The 109th Indianapolis 500 qualifying took place on May 17\u201318, 2025, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, producing a historic pole win for rookie Robert Shwartzman and a series of unfortunate events for Team Penske. Across two days of time trials, 33 starters were locked in, with positions 1\u20136 decided in the Fast Six session, positions 7\u201312 determined in the subsequent Fast 12, and the final row set during Bump Day\u2019s Last Chance Qualifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a stunning debut, PREMA Racing rookie Robert Shwartzman secured the pole position with a four-lap average of 232.790 mph, becoming the first rookie to claim Indy 500 pole since Teo Fabi in 1983. Shwartzman\u2019s performance was even more remarkable given PREMA Racing\u2019s lack of prior oval experience; the team became the first rookie squad to earn pole at Indianapolis since Teddy Mayer\u2019s Mayer Motor Racing in 1984. Shwartzman\u2019s run dethroned two-time winner Takuma Sato, who qualified second at 232.478 mph. Pato O\u2019Ward completed the Fast Six in third with a 232.098 mph average, followed closely by Scott Dixon (232.052 mph), Felix Rosenqvist (231.987 mph), and \u00c1lex Palou (231.378 mph).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Team Penske endured a disastrous qualifying weekend, starting with Scott McLaughlin\u2019s violent crash during Sunday practice when he spun in Turn 2 and destroyed his primary car. McLaughlin, last year\u2019s pole-sitter, did not attempt a Fast 12 run and was relegated to start 10th in the field. Compounding Penske\u2019s troubles, both Josef Newgarden and Will Power failed inspection for illegal modifications to the rear attenuator\u2014an unauthorized attempt to improve aerodynamic flow\u2014which led to their disqualification from Fast 12 and placement in the fourth row (11th and 12th, respectively). As a result, all three Penske entries that swept last year\u2019s front row were bumped back to positions 10\u201312, marking an unprecedented setback for the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Fast Six session on May 18 determined the first six starting positions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Positions 7\u201312 (Fast 12 losers): Bump Day\u2019s Last Chance Qualifying unfolded on May 18 from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., featuring four drivers vying for three spots: Marco Andretti, Rinus VeeKay, Marcus Armstrong, and Jacob Abel. After their guaranteed runs, VeeKay sat 33rd with a 226.913 mph average, while Abel trailed in 34th at 226.394 mph. With approximately eight minutes remaining, VeeKay withdrew his time and attempted a second run, posting 226.913 mph again\u2014enough to stay ahead of Abel\u2019s final attempt of 226.394 mph. Consequently, VeeKay claimed the 33rd and final grid position, and Abel was bumped to 34th, missing the race. Marco Andretti secured P31 (229.741 mph) and Marcus Armstrong P32 (229.091 mph) to round out the starting grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the front row featuring a surprise rookie and veteran contenders filling out the top six, anticipation is high for the May 25, 2025 Indianapolis 500. Robert Shwartzman, the first Israeli driver to earn pole at Indianapolis, will lead a diverse field of 33 cars, including major storylines around how Team Penske will rebound from their qualifying woes. As the racing world gears up for \u201cThe Greatest Spectacle in Racing,\u201d Shwartzman\u2019s pole run and Penske\u2019s challenges will undoubtedly shape narratives leading into race day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The 109th Indianapolis 500 qualifying took place on May 17\u201318, 2025, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, producing a historic pole win for rookie Robert Shwartzman and a series of unfortunate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1953,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[155,48,173,144,171,172,174],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromtheinfield.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1952"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromtheinfield.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromtheinfield.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromtheinfield.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromtheinfield.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1952"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fromtheinfield.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1954,"href":"https:\/\/fromtheinfield.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1952\/revisions\/1954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromtheinfield.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromtheinfield.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromtheinfield.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromtheinfield.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
7. David Malukas<\/strong>, A.J. Foyt Racing
8. Christian Lundgaard<\/strong>, Arrow McLaren
9. Marcus Ericsson<\/strong>, Andretti Global
10. Scott McLaughlin<\/strong>, Team Penske
11. Josef Newgarden<\/strong>, Team Penske
12. Will Power<\/strong>, Team Penske<\/p>\n\n\n\nDramatic Bump Day Decides Final Row<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Looking Ahead to Race Day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n