LIVE: 2023 Indianapolis 500 results from qualifying at IMS
Welcome to 2023 Indianapolis 500 qualifying. Positions 10-30 for the May 28 race will be determined Saturday, while the top 12 spots and positions 31-33 will be determined Sunday. One of the 34 entries will fail to make the race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 2.5-mile oval.
If Fast Friday is any indication, watch out for Chip Ganassi Racing or Team Penske drivers to challenge for the top spots.
Every driver is guaranteed one qualifying attempt Saturday, then the strategy begins. Here's how Indy 500 qualifying works. Follow Nathan Brown for IndyCar Series coverage all season, and we will have every qualifying attempt on Saturday here. Please remember to refresh.
Indy 500 streaming, TV: How can I watch the race, practice, qualifying?
First time through the field: Indianapolis 500 2023 qualifying order
6 p.m.: Felix Rosenqvist leads first-day Indy 500 qualifying
Felix Rosenqvist puts together the third-best effort in Indy 500 qualifying history, but that doesn't guarantee him the pole position for the May 28 race.
Rosenqvist's 233.947 mph four-lap run in his Arrow McLaren Chevrolet topped Saturday's qualifying session. He and 11 other drivers will compete for the pole on Sunday: Alexander Rossi, Alex Palou, Rinus VeeKay, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Takuma Sato, Pato O'Ward, Santino Ferrucci, Marcus Ericsson, Benjamin Pedersen and Will Power.
The only qualifying efforts faster than Rosenqvist: Arie Luyendyk in 1996 (236.986) and Dixon in 2022 (234.046). Dixon will be competing for a record third consecutive pole start.
Team owner/driver Ed Carpenter just misses the Fast 12.
On the other end of the field, three Rahal Letterman Lanigan drivers ‒ Christian Lundgaard, Jack Harvey and Graham Rahal ‒ will join Sting Ray Robb in last chance qualifying. Three of those drivers will comprise Row 11 and one won't make the race.
Katherine Legge, driving only in the Indy 500 for RLL, squeaked into the field at 30th (231.070).
"That wasn't stressful at all, was it?" she said on pit road after celebrating with team members.
RETWEET to congratulate @katherinelegge!
She qualifies for the #Indy500! @OnHerTurf pic.twitter.com/M8TV1iQ5G1— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 20, 2023
There were 84 qualifying attempts, a Day 1 record. Rows 5-10 are set for the race.
Row 5: Ed Carpenter, Scott McLaughlin, Kyle Kirkwood
Row 6: Conor Daly, Josef Newgarden, Ryan Hunter-Reay
Row 7: Romain Grosjean, Helio Castroneves, Colton Herta
Row 8: Simon Pagenaud, David Malukas, Marco Andretti
Row 9: Stefan Wilson, Devlin DeFrancesco, Callum Ilott
Row 10: Agustin Canapino, R.C. Enerson, Katherine Legge
4:50 p.m.: Indy 500 qualifying continues
With driver, 4-lap speed average in mph; *-attempt from lane 2, so earlier attempts are not thrown out
Christian Lundgaard can't find top-30 speed and the session ends.
Sting Ray Robb can't find top-30 speed on his fourth attempt.
Josef Newgarden pulls his official run (232.542), which had been 15th. His run of 232.402 puts him 17th.
David Malukas, who had failed to reach the top 30, hits 231.769 on his fourth attempt, moving to 23rd. Christian Lundgaard joins Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammates Jack Harvey and Graham Rahal, as well as Sting Ray Robb, on the outside looking in.
Jack Harvey makes a third attempt but can't find top-30 speed before waving off.
Graham Rahal, on his fourth attempt, can't find top-30 speed before waving off. "I don't know what else to do," he says on the team radio.
Ryan Hunter-Reay makes a third attempt and goes 232.081*. He remains 18th.
Stefan Wilson makes a third attempt and goes 231.648*, remaining 24th.
Will Power makes a third attempt and goes 232.710*, remaining 12th.
Scott McLaughlin makes a third attempt and goes 232.677*, improving to 14th from 16th.
Romain Grosjean makes a third attempt but waves off*. He remains 19th.
Simon Pagenaud makes his third attempt and waves off*. He remains 22nd.
Colton Herta makes his fourth attempt and goes 231.951* but doesn't improve from 21st.
