just outside the top nine on Saturday still have a route into the first two rows, but they must complete an extra four-lap run to get there. The change does not alter the basic structure for the full field on Saturday. Every entry still must post a four-lap average, and teams can continue making second and later attempts after the initial order has cycled through. ### When did Indy 500 track activity begin, and what comes next? (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) Indianapolis Motor Speedway lists opening practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 on Tuesday, May 12, and IndyCar’s event page shows practice running through race month ahead of qualifying and the race itself. The series schedule lists the Indianapolis 500 for May 24 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) Sunday’s sequence is already posted by the Speedway: Final 15 qualifying at 4 p.m. Eastern, Top 12 qualifying at 5 p.m., and the Firestone Fast Six at 6:35 p.m. Eastern. Those sessions will set the first five rows for the 110th running on May 24. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com 1) (indianapolismotorspeedway.com 2)