Alex Palou Claims the Pole for the Indianapolis 500

Alex Palou Claims the Pole for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500

SPEEDWAY, Ind.–For the second time in his career, Alex Palou will start on the pole for the Indianapolis 500. His four-lap average of 232.248 got it done in the Fast 6 round of qualifying on Sunday evening at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

By winning the pole position and starting first for next Sunday’s race, Palou also won a $100,000 prize. He also claimed 12 points in the NTT IndyCar Series standings.

Palou, a 29-year-old from Spain, is the defending Indianapolis 500 winner. In 2025, he started sixth and ended up winning the race. He won the pole in 2023, but finished fourth.

“It was incredible honestly. We did not expect that run after our qualifying attempt this morning. Honestly, the team did an incredible job getting some speed from the car,” said Palou to the IMS Radio Network.

He qualified 11th in the morning session to get in the Top 12 and have a shot at the Fast 6 with a speed of 231.155 miles per hour, but got more out of the car in the evening session.

Palou also reiterated that getting ready for the Indianapolis 500 never stops.

“I’m glad that we got the pole today, but the work that we have ahead is huge,” said Palou.

Alexander Rossi, who won the 2016 Indy 500, will start second and David Malukas will begin in the third spot followed by Felix Rosenqvist (4th), Santino Ferrucci (5th) and Pato O’Ward to round out the Fast Six.

“This is the only place where you can find some consolation from not being on the Pole. It’s such an honor to qualify in the Top 3, especially in this format. It was very challenging with conditions so variable from run to run. We didn’t do the same thing twice. Congrats to Alex. It’s a little bit boring, but still a great day,” said Rossi to the IMS Radio Network.

It’s Rossi’s best start for an Indy 500 in his career. His previous best start was 3rd in 2017.

Even though Noblesville native Conor Daly didn’t make the Fast 6, he starts 8th, which is the best starting position he’s had for any Indy 500 race. His best finish was 6th in 2022.

“It was super sketchy. We just didn’t have enough grip. The car was fighting me. The last thing I want to do is anything wrong to this thing because it’s such a fast car right now. I want to keep this thing in one piece because it’s really fast. I guess this will be my best starting spot, so we’ll take that,” said Daly to IMS Radio.

Chip Ganassi Racing ended up with three drivers in the Top 12 (Palou, Kyffin Simpson at 7th, and Scott Dixon who qualified 11th).

Weather full of intermittent rain showers on Saturday forced IMS President Doug Boles to postpone qualifying action to Sunday. The drivers only got one qualifying attempt.

Helio Castroneves has won four Indianapolis 500 races. He is trying to become the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 five times. He qualified 15th on Sunday.

“I’m happy with the balance of the car, but we definitely need to keep pushing. On race day, we’ll show everyone where we’re at,” said Castroneves in an interview on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan.

The driver who struggled the most was Sting Ray Robb. He qualified last at 33rd by finishing with a four lap average of 226.572 mph. He eventually moved up to 31st because of penalties issued to Jack Harvey and Caio Collet.

“Disaster doesn’t sum it up. It’s the worst qualifying run I’ve had in Indy. It’s the worst car balance I’ve had in Indy. That’s all I can say really. There’s no reason we should be that bad,” said Sting Ray Robb to 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan.

Another day of practice is scheduled for Monday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1-3 pm. Carb Day is Friday and the Indianapolis 500 race will happen Sunday May 24.