IndyCar: 2021 Indy 500 – Live qualifying updates
By Asher Fair
Follow along with our live updates of IndyCar’s opening qualifying session for the 105th running of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Indy 500 is back in the month of May for the first time since the 2019 IndyCar season, and qualifying is scheduled to take place throughout this weekend ahead of next Sunday’s race.
All 35 drivers on the entry list for the 105th running of the 200-lap “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana will be guaranteed at least one four-lap qualifying run in today’s session.
After each driver takes one qualifying run, the track will remain open for any additional runs drivers wish to attempt.
More from IndyCar
- IndyCar: Two teams with no drivers confirmed for 2024
- IndyCar: Chip Ganassi Racing news hints Alex Palou announcement
- IndyCar: ‘Addition by subtraction’ could pay off in a big way
- Team Penske should make a bold driver signing for 2024
- IndyCar: 5 teams that still have open seats for 2024
Should a driver opt to use the fast lane and go to the front of like for an additional qualifying run, all previous times will be withdrawn. Using the regular lane carries no risk to any previous qualifying speeds, but it may result in a longer wait time, which could prove detrimental, especially as the clock runs down later in the session.
The top nine drivers in today’s session lock themselves into tomorrow afternoon’s Fast Nine Shootout to set the first three rows. The 21 drivers who finish from 10th through 30th in today’s session lock into their starting spots, and the five drivers who finish from 31st through 35th lock themselves into tomorrow afternoon’s Bump Day qualifying session to set the three positions on the 11th and final row and eliminate two drivers from competing.
Which drivers will end up in the Fast Nine Shootout? Who will end up in the Bump Day qualifying session? Who will not need to make another run tomorrow? Follow along with our live updates of Saturday’s qualifying session for the 105th running of the Indy 500 to find out.
NOTE: Initial qualifying order was determined via random draw. If accessing on AMP, click here for live updates.
Qualified
Rank – Driver, Car, Team, Engine – Speed (miles per hour)
1st – Scott Dixon – #9, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda – 231.828
2nd – Colton Herta – #26, Andretti Autosport, Honda – 231.648
3rd – Tony Kanaan – #48, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda – 231.639
4th – Ed Carpenter – #20, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet – 231.616
5th – Rinus VeeKay – #21, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet – 231.483
6th – Helio Castroneves – #06, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda – 231.164
7th – Alex Palou – #10, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda – 231.145
8th – Ryan Hunter-Reay – #28, Andretti Autosport, Honda – 231.139
9th – Marcus Ericsson – #8, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda – 231.104
————————–
10th – Alexander Rossi – #27, Andretti Autosport, Honda – 231.046
11th – Ed Jones – #18, DCR with Vasser-Sullivan, Honda – 231.044
12th – Pato O’Ward – #5, Arrow McLaren SP, Chevrolet – 230.864
13th – Pietro Fittipaldi – #51, Dale Coyne Racing with RWR, Honda – 230.846
14th – Felix Rosenqvist – #7, Arrow McLaren SP, Chevrolet – 230.744
15th – Takuma Sato – #30, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda – 230.708
16th – James Hinchcliffe – #29, Andretti Autosport, Honda – 230.563
17th – Scott McLaughlin – #3, Team Penske, Chevrolet – 230.557
18th – Graham Rahal – #15, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda – 230.521
19th – Conor Daly – #47, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet – 230.427
20th – Jack Harvey – #60, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda – 230.191
21st – Josef Newgarden – #2, Team Penske, Chevrolet – 230.071
22nd – J.R. Hildebrand – #1, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet – 229.98
23rd – Santino Ferrucci – #45, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda – 229.949
24th – Juan Pablo Montoya – #86, Arrow McLaren SP, Chevrolet – 229.891
25th – Marco Andretti – #98, Andretti Herta-Haupert Autosport, Honda – 229.872
26th – Simon Pagenaud – #22, Team Penske, Chevrolet – 229.778
27th – Sebastien Bourdais – #14, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet – 229.744
28th – Stefan Wilson – #25, Andretti Autosport, Honda – 229.714
29th – Max Chilton – #59, Carlin, Chevrolet – 229.417
30th – Dalton Kellett – #4, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet – 228.323
Qualifying is scheduled to continue tomorrow with the Bump Day session at 1:15 p.m. ET, with live coverage from NBC Sports Network set to begin at 1:00 p.m. ET. The Fast Nine Shootout is then scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. ET, with live coverage from NBC set to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET. The race itself is set to be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 30.