By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

Arrow McLaren ace Pato O’Ward confirmed he needs to log laps on the new/old No. 5 Chevrolet he will wheel this weekend at Indianapolis Moto Speedway, beginning with today’s traditional Carb Day practice for the 110^th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Pato O’Ward – Indianapolis 500 Practice – Photo by Josh Hernandez

O’Ward’s primary Dallara chassis was damaged in the Turn 2 crash triggered by Alexander Rossi during Monday’s post-qualifying practice for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” As has been the case throughout this Month of May, today’s weather forecast is best described as “iffy” during the two-hour window scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (EDT).

“Whatever we get I’m going to be very grateful for,” O’Ward said during a Media Day interview on Thursday. “Hopefully the rain decides to at least stay away a little bit and we’ll get some running in.

“I want to get one full (fuel) run. Very important for me. I have a new car. Regardless of it, the car will be good. It would be nice to just get a run, just pepper out anything it might have. There’s a lot of new things on it.”

Pato O’Ward and Romain Grosjean – Indianapolis 500 Practice – (Photo by Jeff Hilliker/IMS Photos)

A two-time Indy 500 runnerup who finished third in the event last May, O’Ward qualified sixth on Sunday via a four-lap/10-mile average speed of 230.442 mph in his primary car.

“Every car is different,” said O’Ward, a 27-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “Every car has its little differences to one another regardless of the setup being the same or not. There are differences. This car, I’ve had a past with this car _ a good past with this car. I’m not worried. It’s been a great car to me. It’s been a great car for the team.”

Specifically, Pato said this chassis is the one that carried him to his 2025 victories at Iowa Speedway and the Streets of Toronto.

Pato O’Ward – Indianapolis 500 practice – Photo by James Black

“I mean, ultimately I’m not actually worried too much about me with the car,” said O’Ward, who has led 95 laps in his six previous Indy 500 starts. “I’m more worried about there’s a lot of new pieces on the car that you want to get some running on to just let it kind of settle in. That’s the most important part, yeah.

“Not that I’m worried about the team. Engineering has a mind of its own sometimes with all the gadgets on the race car, the electrical. There’s all the new bits and pieces that you want to make sure you get through the whole systems check.

“That is the most important, just getting the systems running, connecting properly with telemetry. A lot of little things we want to make sure they turn on and the car is rolling around the Speedway with it still being able to do what it’s supposed to. That is the main focus for me (today).

“If the car is feeling a little bit off, then we’ll make changes. But that can happen with the other car, as well. Every day here is different. It always seems to find a way to surprise you. But yeah, no, it’s going to be like nothing had happened on Monday.”

O’Ward made it clear that any crash at IMS is brutally serious. “The hits here are no joke. They hurt,” Pato said. And he added, the hits are inevitable.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m a pretty big believer, especially when guys come here as rookies and they haven’t had that first shunt,” O’Ward said. “After you do (laps) around here, I think anything above 50-Gs in motorsport is considered a massive hit. You’re lucky if you’re below a hundred here.

“I would say after the first time that I had one in my rookie year…after you have that first shunt _ One, you definitely feel more like a man when you get back in it. Two, I feel like it just puts some reality into your head. Like dude, you’re moving. You need to be aware of your surroundings, be careful who you’re running (alongside). You do grow quite a bit. At least I did.

“I would say that is the biggest part is after that first one. I’ve had three here. They’ve all been pretty solid. Yeah, I’m going to get back in it like nothing happened. Every time you strap into this race car, you need to realize, beyond what the safety has gone, how amazing these cars are now in protecting us, there’s only so much the human body can take. Even like a small hit can surprise you how much damage it can do.

“Yeah, I mean, I way much rather would be doing this than doing something else. We’re so lucky that we are here and get to do this. We are kind of risking our lives, but this is straight-up bad-ass.”

That said, Pato was not sure if this new/old car had previously turned laps around IMS’ 2.5-mile oval. “I think I’ve had a test or something,” he said. “I don’t have any worries about it. I know it’s going to behave like it’s supposed to. Like I said, it’s a very good car. I really like this car. I don’t know why they actually removed it from me.”

And for the record, O’Ward said this car actually has a name. “It’s a she. She’s got quite the résumé,” Pato said with a smirk. “I promise to share this. It’s a bit of history there. I will share the name if I win on Sunday.”

