Here's the Indianapolis 500 TV info, starting grid, weather and more
- The 110th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, with the green flag dropping at 12:45 p.m. ET.
- The field includes nine past winners, such as four-time champion Helio Castroneves and two-time winner Josef Newgarden.
- The race will be broadcast on Fox, with actor Brendan Fraser as the honorary starter and WNBA star Caitlin Clark as the grand marshal.
The 110th edition of the Indianapolis 500 is set for Sunday, the “Greatest Spectacle in racing” once again taking place on the 2.5-mile oval at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Nine past winners are in the field, including defending champion Alex Palou, two-time winner Josef Newgarden, four-time champion Helio Castroneves, two-time winner Takuma Sato, and former winners Marcus Ericsson, Will Power, Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Scott Dixon.
Palou starts from the pole position, the first defending Indy 500 champion to claim the top qualifying spot the following year since Castroneves did it in 2010. He’ll share the front row with 2016 winner Alexander Rossi and Team Penske newcomer David Malukas. A pair of cars were pushed to the back after failing post-qualifying inspection: Caio Collet, who had been 10th now starts 32nd, and Jack Harvey, who had been 29th, starts 33rd.
What time does the 2026 Indy 500 start?
While TV coverage starts at 10 a.m., the green flag will actually drop at 12:45 p.m.
What TV channel is the 2026 Indy 500 on?
The 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 airs on Fox. Play-by-play will be handled by Will Buxton and the analysts will be James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell. Georgia Hennebery and Levin Lee will report from pit row, according to Fox. The pre-race show includes 1997 champion Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick, who led 19 laps in the 2005 Indy 500 and finished third in 2009, the highest ever finish by a woman.
2026 Indy 500: Live streaming options
The race streams live on Fox One, the Fox Sports website and the Fox Sports app. Cord-cutters can also watch through YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV or Fubo.
Watch the 2026 Indianapolis 500 with Fubo (free trial)What is the race distance of the 2026 Indy 500?
Same as it has always been: 200 laps around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. That equals 500 miles, of course.
What is the weather forecast for the 2026 Indianapolis 500?
Rain could be a factor Sunday. As of Friday, forecasters put the chance of "pop up" showers at around 30-40%, with temperatures ranging from the low 60s to the upper 70s.
Who is the honorary starter for the 2026 Indy 500?
Oscar-winning actor Brendan Fraser will wave the green flag as honorary starter. It’s a homecoming of sorts for him. Fraser was born in Indianapolis, though he was raised in Europe and Canada. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2022 for his role in The Whale.
Who is singing the national anthem at the 2026 Indy 500?
Grammy-nominated singer Jordin Sparks will perform the national anthem. Sparks won Season 6 of "American Idol" in 2007 at 17 years of age, becoming the youngest winner in the show’s history. Her breakout single “No Air” earned her a Grammy nomination. It is the third time she is singing the national anthem at the Indy 500.
Who is the pace car driver for the 2026 Indy 500?
Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti gets the keys Sunday, driving a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X ahead of the field. Cignetti guided the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 season and the 2025 College Football Playoff national championship, the first title in program history.
Who is the grand marshal for the 2026 Indy 500?
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. She’ll give the command for drivers to report to their cars at approximately 12:29 p.m. ET. It’s her first Indy 500 appearance after Fever scheduling conflicts kept her away the last two years. Gainbridge, a major IndyCar sponsor, also sponsors the Fever’s arena.
Who won last year’s Indy 500?
Alex Palou, starting sixth, took the lead with 14 laps to go and held on to win the 2025 Indianapolis 500 for Chip Ganassi Racing. It was his first Indy 500 win and the first for a Spanish driver in the race’s history. He comes in Sunday as the defending champion and one of the race’s top favorites.
Who won the pole for the 2026 Indy 500?
Alex Palou, with a four-lap average of 232.248 mph. It’s his second Indy 500 pole. He also started from the front in 2023. It makes him the first defending champion to win the following year’s pole since Helio Castroneves did it in 2010.
Indy 500 2026: Lineup and starting grid
The 33-car field was set during qualifying May 17. The grid runs 11 rows of three, with Palou, Rossi and Malukas on the front row.
(Car numbers in parentheses, followed by driver, team, manufacturer; R=rookie; W=former winner; *=grid penalty for technical infractions)
Row 1
(10) Alex Palou (W), Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
(20) Alexander Rossi (W), Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet
(12) David Malukas, Team Penske, Chevrolet
Row 2
(60) Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda
(14) Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, Chevrolet
(5) Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
Row 3
(8) Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
(23) Conor Daly, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Chevrolet
(3) Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, Chevrolet
Row 4
(9) Scott Dixon (W), Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
(76) Rinus Veekay, Juncos Hollinger Racing, Chevrolet
(75) Takuma Sato (W), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
Row 5
(33) Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet
(06) Helio Castroneves (W), Meyer Shank Racing, Honda
(21) Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet
Row 6
(66) Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda
(28) Marcus Ericsson (W), Andretti Global, Honda
(7) Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
Row 7
(26) Will Power (W), Andretti Global, Honda
(6) Nolan Siegal, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
(45) Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
Row 8
(31) Ryan Hunter-Reay (W), Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
(2) Josef Newgarden (W), Team Penske, Chevrolet
(18) Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda
Row 9
(27) Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, Honda
(11) Katherine Legge, HMD Motorsports w/ A.J. Foyt Racing, Chevrolet
(47) Mick Schumacher (R), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
Row 10
(15) Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
(19) Dennis Hauger (R), Dale Coyne Racing, Honda
(51) Jacob Abel (R), Abel Motorsports, Chevrolet
Row 11
(77) Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, Chevrolet
(4) Caio Collet (R)*, A.J. Foyt Racing, Chevrolet
(24) Jack Harvey*, Dreyer & Reinhold Racing, Chevrolet
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