4:50 p.m.: Indy 500 qualifying Happy Hour
The top 12 heading into the final stretch of Day 1 qualifying: Felix Rosenqvist (233.947), Alexander Rossi, Alex Palou, Rinus VeeKay, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Takuma Sato, Pato O'Ward, Santino Ferrucci, Marcus Ericsson, Benjamin Pedersen and Will Power. Ed Carpenter is 13th.
The bottom four: David Malukas, Jack Harvey, Sting Ray Robb and Graham Rahal. Christian Lundgaard stands 30th at 231.056.
1:40 p.m.: Indy 500 qualifying continues
With driver, 4-lap speed average in mph; *-attempt from lane 2, so earlier attempts are not thrown out
Ed Carpenter brushes the wall on his third attempt but finishes the run at 232.689*, moving up from 14th to 13th.
Felix Rosenqvist rolls to the top at 233.947, bumping Alexander Rossi and moving into the top 5 all-time qualifying runs at IMS.
'@FRosenqvist to the top!
One of the fastest 4-lap runs in #Indy500 qualifying HISTORY: 233.947 mph!
📺 : @peacock pic.twitter.com/x0Foz41Ef3— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 20, 2023
Conor Daly makes his third attempt and waves off*. He remains 17th.
Tony Kanaan makes his third attempt and goes 233.347*, moving up to 5th from 14th. Kyle Kirkwood is knocked out of the top 12. Kanaan said he was content with his earlier run, but his Arrow McLaren teammates encouraged him to go out again. All four are currently in the top 9. Alexander Rossi is 1st, Pato O'Ward 7th and Felix Rosenqvist 9th.
Buddies.@TonyKanaan gets congratulated by @AlexanderRossi. #Indy500 pic.twitter.com/qOEodJesaL
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 20, 2023
Christian Lundgaard makes his third attempt and goes 231.056. He's 30th and David Malukas is out.
Sting Ray Robb makes his third attempt and is waved off after 3 laps. He remains out of the top 30.
David Malukas makes his third attempt and goes 231.030. That's 30th, pushing Christian Lundgaard to 31st.
Graham Rahal goes through the priority line, but his attempt is waved off after 3 laps at under 230 mph. He is without an official time. "There's not a (2)31 (mph run) in that car."
Kyle Kirkwood makes his third attempt and goes 232.662*, good enough for 12th. Ed Carpenter is out of that fast group for now.
Josef Newgarden waves off* after 1 lap, and he remains 15th.
Helio Castroneves makes his third attempt and waves off* after 2 laps. He remains 20th.
Marcus Ericsson makes his third attempt and goes 233.030*, improving from 10th to 9th.
Marco Andretti makes his third attempt and waves off after 2 laps*; he remains 18th. He says the team "is throwing stuff at the wall" while calling the effort embarrassing.
"We don't come here to run like this. It's actually embarrassing if I'm being honest." 🫣
Hear from a frustrated @MarcoAndretti after his third qualifying attempt of the day. pic.twitter.com/E8izEo3lBr— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 20, 2023
Takuma Sato, 233.322*, an improvement from 8th to 5th
Agustin Canapino brushes the wall in Turn 1 on his third lap and almost crashes. He waves off the run* and remains 26th. The car will require some work if he plans to make another qualifying attempt.
HANG ON, CANAPINO!@AgustinCanapino with the craziest save so far today during qualifying.#INDYCAR // #Indy500 pic.twitter.com/H4WIdTK9Ym
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 20, 2023
Ed Carpenter, 232.511*; he doesn't improve his position and remains 12th.
Romain Grosjean waves off after 3 laps* and remains 18th
Kyle Kirkwood, 232.617*, an improvement from 17th to 14th
Colton Herta makes his third attempt and goes 231.675*; he doesn't improve his position and remains 21st.
Scott Dixon, 233.375*, an improvement from 7th to 4th
Devlin DeFrancesco, 231.353*, an improvement from 26th to 25th
Tony Kanaan, 232.620*, an improvement from 16th to 13th. His time over four laps is identical to Ed Carpenter's, but Carpenter registered his attempt first and gets 12th for the moment.
Should not have had lunch I guess
— Tony Kanaan (@TonyKanaan) May 20, 2023
David Malukas, whose previous attempt stood 31st, goes from the priority lane, taking that run off the board. IndyCar officials wave off his attempt after 3 laps, and he does not have a registered attempt at the moment.
Jack Harvey waves off after 3 laps*; he remains outside the top 30.
Callum Ilott, 231.182*, an improvement from 34th to 27th. That knocks David Malukas to 31st.
