Wednesday at IMS

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From IMS

 
INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, May 12, 2026) – Information about the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge practice track activity Wednesday, May 13 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

SCHEDULE: (All times local):10 a.m.-6 p.m.: Public gates openNoon-6 p.m.: Practice (all cars)

TICKETS: General Admission tickets are $25. The General Admission ticket will provide the opportunity to move between the IMS infield viewing mounds and first-come, first-served access to select grandstands to view racing action from different vantage points. Children 15 and under are admitted free with paying adult.

PUBLIC GATES OPEN: Gate 1, Gate 2, Gate 4, Gate 6S, Gate 7, Gate 7S, Gate 10 and Gate 10A.

PARKING: Free public parking is available in IMS Infield Turn 3 and Lot 7 (North 40) accessible only via Gate 10 from 30th Street. Free ADA accessible parking is available in West Museum Lot, Flag Lot, Tower Lot and Northwest Gravel. Free motorcycle parking is also available in the South Carousel Lot via Gate 2.

CASHLESS OPERATIONS: Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a cashless facility. Please be prepared to complete your ticket, credentials, parking, concession and merchandise purchases with ease during your event via debit or credit card.Tap-to-pay phone payments will be accepted, as will credit and debit transactions. A Cash-to-Card machine, which converts paper money onto a temporary debit card, will be in Pagoda Plaza. These funds can be spent inside the venue, outside the venue, online or anywhere in the world where Mastercard/Visa debit cards are accepted.

MUSEUM: The IMS Museum is open 10 a.m-5 p.m. General Admission tickets are $25 for adults, Seniors (55 or older) are $23 and Military are $18. Tickets can be purchase online at imsmuseum.org.

Day 1 Complete; Palou Fastest, but Armstrong Close

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Alex Palou turned the fast lap of the at 225.937 to just beat out Marcus Armstrong for top lap of the day. Armstrong laid down a 225.895circuit early in the afternoon as practice for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 began.

On a sunny warm afternoon the 33 drivers turn a combined 1,996 laps.

“Yeah, it’s good; it’s good now,” Palou said. “We had a couple of issues, but we fixed them. It wasn’t a mechanical issue or anything. It was just balance, not being super happy with it. We found something that explained what I was feeling, and it was good to go back out today before we go to sleep so we can be a bit happier.”

“You always want to do a lot more,” Palou said. “We didn’t do a many laps today, but still we understood a lot of stuff. Feeling much better than (earlier this afternoon).”

Palou was 31st on the chart in the middle of the afternoon when the car went back to the garage. The defending 500 champion returned and took over his accustomed spot on the pylon.

Conor Daly was third fastest. His best lap was 225.839.

Kyle Kirkwood led the non-tow speed chart with a lap of 222.062 mph. Palou was 16th without a tow.

Results

Speed chart and non-tow charts

From earlier

Just Don’t Say Bumping

Just Don’t Say Bumping

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Ther new qualifying format:

I knew there would be a change to Sunday’s Pole Day format. I’m not sure that this is the best way to go, There will be no bumping as inly 33 cars are entered for the 110th running, which left a couple of hours of programming to fill on Day 2.

The pole eligible field on Sunday has grown from 6 to 9 to 12. I think it should be capped at 9. 15 is reaching new NCAA basketball tournament levels.

Some of the consequence of the new format:

Cars that finish Saturday in 13th, 14th, 15th need to use an extra set of tires. Assuming a car from this group makes to the final six, that team and driver will make three qualifying runs on Sunday, four for the weekend. That is assuming the driver did just one run on the first day and did not try again.

I am also by the fact that the three cars knocked out in the first round get nothing-no points, no extra money- just a “thanks for playing” from the series and IMS. These three cars should at least get a point for having to run an extra day.

Suggestions

If IMS needs to fill a time slot. perhaps an IndyNXT race would be a nice way to pass the time.

A vintage Indycar parade would also make for an enjoyable 30 minutes between sessions.

As many of you know, I have never been a fan of the new qualifying format, for reasons I will discuss on Friday. We need to get through this year with the rles as they ae set.

I ask just one thing of the track and PA announcers. Please don NOT use the term “Bumping” this coming weekend.

IndyCar Revises Full Course Yello0w Protocols

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Editor’s Note: The following announcement from IndyCar details a long overdue change as to when a full course yellow is thrown. I applaud this change, and I am anxious to see how it affects the races.

