What is the Indianapolis 500? Dates, schedule, history and more

Anticipation is high for the 109th staging of the Indianapolis 500, which takes place on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

With the starting list set after two days of qualifying this week, we look ahead to the main event, with all you need to know about Indianapolis 500.

What is the Indianapolis 500?

Billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the Indianapolis 500 is an annual race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of the IndyCar Series season, with drivers aiming to complete 200 laps.

The 2025 Indianapolis 500 is round six of this season’s IndyCar Series, and 33 drivers will compete to win one of the three crowns in the prestigious accolade known as the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

Indianapolis 500 history

First held in 1911 and won by Ray Harroun with an average speed of 74.602 miles per hour, the Indianapolis 500, then known as the International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, has become one of the most prestigious events on the motorsport calendar over its 109-race history.

While currently a part of the IndyCar Series, the Indianapolis 500 has previously been a part of the FIA World Championships, the World Manufacturers’ Championship, and the World Drivers’ Championship.

Indianapolis 500 dates and schedule

The build-up to the 2025 Indianapolis 500 began on Tuesday, 13th May, with the first of four practice sessions, with two more sessions following on the 14th and 15th May.

Fast Friday was on May 16th, before qualifying on Saturday, May 17th. The final practice session took place on Monday, 19th May, and is followed by a three-day break before we get into the build-up to the race itself.

Friday, 23rd May kicks off with a day of racing and rock music with Carb Day, with the eve of the 2025 Indianapolis 500 taken up by Legends Day.

Finally, Sunday 25th May takes us to race day, with the green flag scheduled to wave at 12:45pm Eastern Time, or 5:45pm BST.

Indianapolis 500 circuit

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana, is a 2.5-mile rectangular oval circuit that has remained virtually unchanged since its opening in 1909, comprising of two 0.625-mile straights linked by a quartet of 0.25-mile turns.

As well as the Indianapolis 500, the circuit also hosts the Nascar Brickyard 400 and the Pennzoil 250, while it has previously hosted the Formula One United States Grand Prix and Moto GP races.

Known as The Brickyard due to the brick paving used in the early years of the circuit, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has retained a yard of exposed brick at the start/finish line as a nod to its history.

An FIA Grade One road course, which incorporates part of the oval, was opened in 2000, but the Indianapolis 500 uses only the oval circuit itself.

Indianapolis 500 entry list

Last weekend’s qualifying saw Robert Shwartzman take pole position for the Prema Racing team, becoming the first rookie since 1983 to do so, while last season’s Indianapolis 500 winner, Josef Newgarden, could only manage 32nd in the lineup after penalties dropped him from 11th on the grid, while Jacob Abel was the unfortunate driver to be bumped from qualifying.

15-time Indy 500 veteran and former Formula One driver Takuma Sato took second place at the age of 48, while third place went to Pato O’Ward, who came agonisingly close to winning the race in both 2022 and 2024.

Other notable names include former Formula One drivers Marcus Ericsson (9th), Alexander Rossi (12th), four-time winner Helio Castroneves (22nd), and NASCAR star Kyle Larson (19th).

• 1st - Robert Shwartzman
• 2nd - Takuma Sato
• 3rd - Pato O’Ward
• 4th - Scott Dixon
• 6th - Alex Palou
• 9th - Marcus Ericsson
• 12th - Alexander Rossi
• 19th - Kyle Larson
• 22nd - Helio Castroneves
• 25th - Ryan Hunter-Reay
• 27th - Colton Herta
• 29th - Marco Andretti
• 32nd - Josef Newgarden
• 33rd - Will Power

Indianapolis 500 previous winners

Josef Newgarden is aiming to become the first driver to ever win the Indianapolis 500 three years running on Sunday, but his task has been made a near impossibility after penalties bumped him down to 32nd on the grid.

Prior to Newgarden’s back-to-back successes, former Formula One pair Marcus Ericsson and Takuma Sato sandwiched Helio Castroneves, who became just the fourth person to win the Indianapolis 500 four times in 2021.

Other notable winners include Juan Pablo Montoya, one of only two drivers to win the Indy 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix, and three-time winner Graham Hill, who remains the only driver to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.