Indy 500 drivers: Meet the starting grid for 2026 race, from pole winner Alex Palou to Katherine Legge

"The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" has arrived.

With Memorial Day weekend comes the Indianapolis 500, where a field of 33 drivers will compete over a long afternoon race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In 2026, the group of 33 drivers includes plenty of previous Indy 500 victors, from Takuma Sato to last year's winner, Alex Palou. But history will also be on the line as Katherine Legge attempts to complete the "Double," racing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Here's a full look at the starting grid for the 2026 Indy 500, including tidbits to know about each driver.

MORE: Full 2026 Indy 500 qualifying results

Indy 500 starting grid 2026

Alex Palou posted the fastest time in the Firestone Fast Six, the final round of competition at last weekend's qualifying. His Honda had an average speed of 232.248 mph, meaning Palou will take the first position for the Indy 500 after winning the race in 2025.

Below is the full starting grid for the Indianapolis 500.

Indy 500 drivers 2026

Here's what to know about each of the drivers competing in the 2026 Indy 500.

Alex Palou

• Position: 1
• Car No.: 10
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 232.248 mph

Palou secured his first Indy 500 win last year, and he'll be in great position to do it again in 2026 after securing pole position. The 22-time IndyCar winner, who was the top qualifier for the 2023 Indy 500, has finished in the top-10 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in each of the last five races. Palou was the first Spanish racing driver to win a national championship in American open-wheel racing history, and he was also the first Spaniard to win in the GP3 Series and the Indianapolis 500.

Alexander Rossi

• Position: 2
• Car No.: 20
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 231.990 mph

Rossi won in his first-ever Indy 500 appearance back in 2016, but hasn't quite been able to reclaim the title since. However, Rossi did have three top-5 finishes in the race from 2022-24 before a 28th finish in 2025; Rossi has also competed at Formula One before joining the IndyCar Series.

David Malukas

• Position: 3
• Car No.: 12
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 231.877 mph

Malukas will have his best starting position yet in his fourth Indy 500. He did not compete in the 2024 Indy 500, but did claim 16th in 2022 and 29th in 2023 before his second-place finish in 2025. Malukas, who has not yet won in the IndyCar Series, has five logged podiums in his 67-race career.

Felix Rosenqvist

• Position: 4
• Car No.: 60
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 231.375 mph

Named the Rookie of the Year for the IndyCar Series in 2019, Roseqvist is seeking to become the third Swedish driver to win the Indy 500. The 34-year-old has one career IndyCar win, which came in 2020, and his best Indy 500 finish was fourth in both 2022 and 2025.

Santino Ferrucci

• Position: 5
• Car No.: 14
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 230.846 mph

Ferrucci has 94 career IndyCar Series races under his belt, but is still seeking his first victory. He's competed in the Indy 500 in every year since 2019, drastically improving on his starting position a few different times — and he's been a constant in the top-10. In all seven of his Indy 500 appearances, Ferrucci has finished among the leaders, but has just one top-3 finish in 2023.

Pato O'Ward

• Position: 6
• Car No.: 5
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 230.442 mph

O'Ward has been on the verge of an Indy 500 win three times, finishing in second in both 2022 and 2024 before a third-place finish in 2025. It remains to be seen if 2026 is the year he finally breaks through; O'Ward has nine career IndyCar victories and 32 logged podiums.

Kyffin Simpson

• Position: 7
• Car No.: 8
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 230.883 mph

After competing in 2024 and 2025, Simpson will again be one of the youngest drivers in the field at 21 years old. The Cayman Islands native will be racing in his third Indy 500 after finishing in 21st and 25th over his first two tries. In his three years of IndyCar Series races, Simpson's best finish was third in the 2025 Grand Prix of Toronto.

Conor Daly

• Position: 8
• Car No.: 23
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 230.712 mph

Over 131 career races, Daly has two podiums, with the most recent being a third-place finish at the 2024 Milwaukee Mile race. The 34-year-old has represented various teams as a reserve driver over the years, racing in the Indy 500 on 13 previous occasions. Daly has finished in the top-10 in four consecutive years.

Scott McLaughlin

• Position: 9
• Car No.: 3
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 230.577 mph

McLaughlin had pole position at the 2024 Indy 500, where he then finished sixth. It was by far the best performance over his four years competing in the event; in 2025, he started in the No. 10 spot and finished in 30th. The 42-year-old New Zealand native has seven career IndyCar victories.