INDYCAR Officiating

INDYCAR, INDYCAR Officiating Announce Operating, Process Update Following IMS Road Course Race Review

I

INDYCAR and INDYCAR Officiating have announced an operating practice and process update following a review of the on-track incident involving car No. 20 during the Saturday, May 9 race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

On Lap 21, car No. 20 lost power and stopped on the front straightaway on drivers’ right of the track – off the racing line. Course marshals followed standard flagging protocol and deployed a standing yellow condition at Marshal Panel 14, with a corresponding waving yellow condition at Marshal Panel S/F (start-finish) to alert competitors to the stationary car. The escalation to a full course yellow (FCY) was made on Lap 22 as the driver began to exit the race car.

Following race control practice, the assessment of whether and when to escalate a local yellow to a FCY included the weighing of the following standard factors: driver egress, vehicle position, recovery vehicle access, safety team locations, laps remaining and the timing of approaching traffic to the incident. Additional factors on timing of a FCY also included pit windows and the running order of cars on track.

Effective immediately, INDYCAR Officiating will no longer take into consideration pit windows and the running order of cars on track before deploying a FCY. While there is no change to local yellow procedures, initiation of a FCY will be based primarily on: driver status, vehicle position and condition, the location and readiness of safety personnel, recovery access, and the speed differential between affected cars and approaching traffic.

“The Lap 21 incident on Saturday made clear that there needs to be a cleaner standard for how race control moves from a local to a full course yellow,” INDYCAR Officiating’s Independent Officiating Board chair Raj Nair said. “INDYCAR Officiating, with INDYCAR’s full support, has made this change of approach to ensure that the only inputs to the full course yellow escalation are safety ones. Streamlining the assessment will also save time as competitive considerations are no longer a factor.”

Added INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles: “The most important job in race control is to ensure the safety of our drivers, crews, safety workers and fans. Saturday highlighted that we must not waver from that central mission, and aligning everyone on that philosophy was critical to discuss over the last 48 hours. The Independent Officiating Board, the new managing director of officiating, race director and INDYCAR are all in agreement and the metrics used to determine when to initiate a full course yellow will now ensure that when there is any risk to driver safety that race control will initiate a full course yellow.”

The race result from Saturday’s race on the IMS road course stands as posted. The updated flag escalation standard has been communicated to teams and drivers.

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Sunday, May 24. Coverage begins at 10 a.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX One. Audio coverage is available via INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls on SiriusXM channel 218 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

The Twelve Days of Indy Starts Today

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Here are some things of interest:

Broadcast schedule for the week:

Entry list:

Indianapolis Motor Speedway opens today for practice for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500. While the entry list is short, cars will be on track for seven consecutive days.

Cars mostly run race setups the first couple days and then get into qualifying mode Friday when extra boost is added.

Last year on opening day the fastest speed was in the 227 range,

Something else expected this week is the anticipated announcement of a grandstand sellout for the race.

There has been a modification to Sunday’s qualifying format, which I will talk about in a post later this morning.

My track schedule this week will be a bit reduced compared to other years. I will spend just half days at IMS Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to take care of some things at home. There are no serious health concerns, I’m just catching up on a few things.

I will still have an end of day report and keep all three of you who reead this up to date on happenings while I’m there.

The guide to today at the track can be found here:

Tomorrow at the Track

Tomorrow at the Track

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From IMS:

 
INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, May 11, 2026) – Information about the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge practice track activity Tuesday, May 12 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

SCHEDULE: (All times local):10 a.m.-6 p.m.: Public Gates OpenNoon-6 p.m.: Practice (all cars)

TICKETS: General Admission tickets are $25. The General Admission ticket will provide the opportunity to move between the IMS infield viewing mounds and first-come, first-served access to select grandstands to view racing action from different vantage points. Children 15 and under are admitted free with paying adult.

PUBLIC GATES OPEN: Gate 1, Gate 2, Gate 4, Gate 6S, Gate 7, Gate 7S, Gate 10, Gate 10A

PARKING: Free public parking is available in IMS infield Turn 3 and Lot 7 (North 40) accessible only via Gate 10 from 30th Street. Free ADA accessible parking is available in West Museum Lot, Flag Lot, Tower Lot and Northwest Gravel. Free motorcycle parking is also available in the South Carousel Lot via Gate
2.CASHLESS OPERATIONS: Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a cashless facility. Please be prepared to complete your ticket, credentials, parking, concession and merchandise purchases with ease during your event via debit or credit card. Tap-to-pay phone payments will be accepted, as will credit and debit transactions. A Cash-to-Card machine, which converts paper money on to a temporary debit card, will be in Pagoda Plaza. These funds can be spent inside the venue, outside the venue, online or anywhere in the world where Mastercard/Visa debit cards are accepted.

MUSEUM: The IMS Museum is open 10 a.m-5 p.m. General Admission tickets are $25 for adults, Seniors (55 or older) are $23 and Military are $18. Tickets can be purchase online at imsmuseum.org.
 

