Rookie Shwartzman, PREMA Racing celebrate historic Indy 500 pole run
Robert Shwartzman – Indianapolis 500 pole winner – Photo by Joe Skibinski
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
Led by the rawest oval-track rookie since Teo Fabi, a three-car front row worthy of the United Nations will pace the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge next Sunday.
Israeli-born Robert Shwartzman and PREMA Racing _ a 25-year-old driver competing in his first oval event with a first-year NTT IndyCar Series team _ shocked the open-wheel world by claiming the NTT P1 Award in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Shwartzman, a native of Tel Aviv, Israel, is the first rookie to earn P1 for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” since Italian-born Fabi wheeled the No. 33 Skoal Bandit March/Cosworth to Rookie of the Year honors in the race’s 67th edition in 1983. Shwartzman is just the third rookie to win the pole on-track as well as the sixth first-year starter to lead the traditional 33-car field to green for 200 laps around the 2.5-mile IMS oval.
SEE: Qualifying Results | Starting Lineup
Shwartzman’s “impossible dream” became reality when he laid down a blazing, four-lap/10-mile average speed of 232.790 mph in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet during the Firestone Fast Six. PREMA Racing _ which joined the INDYCAR ranks this season after years of success in European competition _ became the first team to claim the 500 pole in its first attempt since Mayer Motor Racing placed 1983 race-winner Tom “The Gas Man” Sneva P1 in 1984.
“I was like, ‘This is a dream; it can’t be true,” said Shwartzman, who is of Russian-Israeli descent. “I don’t know what even to say. The car felt amazing. I can’t thank PREMA and Chevy. Coming here for my first oval race, I would never even expect it to be in this position. It’s unbelievable.”
Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato of Japan and native Mexican Pato O’Ward joined Shwartzman in Row 1 for the race’s flying start on Sunday, May 25 (10 a.m. EDT). Broadcast coverage will be carried by FOX Sports, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Sato, first of the Fast Six-eligible drivers to make his attempt, qualified second at 232.478 mph in the No. 75 AMADA Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
“We made it! We’re back on the front row,” said Sato, a 48-year-old native of Tokyo making a one-off appearance with RLLR. “I’m very, very happy for the team and very proud of everyone. The AMADA car was perfect. I was able to nail it with everything we had. Unfortunately, it was this close to Robert Schwartzman. Huge congrats to him.
“I’m very proud of HRC and Honda and proud to put them on the front row. I think we finally got the near-perfect balance, got all of the pieces together, so huge credit to the team. I’m looking forward to the Indy 500.” Sato started 10th in his 15th Indy 500 last May, and sixth with RLLR. “Taku” finished 14th in last year’s race.
O’Ward _ runnerup last May to two-time/reigning Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden of Team Penske _ secured third after his Firestone Fast Six run of 232.098 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
“I’ve never been on the front row for an Indy 500, so this is great,” said O’Ward, 26, whose American fan base emanates from family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “This is literally what I wanted. I told my family yesterday that my goal was to be starting on the outside of the front row. Obviously, I would’ve loved pole, but it’s a tall task. You just never know here, it’s always a surprise.
“I think it’s phenomenal what PREMA and Shwartzman have done, it’s an incredible story. As for us, we’re right there. We’ve had a quick car all month and we’re going to continue to have it in the race. We’re going to keep working on that and see what we can make happen.”
The remainder of the Firestone Fast Six participants comprise Row 2. Native New Zealander Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 winner and six-time series champion, will start fourth after his run of 232.052 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist qualified fifth at 231.987 mph in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian. Rosenqvist earned his fourth consecutive top-10 starting spot for the 500 and first top-five qualifying result for Ohio-based MSR.
“Unfortunately, only P5, which is still great,” said Rosenqvist, last driver to run in the Fast Six. “I feel like honestly, we gave it a really good shot. The car was right on the edge for as comfortable as I could drive it and what we thought was possible today. But I don’t know, we just didn’t have the speed for some reason. But second row is amazing and we will definitely have a good shot at it next Sunday.”
Three-time/reigning series champion Alex Palou, the 28-year-old Spaniard who has won four of the first five races this season, qualified sixth at 231.378 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou, the runaway championship point-leader and Indy 500 pole-winner in 2023, will attempt to win his first series oval race on Sunday.
Shwartzman’s pole capped what rates as an improbable Month of May. The PREMA team, consisting of Shwartzman and teammate Callum Ilott of Great Britain, completed just 22 combined laps during Tuesday’s rain-interrupted Opening Day of practice on May 13 because the group was behind on preparations for their first “500” and oval race.
Shwartzman placed 33rd-fastest out of 34 drivers on Day 1, improved to 28th on Wednesday before falling to 32nd on Thursday. But Robert’s Chevy-powered car came alive on Fast Friday presented by Turtle Wax after engine boost levels and horsepower were increased, as he advanced up the speed chart to 13th.
