Post-qualifying practice on Monday for the NTT IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana
(Photo by Jeff Hilliker/IMS Photos)

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

A switch to Race Day chassis setups predictably flipped the qualifying script during Monday’s rain-shortened practice for the 110^th Indianapolis 500.

Josef Newgarden – Indianapolis 500 Practice – Photo by Joe Skibinski

A pair of two-time Indy 500 champions _ Josef Newgarden and Takuma Sato _ topped the speed chart as they prepped for a possible third visit into Victory Circle after Sunday’s 200-lap/500-mile dash around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Newgarden _ who qualified a disappointing 23^rd in the traditional 33-car field Sunday _ emerged as fastest of the day at 226.198 mph after 34 laps in the No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske Chevrolet. Similarly, Japanese ace Sato ranked second after posting a top speed of 225.723 mph after 35 laps in the No. 75 Amada Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Sato qualified 13^th Sunday in his one-off appearance for RLLR.

Josef Newgarden – PPG Armed Forces Qualifying Pole Day – Photo by Matt Fraver

“Very happy to get some practice in before the weather got here,” said Newgarden, a 35-year-old native of Nashville, Tenn., and the 2023 and 2024 Indy 500 winner. “The Shell Fuel Rewards Chevy was very strong today in race trim. These next few days will be very important to come up with a good plan for Carb Day practice because we still have a few things to improve on. Obviously, wish we had a better starting position, but we can move forward on Sunday.”

Sato competed for RLLR fulltime in 2012 and from 2018-2021. “Taku” won the Indy 500 with the organization founded by 1986 champion Bobby Rahal in 2020.

Takuma Sato – Indianapolis 500 Practice – Photo by Chris Jones

“We were very fortunate to have a few runs in dry conditions because we wanted to check on our race package, which worked well, and certainly we made a good step forward,” said Sato, a 49-year-old native of Tokyo. “So, it was a good productive day even though it ended early.”

Shortened from 2-hours to 1-hour, 18-minutes due to rain and lightning, the practice was overshadowed by a frightening three-car incident in Turn 2 involving No. 2 qualifier Alexander Rossi, No. 6 qualifier Pato O’Ward and Frenchman Romain Grosjean 28 minutes into the session.

SEE: Practice Results

The first major accident of the Month of May unfolded at 1:28 p.m. (EDT) under threatening skies. Rossi spun in Turn 2 in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing, made hard contact with the SAFER Barrier and then took a secondary hit from the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of O’Ward, who spun under braking trying to avoid Rossi. Both cars incurred heavy damage.

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

Grosjean, the former Formula One regular who qualified 25^th on Sunday, spun his No. 18 Bmax.IO Honda of Dale Coyne Racing into the SAFER Barrier trying to avoid the accident.

Rossi, winner of the landmark 100^th Indy 500 in 2016 as an NTT IndyCar Series rookie, exited his car uninjured. But the 34-year-old Californian was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation, said Dr. Julia Vaizer, INDYCAR medical director. O’Ward and Grosjean were released trackside without injury.

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

“I’m OK; I just feel bad for my car,” said O’Ward, a 27-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas, after completing only 19 laps. “Just wrong place, wrong time. I just got collected there. I obviously hit the brakes and couldn’t do much to avoid it. I’m glad Alex is all right, Romain, as well.

“Prior to that I was quite happy with my race car. I’m confident that the crew will be able to put together a good car just like nothing happened and we’ll be ready for Carb Day.” O’Ward is a two-time Indy 500 runnerup who finished third in last May’s race.

The final practice before Race Day _Friday’s Miller Lite Carb Day _ is scheduled from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (EDT, FS1, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

Dennis Hauger – Indianapolis 500 Practice – Photo by Chris Jones

Rookie Dennis Hauger of Norway was third Monday at 224.554 mph in the No. 19 Only Bulls Honda of Dale Coyne Racing in which he will start 29th on Sunday.

“Captain America” Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indy 500 champ, was fourth at 224.415 mph in the No. 31 Prize Picks Arrow McLaren Chevrolet he will race Sunday from the 22nd starting spot. Hunter-Reay will make his 18^th Indy 500 start in a one-off ride with Arrow McLaren.

“Well, it was great that we got at least some of it (practice) in, because the No. 31 team is a day-and-a-half behind,” said RHR, a 37-year-old resident of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “So it was good to get into race running. We found some things that we needed to go into Carb Day.

“Yeah, the race car is pretty good. You know, it’s funny. You come into this thinking, ‘Man, we got all the time in the world, let’s just be patient,’ and all this. A couple hiccups here and there and you find yourself starting to do Q-sims before Fast Friday comes in, and we’re a bit behind on the race car.

“But I was happy with it. I was happy with the balance. We’re within the operating window that I need to be in when it comes to racing in traffic. So I’m happy about that, and we still will make the most of what we have on Carb Day coming up.”

Caio Collet – PPG Armed Forces Qualifying Pole Day – Photo by Joe Skibinski

Rookie Caio Collet ranked ninth Monday after a best lap of 223.989 mph among the 41 he ran in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet fielded by Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing. It was a nice rebound for the 24-year-old Brazilian, who qualified 10^th Sunday but lost that spot via a post-qualifying inspection penalty handed out by INDYCAR Officiating.

The garage police discovered modifications to the Dallara-supplied Energy Management System (EMS) covers and cover-to-A-arm mounting points with unapproved hardware on Collet’s Foyt ride. The same violation was found on the No. 24 DRR INVST Chevrolet fielded by Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and driven by Jack Harvey of Great Britain. According to the INDYCAR rulebook, EMS covers must be used as supplied.