"I kind of want to cry. Maybe I did a little bit."
As it stands, @callum_ilott is in the #Indy500 field.
Qualifying on @NBC and @Peacock. pic.twitter.com/ncHYmWmzZk— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 20, 2023
Conor Daly, 232.385*; he doesn't improve his position
Sting Ray Robb, 230.218*; he remains outside the top 30
Will Power, 232.719*, an improvement from 17th to 11th
Christian Lundgaard, 230.859*, an improvement from 30th to 29th
Stefan Wilson, 230.952*; he doesn't improve his position
Marco Andretti waves off after one lap at 232.057*
Marcus Ericsson, 232.421*; he doesn't improve his position
Simon Pagenaud, 231.878*; he doesn't improve his position
Graham Rahal, 228.915*; he doesn't improve his position. "Unfortunately, (the car is) not improving."
Helio Castroneves, 231.954*, an improvement from 30th to 20th. He says this attempt has more of a relaxed Kenny G vibe, compared to his first run, which was a more raucous Guns N' Roses.
'@H3lio went from Kenny G to Guns N' Roses back to Kenny G.
Yes, really.#Indy500 qualifying on @NBC and @peacock. pic.twitter.com/ynsZ9YfoOP— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 20, 2023
Josef Newgarden's first attempt is 232.542 mph, 12th best to date and knocking teammate Scott McLaughlin out of that group. "I don't know what we can find (in terms of more speed), but if we need to look, we'll look."
Colton Herta, 231.288*; he doesn't improve his position
Ryan Hunter-Reay, 232.133*, an improvement from 21st to 17th. He believes he will stick with that attempt: "We just nailed the run."
Only Josef Newgarden has not taken a qualifying attempt.
Scott McLaughlin makes his first attempt at 232.503
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 20, 2023
Air temperatures are in the mid 60s and the track temperature about 110 degrees.
1:30 p.m.: Alexander Rossi leads Indy 500 qualifying
The first round of time trials is done, and Alexander Rossi's 233.528 mph effort leads the field. It's also among the 5 fastest qualifying attempts in race history.
IndyCar points leader Alex Palou is the only Honda-powered car among the top 6. He's 2nd at 233.398 mph.
Also in the top 12: Rinus VeeKay, Pato O'Ward, Santino Ferrucci, Felix Rosenqvist, Scott Dixon, Takuma Sato, Benjamin Pedersen, Marcus Ericsson, Ed Carpenter and Tony Kanaan.
Best teams: Arrow McLaren has cars in 1st, 4th, 6th and 12th positions. A.J. Foyt Racing stands 5th and 9th. Pedersen is the lone race rookie among the fast group. Chip Ganassi Racing is 2nd, 7th, 8th and 10th.
Struggling teams: Team Penske has 15th place with Will Power, and Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden have yet to make an attempt. Andretti Autosport stands 14th (Kyle Kirkwood), 16th (Devlin DeFrancesco), 17th (Colton Herta) and 19th (Marco Andretti). Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is 25th (Katherine Legge), 27th (Christian Lundgaard), 29th (Jack Harvey) and 31st (Graham Rahal).
Callum Ilott, who is driving a new chassis as of today, is last among 32 qualifiers.
11 a.m.: Indianapolis 500 qualifying
Driver and 4-lap speed average in mph
Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden passed on their guaranteed first attempts but will try later.
Agustin Canapino, 231.320
Katherine Legge, 231.070, best among Rahal Letterman Lanigan drivers
Kyle Kirkwood, 232.390
Romain Grosjean, 231.997
Alex Palou, 233.398, 2nd to Alexander Rossi through 28 qualifiers to date.
Santino Ferrucci, 233.147
David Malukas, 230.779
Takuma Sato, 232.857; of course he flirted with wall contact.
CLOSE CALL!
Takuma Sato, again! #Indy500 qualifying on @peacock pic.twitter.com/JSXwvlbogc— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 20, 2023
Stefan Wilson, 231.356
Callum Ilott, 227.720, last of 23 qualifiers to date; he has trouble maneuvering through Turn 1 on his first two laps. "That was one of the most difficult runs of my life," Ilott said, citing the lack of practice time in this car. His team had changed his chassis overnight over speed and safety issues.
Pato O'Ward, 233.252
Rinus VeeKay, 233.395, 2nd to Alexander Rossi's attempt
Super Rinus! 🇳🇱 @rinusveekay with a flyer currently has him P2. #Indy500 qualifying on @peacock pic.twitter.com/aolDMRfmmr
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 20, 2023
Graham Rahal, 228.526, last among 20 qualifiers to date: "Just not good at all."