Saturday’s first day of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying saw Shwartzman break into the Top 12 Qualifying session in sixth overall. He followed by improving to third at 232.008 mph in the Top 12 Qualifying session earlier Sunday before his stunning run to the pole.
“I have to say big thanks to my engineers,” Shwartzman said. “They did an amazing job, step-by-step, by improving the car, trying new things. All of these steps that we did were just better, better, better. And then got to a point where the car was really good.
“Honestly now, I still can’t believe it. Mentally I’m quite exhausted, I just need to digest this whole thing, that I’m going to be starting on-pole for the Indy 500. So yeah, just amazing. Big thanks to all the fans for the support and to everybody who was supporting me and believing in me for all these years. A huge thank you to everyone at Team Chevy for the support. What a result for everyone.”
At the other end of the grid, Marco Andretti, Marcus Armstrong and Rinus VeeKay earned the final three spots in the field during an equally-dramatic Last Chance Qualifying session. Andretti, the 38-year-old grandson of 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti and son of former INDYCAR champion Michael Andretti, will start 31st in the No. 98 MAPEI/Curb Honda of Andretti Herta w/Marco & Curb-Agajanian.
Native New Zealander Armstrong rebounded from a grinding crash in practice Saturday to qualify 32nd at 229.091 mph in the No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian.
VeeKay was the last driver to earn a spot in the lineup, qualifying 33rd at 226.913 mph in the No. 18 askROI Honda fielded by Dale Coyne Racing. A 24-year-old native of The Netherlands, VeeKay and his family watched Rinus’ rookie teammate, Jacob Abel, fall short of making the field in the final run of the Last Chance session. Abel’s attempt registered at 226.394 mph in the No. 75 Miller High Life Honda that pays tribute to Danny Sullivan’s famed “Spin-and-Win” victory for Team Penske at IMS in 1985.
“Unfortunately, starting yesterday I’ve been kind of preparing for this a little bit,” said Abel, a 24-year-old native of Louisville, Ken. “Super, super-weird situation. We were happy all week long. The No. 51 Miller High Life car was fast. It just seemed like something happened overnight Friday to Saturday, and we just immediately lost speed. And it’s just been getting slower and slower every run.”
O’Ward, who also failed to qualify for his first Indy 500, offered this sage bit of perspective to Abel and his family-oriented team. “You’re better off watching the race than racing in a shit car,” O’Ward said. “I mean, it’s miserable _ 200 laps in a car that sucks. You don’t want that. That’s horrible. So, I was actually kind of relieved when I didn’t make it.
“I hope he kind of feels the same because otherwise, he’s just going to be pounding around there, and it’s not like he’s pounding around in 100 miles an hour. Like we’re going fricking fast and accidents can happen just in a blink of an eye. When something is not really that comfortable, I think it’s obviously a heartbreak, but I know exactly how it feels. I’m sure we’re going to see him here next year.”
O’Ward reiterated that he had checked-off another career box with his first front-row start at the Speedway. “Whoever looks to be winning it in the middle of the race is probably not going to win it because things change so much for the Indy 500. We’re right there,” said O’Ward, who has finished second at IMS twice since 2022. “I know how to position myself in order to have a shot and I really embrace this event and everything that goes with it.
“I can’t wait to get onto the green flag, have the best view that I’ve ever had starting an Indy 500. I think there’s a lot of new and excitement that I’ll be able to appreciate and experience.”
The run for pole position started with the Fast 12 round under partly sunny skies. Drivers in the Fast 12 got one qualifying attempt to make it into the Firestone Fast Six. Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing was represented by David Malukas in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet. Malukas posted an average speed of 231.599 mph, seventh-quickest of the nine qualifiers who took time.
Malukas earned his best starting position for the Indy 500 to-date. Starting inside Row 3, Malukas will be joined by Denmark’s Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and Marcus Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner from Sweden in the No. 28 Allegra Honda fielded by Andretti Global. Team-owner A.J. Foyt Jr. won the first of his record four Indy 500s starting seventh in 1961 in the No. 1 Bowes Seal Fast Trevis/Offy.
“The day was shorter than we were expecting,” said Malukas, a 23-year-old native of Chicago. “We couldn’t make it to the Fast Six so P7 in the end. We just played a little bit too safe on the downforce side from all things considered. Very, very happy with the result either way. P7 is a great spot, Row 3, to start for the race. A really good two days (of qualifying), really good couple weeks so far from the team and a really good run so far leading up for the 500, so very happy.
“The car was incredible. We had a really good chance, I think, to go for it at the end there to make it to the Fast Six. But better to be safe than sorry.”
Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci locked-into the 17th slot Saturday after his best four-lap effort at 231.593 mph in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet fielded by Foyt Racing.
