Indy 500 Palou on pole May 24

Alex Palou entered Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 from the pole, giving the defending race winner the front spot for the 110th running at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. FOX Sports said the green flag was scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ET on May 24, with race-day coverage beginning earlier in the morning on FOX. Indianapolis Motor Speedway listed the event as the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. IndyStar and track coverage showed a sellout crowd for race day. ### Why was Alex Palou the central name before the race even started? Alex Palou won pole position for the May 24 race after qualifying fastest for the 33-car field, putting the reigning Indianapolis 500 winner at the front again. IndyStar’s qualifying coverage said Palou would start first, with Alexander Rossi and David Malukas completing the front row. Yahoo’s IndyCar report also said Palou had won the pole six days before race day. (foxsports.com) FOX59 said Palou came into race day seeking a second straight Indy 500 victory and a fifth IndyCar title. The station described him as a four-time IndyCar champion already sitting in pole position for Sunday’s race. An Associated Press report carried by FOX59 said Palou had dominated much of the past two IndyCar seasons and was hearing boos from some fans as he kept winning. (indystar.com) ### What, exactly, was scheduled for race day? FOX Sports said the race-day schedule on Sunday, May 24, included pre-race coverage at 10 a.m. ET, the national anthem by Jordin Sparks at 12:20 p.m. ET and the Indianapolis 500 at 12:45 p.m. ET. FOX also said the race would be shown on FOX and streamed on FOX One. A separate FOX Sports guide described the event as a 500-mile, 200-lap race on the 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. (fox59.com) Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s event page said the race was scheduled for Sunday, May 24, during Memorial Day weekend. NBC Sports’ live race page said Palou would start from the pole despite gloomy skies at the speedway. ### Who else was part of the pre-race spotlight? Caitlin Clark was named grand marshal for the 2026 Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway said in a May 19 announcement. (foxsports.com) The track said the WNBA star and Gainbridge brand ambassador was set for a race-day role on Sunday, May 24. IMS repeated that announcement on its news page ahead of the event. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) WTHR’s pre-race blog, cited in the source briefing, also reported a planned Lap 18 pylon tribute to honor Kyle Busch’s No. 18. That gave race day an additional ceremonial element beyond the usual pre-race pageantry. ### How full was the speedway? Indianapolis Motor Speedway said before race weekend that the grandstands were sold out and encouraged fans to arrive early and plan ahead. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) IndyStar published race-day images showing fans filling the venue, matching the sellout description in local coverage. The size of the crowd added to the scale of the pre-race setting as Palou prepared to defend his 2025 victory. (indianapolismotorspeedway.com) ### What should readers watch next? The 33-car field was set with Palou on pole and Rossi and Malukas alongside him in Row 1, according to IndyStar and FOX Sports. FOX’s schedule said the decisive next step was the 12:45 p.m. ET green flag on Sunday, May 24, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Palou was trying to turn pole position into back-to-back wins. (indystar.com) (indianapolismotorspeedway.com)