Caio Collet

• Position: 10
• Car No.: 4
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 230.539 mph

Making his Indy 500 debut, Caio Collet has just two IndyCar Series races under his belt at 24 years old. The Brazilian driver previously competed for HMD Motorsports in the Indy NXT, and in 2026, it was revealed he would drive the No. 4 car for A.J. Foyt Racing in 2026.

Scott Dixon

• Position: 11
• Car No.: 9
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 230.347 mph

Dixon is an IndyCar veteran, owning 58 career wins over 385 races. However, after winning the Indy 500 in 2008, he's been chasing that win for some time — but Dixon did finish third in the 2024 race and second in 2020. The 45-year-old from New Zealand has won the IndyCar Series championship six times.

Rinus Veekay

• Position: 12
• Car No.: 76
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 229.585 mph

Veekay, 25 years old, has already competed in the Indy 500 six times, earning starting positions in the top-10 in all but one of those races. Veekay, representing Juncos Hollinger Racing, has three top-10 finishes in Indianapolis, plus one career IndyCar Series victory. 

Takuma Sato

• Position: 13
• Car No.: 75
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 230.095 mph

In 2013, Sato was the first Japanese-born driver to win an IndyCar race. Later on, he became the Asian driver to win the Indy 500 in 2017. He remains just one of 21 drivers to win the race multiple times thanks to his second victory in 2020. The 49-year-old has also won six IndyCar Series races with 14 podiums.

Ed Carpenter

• Position: 14
• Car No.: 33
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 230.829 mph

The 45-year-old Carpenter is an IndyCar veteran, having competed in the Indy 500 a total of 22 times. However, he has yet to win the race despite earning pole position three times; Carpenter's best finish was in second back in 2018. Carpenter founded Ed Carpenter Racing in 2012 and has three wins over 205 career races.

Helio Castroneves

• Position: 15
• Car No.: 06
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 230.811 mph

Castroneves remains just one of four drivers to win the Indy 500 on four occasions, doing so in 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2021. The 51-year-old Brazilian star has 25 total IndyCar wins in his career, plus 84 logged podiums. Castroneves hasn't been in the top-5 of the Indy 500 since his 2021 victory, finishing in 10th in 2025, but he also has more experience on the track than most drivers at the 2026 event.

Christian Rasmussen

• Position: 16
• Car No.: 21
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 230.705 mph

Rasmussen made his first Indy 500 appearance in 2024, notably beginning the No. 24 spot and finishing 12th, then improving to a sixth-place finish in 2025. The 25-year-old, representing Ed Carpenter Racing, will be competing in his 31st career race in Indianapolis.

Marcus Armstrong

• Position: 17
• Car No.: 66
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 230.701 mph

Armstrong made his first Indy 500 appearance in 2024, finishing in 30th after earning the No. 16 spot. In 2025, he began in 30th, then improved to 18th. Representing Meyer Shank Racing, the 25-year-old New Zealand native has two podium logged over his 52 IndyCar races.

Marcus Ericsson

• Position: 18
• Car No.: 28
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 230.667 mph

Ericsson is one of the former Indy 500 winners in the 2026 field. He claimed the 2022 race and followed it up with a second-place finish in 2023, but Ericsson had a tough 2024, starting in 32nd and finishing 33rd. Last year, he also fell from ninth at the start to a 31st finish. But the 35-year-old is back for more, seeking his fifth career win.

Christian Lundgaard

• Position: 19
• Car No.: 7
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 230.661 mph

Lundgaard is racing in his fifth Indy 500, finishing in the top-20 in each of his previous four. That includes his best finish yet in 2025, claiming seventh place. The 24-year-old has two other IndyCar wins, also named the 2022 IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year and recently winning at the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix.

Will Power

• Position: 20
• Car No.: 26
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 230.279 mph

Power is another in the field of 33 drivers this year with a previous Indy 500 victory, winning the race back in 2018. The Australian star broke onto the tour in 2008 and has nine seasons with at least three wins. On the IndyCar Series, he ranks fourth all-time in wins (45), first all-time in poles (71), and fourth all-time in podiums (109).

Nolan Siegel

• Position: 21
• Car No.: 6
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 230.213 mph

Two years ago, at the 2024 Indy 500, Siegel didn't qualify for the event after crashing and flipping in his final qualifying attempt. But last year, the now-21 year old was able to make his official debut in the race, improving on a 24th starting spot to finish in 23th. Siegel has yet to claim his first IndyCar win over 29 races.