Unexpected drama involving Team Penske began to develop during the pre-qualifying practice session when Scott McLaughlin crashed heavily in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet. Native New Zealander McLaughlin _ last year’s Indy 500 pole-winner _ was uninjured. But the latest iteration of the famed “Yellow Submarine” No. 4 Pennzoil Chaparral/Cosworth fielded by Jim Hall of Midland, Texas, and driven to victory in the 64th edition of the Indy 500 by Johnny Rutherford of Fort Worth, Texas, on May 25, 1980 suffered extensive damage.
Team Penske elected to focus its effort Sunday on prepping a backup car for McLaughlin for practice Monday afternoon. “Scotty Mac” will start 10th on Sunday.
Penske’s two remaining entries were involved in another weird circumstance just before the start of the Top 12 Qualifying session. The cars of Newgarden and Will Power, the 2008 Indy 500 champion from Australia, were pulled from making their respective one attempt after being cited with a violation of INDYCAR Rule 14.7.8.16 _ specifically, an unapproved body fit on the rear attenuator of each Dallara chassis. Newgarden is seeking to become the first driver to win three consecutive Indy 500s.
Up next is today’s practice session from 1-3 p.m. (EDT) with coverage on FS1, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Qualifying results Sunday for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge NTT IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with rank, car number in parentheses, driver, engine, time and speed in parentheses:
1.(83) Robert Shwartzman, Chevrolet, 2:34.6459 (232.790 mph)
2. (75) Takuma Sato, Honda, 2:34.8534 (232.478)
3. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 2:35.1069 (232.098)
4. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 2:35.1377 (232.052)
5. (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 2:35.1809 (231.987)
6. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 2:35.5894 (231.378)
7. (4) David Malukas, Chevrolet, 2:35.4411 (231.599)
8. (7) Christian Lundgaard, Chevrolet, 2:35.6015 (231.360)
9. (28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 2:35.8347 (231.014)
10. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 2:34.4979 (233.013)
11. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 2:34.5036 (233.004)
12. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 2:35.0760 (232.144)
13. (76) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 2:35.3568 (231.725)
14. (20) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 2:35.3725 (231.701)
15. (8) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 2:35.4127 (231.641)
16. (20) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 2:35.4180 (231.633)
17. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 2:35.4453 (231.593)
18. (30) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 2:35.4575 (231.575)
19. (77) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 2:35.5336 (231.461)
20. (21) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 2:35.5489 (231.438)
21. (17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 2:35.6242 (231.326)
22. (45) Louis Foster, Honda, 2:35.8049 (231.058)
23. (90) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 2:35.8489 (230.993)
24. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 2:35.8592 (230.978)
25. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 2:35.8999 (230.917)
26. (6) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 2:36.1342 (230.571)
27. (23) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 2:36.2752 (230.363)
28. (24) Jack Harvey, Chevrolet, 2:36.2853 (230.348)
29. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 2:36.3910 (230.192)
30. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 2:36.6152 (229.863)
31. (98) Marco Andretti, Honda, 2:36.6979 (229.741)
32. (66) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 2:37.1426 (229.091)
33. (18) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 2:38.6514 (226.913)
NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 248; 2, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 151; 3, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 150; 4, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 148; 5, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 137; 6, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 134; 7, Will Power, Team Penske, 128; 8, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 125; 9, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 104; 10, Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne Racing, 100;
11, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 98; 12, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 96; 13, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 92; 14, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 91; 15, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 73; 16, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 70; 17, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 66; 18, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 65; 19, David Malukas, A.J. Foyt Racing, 63; 20, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 62;
21, Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 58; 22, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 56; 23, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 49; 24, Robert Shwartzman, Prema Racing, 47; 25, Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 44; 26, Callum Ilott, Prema Racing, 32; 27, Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing, 28.
FOX SPORTS’ 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST COVERAGE SCHEDULE
Sunday, March 2 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, March 23 _The Thermal Club, Thermal, Calif. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, April 13 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif. (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)
Sunday, May 4 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Saturday, May 10 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, May 25 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval (FOX, 10 a.m.)
Sunday, June 1 _ Streets of Detroit (FOX, 12:30 p.m.)
Sunday, June 15 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill. (FOX, 3 p.m.)
Sunday, June 22 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (FOX, 3:30 p.m.)
Sunday, July 6 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington (FOX, 2 p.m.)
Saturday, July 12 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 1 (FOX, 5 p.m.)
Sunday, July 13 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 2 (FOX, 2 p.m.)
Sunday, July 20 _ Streets of Toronto, Canada (FOX, 2 p.m.)
Sunday, July 27 _ WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (FOX, 3 p.m.)
Sunday, Aug. 10 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (FOX, 3 p.m.)
Sunday, Aug. 24 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (FOX, 2 p.m.)
Sunday, Aug. 31 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn. (2:30 p.m.)
NOTE _ All times Eastern. Dates and times subject to change.
