Alex Palou captured the 2026 Indianapolis 500 pole position in a rain-disrupted, compressed qualifying weekend at IMS that forced the entire field to adjust on the fly, and the result set up one of the most dramatic qualifying stories in recent IndyCar memory.
Palou earned the top spot with a four-lap average speed of 232.248 mph, edging out Alexander Rossi and David Malukas after a Sunday-only showdown that replaced the scheduled Saturday action washed out by heavy rain.
Felix Rosenqvist remained in contention with 231.375 mph for fourth, Santino Ferrucci took fifth with 230.846 mph, and Pato O’Ward rounded out the Fast Six with 230.442 mph.
Behind them, Kyffin Simpson, Conor Daly, Scott McLaughlin, Caio Collet, Scott Dixon, and Rinus VeeKay completed the Fast 12 and locked in their spots for the first four rows.
Update: Caio Collet’s No. 4 A.J. Foyt Chevy and Jack Harvey’s No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Chevy were disqualified after failing post-qualifying technical inspection.
Full 2026 Indianapolis 500 schedule: Qualifying, Practice, Race times and TV
2026 Indianapolis 500 Qualifying results after penalties
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Engine | 4-Lap Time | Avg. Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 02:35.0066 | 232.248 |
| 2 | 20 | Alexander Rossi | ECR | Chevrolet | 02:35.1792 | 231.990 |
| 3 | 12 | David Malukas | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 02:35.2549 | 231.877 |
| 4 | 60 | Felix Rosenqvist | Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian | Honda | 02:35.5914 | 231.375 |
| 5 | 14 | Santino Ferrucci | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Chevrolet | 02:35.9482 | 230.846 |
| 6 | 5 | Pato O’Ward | Arrow McLaren | Chevrolet | 02:36.2218 | 230.442 |
| 7 | 8 | Kyffin Simpson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 02:35.9229 | 230.883 |
| 8 | 23 | Conor Daly | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevrolet | 02:36.0390 | 230.712 |
| 9 | 3 | Scott McLaughlin | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 02:36.1300 | 230.577 |
| 10 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 02:36.2862 | 230.347 |
| 11 | 76 | Rinus VeeKay | Juncos Hollinger Racing | Chevrolet | 02:36.8048 | 229.585 |
| 12 | 75 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 02:35.8477 | 230.995 |
| 13 | 33 | Ed Carpenter | ECR | Chevrolet | 02:35.9593 | 230.829 |
| 14 | 06 | Helio Castroneves | Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian | Honda | 02:35.9717 | 230.811 |
| 15 | 21 | Christian Rasmussen | ECR | Chevrolet | 02:36.0434 | 230.705 |
| 16 | 66 | Marcus Armstrong | Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian | Honda | 02:36.0464 | 230.701 |
| 17 | 28 | Marcus Ericsson | Andretti Global | Honda | 02:36.0690 | 230.667 |
| 18 | 7 | Christian Lundgaard | Arrow McLaren | Chevrolet | 02:36.0729 | 230.661 |
| 19 | 26 | Will Power | Andretti Global | Honda | 02:36.3323 | 230.279 |
| 20 | 6 | Nolan Siegel | Arrow McLaren | Chevrolet | 02:36.3769 | 230.213 |
| 21 | 45 | Louis Foster | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 02:36.3773 | 230.212 |
| 22 | 31 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Arrow McLaren | Chevrolet | 02:36.3843 | 230.202 |
| 23 | 2 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 02:36.4098 | 230.165 |
| 24 | 18 | Romain Grosjean | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 02:36.6643 | 229.791 |
| 25 | 27 | Kyle Kirkwood | Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian | Honda | 02:36.7896 | 229.607 |
| 26 | 11 | Katherine Legge | HMD Motorsports w/ AJ Foyt Racing | Chevrolet | 02:36.8928 | 229.456 |
| 27 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 02:36.8969 | 229.450 |
| 28 | 15 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 02:37.1936 | 229.017 |
| 29 | 19 | Dennis Hauger | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 02:37.2176 | 228.982 |
| 30 | 51 | Jacob Abel | Abel Motorsports | Chevrolet | 02:37.7778 | 228.169 |
| 31 | 77 | Sting Ray Robb | Juncos Hollinger Racing | Chevrolet | 02:38.8901 | 226.572 |
| 32 | 4 | Caio Collet | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Chevrolet | 02:36.1560 | 230.539 |
| 33 | 24 | Jack Harvey | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevrolet | 02:37.0634 | 229.207 |