Louis Foster

• Position: 22
• Car No.: 45
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 230.212 mph

The 22-year-old Foster joined IndyCar for the first time in 2025, representing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The British driver previously won the 2024 Indy NXT title and the 2022 Indy Pro 2000 championship; he now had 20 IndyCar races under his belt, with a 12th-place finish in his first Indianapolis 500 in 2025.

Ryan Hunter-Reay 

• Position: 23
• Car No.: 31
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 230.202 mph

Hunter-Reay is another of the veterans set to compete in the 2026 Indy 500. He's won the race once, back in 2014, out of his 17 attempts dating back to 2008. He's also added in five additional top-10 finishes, and the 45-year-old has a total of 16 career wins. 

Josef Newgarden

• Position: 24
• Car No.: 2
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 230.185 mph

Newgarden may have a tall task in overcoming his No. 24 starting position this year, but he was at the focal point of the Indy 500 not long ago. As the back-to-back champion of the race in 2023 and 2024, he became the 16th driver to win both an Indy 500 and a 24 Hours of Daytona, as well as the first driver since Helio Castroneves to win the Indy 500 two-years in a row. He's making his 14th appearance in the race in 2026 after a 22nd-place finish last year.

Romain Grosjean

• Position: 25
• Car No.: 18
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 229.791 mph

The 40-year-old Grosjean competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Lamborghini, and also as a driver in the IndyCar Series for Dale Coyne. Over his IndyCar career, Grosjean has six podiums over 69 races.

Kyle Kirkwood

• Position: 26
• Car No.: 27
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 229.607 mph

Kirkwood has remained an up-and-coming IndyCar driver, having won six of his 71 career races. He logged his best Indy 500 finish in 2024, seventh place, after starting at the No. 11 spot, then finished in 32nd in 2025. The 27-year-old is currently racing for Andretti Global.

Katherine Legge

• Position: 27
• Car No.: 11
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 229.456 mph

History has already been made with Legge, but she's looking for more. The 45-year-old from England already holds the record for the fastest qualifying effort for a woman in Indianapolis 500 history, set in 2023; in 2005, she became the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America. In NASCAR, Legge is also the most recent woman to start a NASCAR Cup Series race, becoming the first woman to race in the series since 2018.

But now, Legge is taking on a new challenge. She is becoming the first woman to attempt "The Double," racing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte on the same day. She will also be the oldest driver to attempt the "Double" and the first non-American-born driver to do it. Legge is also making her fifth Indy 500 appearance, with her best finish at 22nd.

Mick Schumacher

• Position: 28
• Car No.: 47
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 229.450 mph

The 27-year-old Schumacher will be making his Indy500 debut after joining the IndyCar Series in 2026, with just six races under his belt with the series. He previously competed in Formula One and the FIA World Endurance Championship. 

Jack Harvey

• Position: 29
• Car No.: 24
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 229.207 mph

Harvey had one year away from the Indy 500 in 2024 after making seven consecutive appearances, and he returned in 2025 to finish in 19th. He had just one top-10 finish, which came in 2020. In his IndyCar career, Harvey has one logged podium in 93 races.

Graham Rahal

• Position: 30
• Car No.: 15
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 229.017 mph

Rahal owns a ton of Indy 500 experience, competing in the race 18 previous times and logging four top-10 finishes. In 2020, he finished in third, one of his 31 career podiums to go with six victories. The 37-year-old won't start in a favorable spot in 2026, however, and hasn't been back inside the top-10 since his 2020 run.  

Dennis Hauger

• Position: 31
• Car No.: 19
• Car make: Honda
• Qualifying speed: 228.982 mph

Hauger is also making his Indy 500 debut, joining the IndyCar Series in 2026 with a few races now under his belt. The 23-year-old Norwegian driver previously competed in the 2025 Indy NXT with Andretti Global, winning the championship, along with Formula 2.

Jacob Abel

• Position: 32
• Car No.: 51
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 228.169 mph

Abel competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, also a driver in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Era Motorsport. With IndyCar, he's competed in 16 career races, seeking his first podium, and 2026 will be Abel's third Indy 500.

Sting Ray Robb

• Position: 33
• Car No.: 77
• Car make: Chevrolet
• Qualifying speed: 226.572 mph

Robb, a 24-year-old with arguably the best name in the Indy 500, has 51 races over his three years in IndyCar thus far. As a rookie in the 2023 Indy 500, he finished 31st, and in 2024, he improved on his No. 23 starting spot to finish 16th before a 23rd finish in 2025. Robb hails from Boise, Idaho, and is still seeking his first career podium.

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