Facts and figures on the 33-car starting field for the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 24, at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

_ Alex Palou earned his second career Indianapolis 500 pole last Sunday. His first came in 2023, also with Chip Ganassi Racing. He finished fourth. Palou is the only Spanish driver to win the 500 pole.

_ This is the fourth time car No. 10 has won the Indianapolis 500 pole. The last time was 2023, also by Alex Palou.

_ Chip Ganassi Racing earned its ninth Indianapolis 500 pole, all since 1993. Only Team Penske has more in Indy 500 history, with 19. CGR’s pole-winners: Arie Luyendyk (1993), Bruno Junqueira (2002), Scott Dixon (2008, 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022) and Alex Palou (2023, 2026).

_ Six different teams are represented in the first two rows of the starting grid: Chip Ganassi Racing (Alex Palou), Ed Carpenter Racing (Alexander Rossi), Team Penske (David Malukas), Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian (Felix Rosenqvist), A.J. Foyt Enterprises (Santino Ferrucci) and Arrow McLaren (Pato O’Ward).

_ There are nine past Indianapolis 500 winners in the starting field: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021), Scott Dixon (2008), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Takuma Sato (2017, 2020), Will Power (2018), Marcus Ericsson (2022), Josef Newgarden (2023, 2024) and Alex Palou (2025). Among them, they have 14 victories. The record for most past winners in the field is 10, set in 1992. The fewest, other than the inaugural race in 1911, is zero in 1912, 1913, 1915 and 1916.

_ There are four rookies in the field: Mick Schumacher (starting 27th), Dennis Hauger (29th), Jacob Abel (30th) and Caio Collet (32nd). The last time the top-qualifying rookie started lower than 27th was 2007, when Milka Duno was the fastest rookie qualifier in the 29th starting spot.

_ Other than the four rookies, Romain Grosjean and Katherine Legge are the only drivers in the field who did not start the race in 2025. Both made their most previous start in 2024.

_ Helio Castroneves is the most experienced driver in the field, with 25 previous Indy 500 starts. The record is 35, set in consecutive years from 1958-1992 by A.J. Foyt Jr.

_ Scott Dixon has led 677 career laps in the Indianapolis 500, the all-time event record. The only other drivers in the field who have led more than 200 laps are Helio Castroneves (326) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (219).

_ Oldest driver in the starting field is Helio Castroneves, who will be 51 years, 14 days old on Race Day. The youngest driver is Nolan Siegel, 21 years, 196 days. A.J. Foyt Jr. is the oldest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. He was 57 years, 128 days old when he made his last start in 1992. Ironically, A.J. Foyt IV _ the elder Foyt’s grandson _ is the youngest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. His 19th birthday was on Race Day in 2003.

_ Helio Castroneves and Takuma Sato will be older on Race Day than Al Unser when he became the oldest winner of the Indy 500 in 1987 at age 47 years, 360 days old. Castroneves will be 51 years, 14 days old on Race Day; Sato 49 years, 116 days.

_ Helio Castroneves is one of 15 drivers age 50 or older to start the Indianapolis 500. The others: Mario Andretti, Cliff Bergere, Gary Bettenhausen, Duane Carter, A.J. Foyt Jr., Ralph Hepburn, Gordon Johncock, Jim McElreath, Danny Ongais, Johnny Rutherford, Johnny Parsons, Lyn St. James, Dick Simon and Al Unser.

_ Nolan Siegel and Kyffin Simpson will be younger on Race Day than Troy Ruttman when he became the youngest winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1952 at age 22 years, 80 days old. Siegel will be 21 years, 196 days old on Race Day; Simpson 21 years, 227 days.

_ Dennis Hauger is just the second Norwegian-born driver to compete in the Indianapolis 500. The first was Gil Anderson, who started the first six editions of the 500 from 1911-16. Anderson, whose last name was spelled Andersen at birth, was born in Norway and emigrated to America as a teen and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1900.

_ Twenty-four different drivers in this year’s field have led a total of 2,485 laps in previous Indianapolis 500s.

_ There are a combined 256 previous Indianapolis 500 starts among the 33 drivers in this year’s field. The record is 260 years of experience, set in 1987 and 1992. There were 253 years of combined experience in last year’s field.

_ The most-experienced row in this year’s starting lineup is Row 5, with a combined 49 career starts (Ed Carpenter 22, Helio Castroneves 25, Christian Rasmussen 2). The least-experienced row is Row 9, with eight combined career starts (Kyle Kirkwood 4, Katherine Legge 4, Mick Schumacher 0).

