The field for the 2026 Indianapolis 500 is set. It’s no surprise who is on top.
Alex Palou is the reigning IndyCar Series champion, having won the cup four of the last five years. He’s won half his starts in 2026 and only finished worse than fifth once in those six races. Now, he’s atop the pole at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and primed to add his visage to the Borg Warner Trophy once more.
Completing back-to-back wins at America’s most iconic race won’t be easy; Only six other drivers have ever pulled it off — including two men in the 2026 field, Helio Castroneves and 2023-2024 champion Josef Newgarden. A victory Sunday would lengthen Palou’s resume and push him closer to legends like Castroneves, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears in the all-time Indy annals.
Here’s how the race will start as the 33 competitors go three-wide to kick off 500 miles of racing in Speedway, Indiana. Car numbers are in parentheses. Qualifying speeds follow.
2026 Indy 500 Row 1
1. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, Chip Ganassi Racing: 232.248 mph four-lap average in qualifying
2. (20) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing: 231.990
3. (12) David Malukas, Chevrolet, Team Penske: 231.877
2026 Indy 500 Row 2
4. (60), Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, Meyer Shank Racing: 231.375
5. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, A.J. Foyt Racing: 230.846
6. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren: 230.442
2026 Indy 500 Row 3
7. (8) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, Chip Ganassi Racing: 230.883
8. (23) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing: 230.712
9. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, Team Penske: 230.577
2026 Indy 500 Row 4
10. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, Chip Ganassi Racing: 230.347
11. (76) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger: 229.585
12. (75) Takuma Sato, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan: 230.995
2026 Indy 500 Row 5
13. (33) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing: 230.829
14. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, Meyer Shank Racing: 230.811
15. (21) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing: 230.705
2026 Indy 500 Row 6
16. (66) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, Meyer Shank Racing: 230.701
17. (28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, Andretti Global: 230.667
18. (7) Christian Lundgaard, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren: 230.661
2026 Indy 500 Row 7
19. (26) Will Power, Honda, Andretti Global: 230.279
20. (6) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren: 230.213
21. (45) Louis Foster, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan: 230.212
2026 Indy 500 Row 8
22. (31) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren: 230.202
23. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, Team Penske: 230.165
24. (18) Romain Grosjean, Honda, Dale Coyne Racing: 229.791
2026 Indy 500 Row 9
25. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, Andretti Global: 229.067
26. (11) Katherine Legge, Chevrolet, A.J. Foyt Racing: 229.456
27. (47) Mick Schumacher, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan: 229.450
2026 Indy 500 Row 10
28. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan: 229.017
29. (19) Dennis Hauger, Honda, Dale Coyne Racing: 228.982
30. (51) Jacob Abel, Chevrolet, Abel Motorsports: 226.169
2026 Indy 500 Row 11
31. (77) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger: 226.572
32. (4) Caio Collet, Chevrolet, A.J. Foyt Racing: 230.539
33. (24) Jack Harvey, Chevrolet, Dreyer & Reinbold: 229.207
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Indy 500 starting grid: Where will all 33 drivers begin 2026 race?