Final Thoughts- Sonsio Grand Prix

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Photo by Bradley Proctor

Few races have all of the elements that combine to create a good, entertaining race. Saturday’s race had all of them. The lead was in doubt until near the end, there was great passing, cautions came (or didn’t) at times that altered pit strategies, drivers were angry at Race Control, and some were mad at their fellow competitors. Contenders became pretenders. Pit issues once again cost a team a potential victory.

Christian Lundgaard won the Sonsio Grand Prix with a bold pass of David Malukas on lap 68. Malukas seemed to be in command of the event after Will Power’s penalty. What started as another Alex Palou beat down turned into a race of different pit strategies.

The first lap incident turned the race on its head. Will Power made an early stop during the first caution and found himself at the front of the field on lap 24 after starting last. Power looked on track to need one less pit stop than the rest of the field until misfortune struck when he exited the pits on lap 58. Power locked up the wheels and ran across the pit blend line. He corrected the car and crossed the blend line properly, but he had moved onto the track and received a drive through penalty. Power’s frustrating season continues.

Rahal Resurgence?

Graham Rahal earned his second podium in three races as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing continues to show better than they have the last couple of years. The team has improved their qualifying- Rahal started seventh, and teammate Louis Foster made the Fast Six. The team has backed up their qualifying with better results. Foster ended the day in seventh.

Starting tomorrow we will see how much improvement their oval program has made, but they seem to have figured out the road courses./\

Lundgaard a Championship Contender?

Lundgaard’s victory puts him fourth in the point standings, just three points behind Malukas and 55 points behind leader Palou. Malukas earned three bonus points Saturday for leading the most laps, so they are in a virtual tie. Lundgaard’s win would give him the tie breaker if the two end up with the same number of points.

In his second year at McLaren Lundgaard is becoming the team leader.

Andretti Pit Woes Continue

If Kyle Kirkwood is to have any shot at catching Palou for the title, pit work has got to improve. Trouble changing the right front tire cost Kirkwood a chance at the win. Kirkwood had gotten ahead of Palou on track after the Ganassi driver went in the grass to avoid contact. Kirkwood only lost 10 points to Palou, and while the damage could have been worse, no driver can afford to lose points to Palou.

Pit issues in the Indianapolis 500 will be disastrous.

Race Control: Anybody Home?

So far in 2026 the new Independent Officiating Board has been no better than the old officiating system. I venture to say they have taken a step backward. Not throwing a caution so the leader’s race is not ruined can still ruin a driver’s race. And if it does come to that, it’s just the breaks of the game.

Two incidents Saturday drew the ire of fans and rivers toward Race Control. A large piece of carbon fiber lay on the track. It was deemed to be off the racing line, but the FOX broadcast showed that it was at first in the racing line and was blown off the line by passing cars. It could have just as easily been blown back into the action.

Nolan Siegel and Kyffin Simpson were battling for position, both went outside the racing line and they drove around the debris, one driver on each side of it .

A lap leader the most egregious non call of the year occurred. Alexander Rossi had a hybrid issue and came to a stop on the front straight near the pit wall. A local yellow waved. It took two laps to for Race Control to throw a Full Course Yellow. Meanwhile, Rossi is sitting in his disabled car on the fastest part of the circuit waving wildly to get a full yellow.

Rossi eventually exited his car and climbed over the pit wall- on a hot track.

Race Control’s efforts to protect the leaders of the race created a very dangerous situation. Inexcusable.

I hope the 500 is better officiated than Saturday’s race was.

Overall the 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix was by far the best and most entertaining of the road course at IMS run in dry conditions. The race produced the fourth different winner of the season from a fourth team to win a race.

Now we prepare for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Lundgaard Strategy Pays Off

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This will be a brief post. I will have a more detailed one tomorrow morning.

Christian Lundgaard pitted at the right time then passed David Malukas with 19 laps to go to win the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Andretti Pit Woes Strike Again

Pit troubles once again foiled Andretti Global’s efforts to cut into Alex Palou’s points lead. On Kyle Kirkwood’s second stop trouble replacing the right tire put Kirkwood behind Palou. Kirkwood gotten ahead of the points leader after Palou went into the grass to avoid a collision

Will Power looked to have the r4ace locked up, buy instead he locked up the tires exiting the pits on his final pit stop. He crossed the blend line too soon and received a drive through penalty.

Marcvus Ericsson stalled the car on his final stop and could not get it restarted.

Today’s race was arguably the best of the May Gps run in the dry. There were timely cautions, four leaders, a winning on track pass, and the outcome was in doubt until we were into the last quarter of the race.

This will do it for me for tonight, Looke for a more detailed report tomorrw. Thanks for following along this weekend.

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