_ There are six past Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year in this year’s field: Helio Castroneves, Santino Ferrucci, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi. The record is nine, in 1991 and 2021.

_ Twenty of the 33 qualified drivers in this year’s field have started at least one race in INDY NXT by Firestone (previously Indy Lights). The drivers: David Malukas, Felix Rosenqvist, Pato O’Ward, Kyffin Simpson, Conor Daly, Scott Dixon, Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter, Helio Castroneves, Christian Rasmussen, Nolan Siegel, Louis Foster, Josef Newgarden, Kyle Kirkwood, Graham Rahal, Dennis Hauger, Jacob Abel, Sting Ray Robb, Caio Collet and Jack Harvey.

Official NTT IndyCar Series entry list for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24, with car number in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car name with engine supplier and team entrant:

1. (2) Josef Newgarden-(W), Nashville, Tenn., Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske Chevrolet/Team Penske
2. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Christchurch, New Zealand, Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet/Team Penske
3. (4) Caio Collet-(R), Sao Paulo, Brazil, Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet/A.J. Foyt Enterprises
4. (5) Pato O’Ward, Monterrey, Mexico, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet/Arrow McLaren
5. (06) Helio Castroneves-(W), Sao Paulo, Brazil, Cleveland-Cliffs Honda/Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian
6. (6) Nolan Siegel, Palo Alto, Calif., NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet/Arrow McLaren
7. (7) Christian Lundgaard, Hedensted, Denmark, VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet/Arrow McLaren
8. (8) Kyffin Simpson, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda/Chip Ganassi Racing
9. (9) Scott Dixon-(W), Auckland, New Zealand, PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda/Chip Ganassi Racing
10. (10) Alex Palou-(W), Barcelona, Spain, DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda/Chip Ganassi Racing
11. (11) Katherine Legge, Guildford, England, e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet, HMD Motorsports/with A.J. Foyt Enterprises
12. (12) David Malukas, Chicago, Ill., Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet/Team Penske
13. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Woodbury, Conn., Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet/A.J. Foyt Enterprises
14. (15) Graham Rahal, New Albany, Ohio, United Rentals Honda/Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
15. (18) Romain Grosjean, Geneva, Switzerland, Bmax.IO Honda/Dale Coyne Racing
16. (19) Dennis Hauger-(R), Aurskog, Norway, Only Bulls Honda/Dale Coyne Racing
17. (20) Alexander Rossi-(W), Nevada City, Calif., Java House Chevrolet/Ed Carpenter Racing
18. (21) Christian Rasmussen, Copenhagen, Denmark, Splenda Chevrolet/Ed Carpenter Racing
19. (23) Conor Daly, Noblesville, Ind., DRR Kingspan Chevrolet/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
20. (24) Jack Harvey, Bassingham, England, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Invest Chevrolet/DRR
21. (26) Will Power-(W), Toowoomba, Australia, TWG AI Honda/Andretti Global
22. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Jupiter, Fla., Sam’s Club Honda/Andretti Global
23. (28) Marcus Ericsson-(W), Kumla, Sweden, Phoenix Investors Honda/Andretti Global
24. (31) Ryan Hunter-Reay-(W), Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Prize Picks Arrow McLaren Chevrolet/Arrow McLaren
25. (33) Ed Carpenter, Indianapolis, Ind., SlimFast Special Chevrolet/Ed Carpenter Racing
26. (45) Louis Foster, Odiham, England, Droplight Honda/Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
27. (47) Mick Schumacher-(R), Gland, Switzerland, Wurth Group Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
28. (51) Jacob Abel-(R), Louisville, Ken., Texas Roadhouse Chevrolet/Abel Motorsports
29. (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Varnamo, Sweden, SiriusXM Honda/Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian
30. (66) Marcus Armstrong, Christchurch, New Zealand, Acura Honda/Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian
31. (75) Takuma Sato-(W), Tokyo, Japan, AMADA Honda/Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
32. (76) Rinus VeeKay, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands, WedBush/JHR/DRR Chevrolet/Juncos Hollinger Racing
33. (77) Sting Ray Robb, Payette, Idaho, Juncos Hollinger/Goodheart Chevrolet/Juncos Hollinger Racing

Note _ All cars use the fourth generation NTT IndyCar Series chassis (Dallara IR-12) with universal IR-18 aerodynamic bodywork, Chevrolet or Honda twin-turbocharged V-6 engines and Firestone Firehawk tires.

(W) _Denotes Indianapolis 500 winner

(R) _ Denotes Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year candidate