Both cars had their qualifying results disallowed and have been re-ordered to the rear of the field in order of entrant points.

Santino Ferrucci – Indianapolis 500 Practice – Photo by Chris Jones

Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci, lead driver at Foyt Racing, was 11^th Monday at 223.635 mph after 34 laps in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet. Ferrucci, 27, qualified fifth for the team founded and owned by 91-year-old open-wheel legend A.J. Foyt Jr. of Houston _ first four-time winner of the Indy 500.

Newgarden, Sato, Rossi and Hunter-Reay are among the nine former winners looking to pad their resumes in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner, completed Monday’s top-five at 224.376 mph in the No. 28 Phoenix Investors Honda of Andretti Global. Ericsson endured a tough PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying day Sunday, as he will start 17th.

Scott Dixon – Indianapolis 500 Practice – Photo by Matt Fraver

Native New Zealander Scott Dixon, 45 and the 2008 Indy 500 champion, was sixth on the chart at 224.352 mph after 26 laps in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. A six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, “Dixie” qualified 11^th on Sunday.

Alex Palou _ the reigning Indy 500 champion and pole-sitter for Sunday’s race _ was 17^th Monday at 222.815 mph after logging a conservative 19 laps in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou, who also won the Indy 500 pole in 2023, earned the 15th NTT P1 Award of his INDYCAR career Sunday. Winner of three of the series’ first six races in 2026, the 29-year-old Spaniard is the first reigning 500 champ to claim P1 since Helio Castroneves did so for Team Penske in 2010.

Helio Castroneves – PPG Armed Forces Qualifying Pole Day – Photo by Josh Hernandez

Castroneves _ a four-time Indy 500 champion _ placed 18^th Monday at 222.738 mph after 38 laps in the No. 06 Cleveland Cliffs Honda of Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian. The popular Brazilian, who turned 51 last Tuesday, is making a one-off bid to become the race’s first five-time champion. Recall that “Spiderman” won his first three Indy 500s with Team Penske and his record-tying fourth with MSR in 2021. Helio qualified a solid 15^th on Sunday.

Australian Will Power, the 2018 Indy 500 champion, was 19^th at 222.601 mph after 35 laps in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda fielded by Andretti Global.

Katherine Legge – PPG Armed Forces Qualifying Pole Day – Photo by Josh Hernandez

Katherine Legge, the only woman entered in this year’s race, was 22^nd Monday at 222.087 mph after 35 laps in the No. 11 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevrolet entered by HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing. Legge, a 45-year-old native of Guildford, England, qualified 27^th Sunday.

Series rookie Mick Schumacher was 30^th Monday at 220.273 mph after 37 laps in the No. 47 ENVE Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Schumacher qualified for his second oval-track race and first Indy 500 in 28^th after averaging 229.450 mph during his initial four-lap/10-mile qualifying attempt on Sunday.

Mick Schumacher – PPG Armed Forces Qualifying Pole Day – Photo by Paul Hurley

“We managed to get a couple of runs in (Monday), which was good,” said Schumacher, a 27-year-old resident of Gland, Switzerland, and son of seven-time Formula One World Driving Champion Michael Schumacher of Germany. “Just as we went out on a new tire set, they called it for weather. It’s unfortunate, but obviously safety comes first.

“We’ve just got to understand what we’ve got to do now for Carb Day. Hopefully we’ll get out on track for Carb Day; the weather doesn’t look stable for that either so we’ll analyze everything and then go from there.”

Monday’s shortened session was fast-and-frantic, as packs of cars prepared for Race Day traffic after focusing on pure speed during Fast Friday practice and qualifying Sunday. All 33 drivers combined to turn 1,053 laps even though the track was open for activity for only 35 minutes due to surface inspection, the three-car incident and rain and lightning.

The 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 24 (10 a.m. EDT, FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 237; 2, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 210; 3, David Malukas, Team Penske, 185; 4, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 182; 5, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 162; 6, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 148; 7, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 148; 8, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 141; 9, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 141; 10, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 123;

11, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 116; 12, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 112; 13, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 110; 14, Will Power, Andretti Global, 107; 15, Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing, 100; 16, Rinus VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 94; 17, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 93; 18, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 90; 19, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 86; 20, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 76;

21, Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing, 70; 22, Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing, 69; 23, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 65; 24, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 55; 25, Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 54.

FOX SPORTS’ 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST SCHEDULE/(RACE WINNER)

Note _ All times Eastern

Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, March 7 _ Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Ariz., (Josef Newgarden, Team Penske)

Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, April 19 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course, (Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren)

Sunday, May 24 _ 110^th Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval, 10 a.m.

Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Detroit, 12:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., 9 p.m.

Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., 2 p.m.

Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, 12:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., TBA

Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, 4 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 16 _ Streets of Markham, Canada, Noon

Sunday, Aug. 23 _ Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., TBA

Saturday, Aug. 29 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 1, West Allis, Wis., 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 2, West Allis, Wis., 1 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 6 _ WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., 2:30 p.m.

Note _ Dates and times subject to change.

2026 INDYCAR NXT BY FIRESTONE SCHEDULE/(RACE-WINNER)

Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)

Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Max Taylor, Andretti Global)

Saturday, March 28 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)

Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alessandro de Tullio, A.J. Foyt Racing)

Friday, May 8 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 1 (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)

Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 2 (Tymek Kucharczyk, HMD Motorsports)

Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Detroit

Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill.

Saturday, June 20 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 1

Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 2

Saturday, July 4 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 1

Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 2

Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn.

Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway

Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis.

Saturday, Sept. 5 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 1

Sunday, Sept. 6 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 2