This is the starting lineup and pole position for the 2025 Indianapolis 500

One of the biggest events in the U.S. sporting calendar will unfold next Sunday as the 109th Indy 500 takes place at Speedway (Indiana).

A week ahead of the fabled race, rookie driver Robert Shwartzman won pole position for the fabled race stunning the racing world.

In previous races the 25-year-old Shwartzman has finished no better than 18th but becomes the first rookie to qualify on the Indy 500 pole since Teo Fabi in 1983 as his No. 83 Chevrolet was the fastest car in qualifying.

‘It feels like I’m dreaming’

“Honestly, it feels like I’m dreaming. I just had it in my dreams when I was going how would it feel to do such a good job in qualifying,” said Shwartzman, a Russia/Israel dual citizen. “It’s the Indy 500. It’s the main race of the year. Honestly, it feels unbelievable.”

Takuma Sato of Japan, the 2017 and 2020 Indianapolis 500 champion, secured second spot after Shwartzman outpaced his speed after Team Penske had a bad day at the office with Josef Newgarden and Will Power’s cars both failing technical inspection for illegal modifications on the rear attenuator. A bitter blow for Newgarden who is the two-time defending champion.

Scott McLaughlin, meanwhile, had a major crash, slamming into the wall off Turn 2.

“I’m OK. I’m just really, really, really, really, really sorry for everyone at Team Penske,” the New Zealander told reporters after being released from the medical center.

2025 Indy 500 starting grid

The starting grid for the 2025 Indy 500 starting grid is as follows:

(Position | Car number | Driver name | R=rookie; W=former winner | Team | Manufacturer)

1. (83) Robert Shwartzman (R), Prema Racing, Chevrolet
2. (75) Takuma Sato (W), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
3. (5) Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
4. (9) Scott Dixon (W), Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
5. (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda
6. (10) Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
7. (4) David Malukas, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet
8. (7) Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
9. (28) Marcus Ericsson (W), Andretti Global, Honda
10. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, Chevrolet
11. (76) Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, Chevrolet
12. (20) Alexander Rossi (W), Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet
13. (8) Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
14. (33) Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet
15. (14) Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet
16. (30) Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
17. (77) Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, Chevrolet
18. (21) Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet
19. (17) Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
20. (45) Louis Foster (R), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
21. (90) Callum Ilott, Prema Racing, Chevrolet
22. (06) Helio Castroneves (W), Meyer Shank Racing, Honda
23. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, Honda
24. (6) Nolan Siegel (R), Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
25. (23) Ryan Hunter-Reay (W), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, Chevrolet
26. (24) Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, Chevrolet
27. (26) Colton Herta, Andretti Global, Honda
28. (15) Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
29. (98) Marco Andretti, Andretti Global, Honda
30. (66) Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda
31. (18) Rinus Veekay, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda
32. (2) Josef Newgarden (W), Team Penske, Chevrolet
33. (12) Will Power (W), Team Penske, Chevrolet

Coverage starts well before the race. Driver introductions kick off at 11:47 a.m. ET, the national anthem is at 12:18 p.m., and the all-important “Start your engines” command is scheduled for 12:38 p.m.

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