Devlin DeFrancesco, 231.273
Conor Daly, 232.433
Jack Harvey, 230.098
R.C. Enerson, 231.129
Ed Carpenter, 232.620
Tony Kanaan, 232.446
'@TonyKanaan is soaking in every moment of his last #Indy500, and his last @INDYCAR race. pic.twitter.com/LICmg4ZRQu
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 20, 2023
Felix Rosenqvist, 233.099
Sting Ray Robb, 229.955
Benjamin Pedersen, 232.739; the rookie from A.J. Foyt Racing stands 3rd of 11 qualifiers
Simon Pagenaud, 231.687
Scott Dixon, 232.914
Alexander Rossi, 233.528 (IMS officials say that's the 5th-fastest qualifying attempt in track history)
Straight to the top!@AlexanderRossi fastest so far in his @ArrowMcLaren car. #Indy500 qualifying on @peacock. pic.twitter.com/i6HSychueb
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 20, 2023
Christian Lundgaard, 230.522
Graham Rahal on the Rahal Letterman Lanigan effort: "Yesterday, it was clear that we're in trouble as a team." Rahal, Katherine Legge, Jack Harvey and Christian Lundgaard ranked 30-33 in one-lap speed on Fast Friday.
Marcus Ericsson, 232.735
Marco Andretti, 231.682
Helio Castroneves, 230.410; he brushes the outside wall exiting Turn 2 on his third lap
4-time #Indy500 winner Helio Castroneves brushes the wall!
Qualifying live on @peacock. pic.twitter.com/Oxj9UCpIuV— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 20, 2023
Will Power, 232.330
Colton Herta, 231.951
Ryan Hunter-Reay, 231.613
Air temperature is in the low 60s with the track at 85 degrees. The north wind is light under sunny skies.
8:30 a.m.: Indy 500 qualifying practice
∎ Alex Palou goes 232.714 mph in a simulated qualifying run in his new engine. Callum Ilott goes just under 225 mph, which would be far too slow to make the race. Just another 5 of 17 eligible cars took hot laps. Next up: qualifying at 11 a.m. ET.
Juncos Racing with Callum Ilott made it on the track in time for #Indy500 practice.
📺: @Peacock pic.twitter.com/W8oyFWLFoT— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 20, 2023
∎ Just 5 of 17 eligible cars took hot laps during the first half of the practice session. Scott Dixon had a simulated qualifying run at 231.740 with his new engine, and Jack Harvey was in the 228.5 range.
∎ There are engine issues already: Scott Dixon, who seeks a record-setting third consecutive pole position, and his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Alex Palou swapped engines overnight. That makes this morning's practice critical for them. Also, Jack Harvey from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has a new engine. His old engine failed late in Fast Friday practice.
∎ It's cool and sunny at IMS: temperatures in the 50s with wind out of the north (a headwind on the back straightaway). Fast Friday featured mostly cloudy skies and wind out of the south.
8 a.m.: There's hope for Callum Ilott
The No. 77 car appears to be ready to go. That was in serious question on Friday when the team decided to swap out the chassis after the original set-up was deemed uncompetitive and unsafe.
Thoroughly expected to show up & see thrashing in the No. 77 garage this morning.
Instead, a relatively calm rolling of the car into its spot in the garage. https://t.co/H72bLpucsn pic.twitter.com/GvAHVnXfbw— Nathan Brown (@By_NathanBrown) May 20, 2023
Indianapolis 500 qualifying order
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Colton Herta
Will Power
Helio Castroneves
Marco Andretti
Marcus Ericsson
Christian Lundgaard
Alexander Rossi
Scott Dixon
Simon Pagenaud
Benjamin Pedersen
Sting Ray Robb
Felix Rosenqvist
Tony Kanaan
Ed Carpenter
R.C. Enerson
Jack Harvey
Conor Daly
Devlin DeFrancesco
Graham Rahal
Rinus VeeKay
Pato O'Ward
Callum Ilott
Stefan Wilson
Takuma Sato
David Malukas
Santino Ferrucci
Alex Palou
Romain Grosjean
Kyle Kirkwood
Katherine Legge
Scott McLaughlin
Augustin Canapino
Josef Newgarden
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 qualifying results from Indianapolis Motor Speedway