INDIANAPOLIS — There was plenty of drama in the Month of May leading up to the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge this Sunday.
The qualifying sessions brought unexpected changes that shaped the starting grid for this year's race.
Robert Shwartzman, a rookie driver for Prema Racing, took the pole position, the first rookie to do so since 1983.
MORE | Shwartzman becomes 1st Indy 500 rookie since 1983 to win the pole
One of the most notable incidents was the disqualification of Team Penske. The team’s drivers, two-time defending Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden and fellow competitor Will Power, were disqualified due to illegal modifications made to their cars. This left them unable to contend for top positions, drastically altering the competitive landscape.
PREVIOUS | INDYCAR penalties leave Newgarden and Power starting from the back in Indy 500
Additionally, on the same day, Scott McLaughlin, another key driver from Team Penske, crashed his car during practice, further complicating their chances for a strong qualifying performance.
These dramatic developments ultimately led to the following starting grid for this year's race:
- (83) Robert Shwartzman, Chevrolet, 2:34.6459 (232.790 mph)
- (75) Takuma Sato, Honda, 2:34.8534 (232.478 mph)
- (5) Pato O'Ward, Chevrolet, 2:35.1069 (232.098 mph)
- (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 2:35.1377 (232.052 mph)
- (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 2:35.1809 (231.987 mph)
- (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 2:35.5894 (231.378 mph)
- (4) David Malukas, Chevrolet, 2:35.4411 (231.599 mph)
- (7) Christian Lundgaard, Chevrolet, 2:35.6015 (231.360 mph)
- (28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 2:35.8347 (231.014 mph)
- (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 2:34.4979 (233.013 mph)
- (76) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 2:35.3568 (231.725 mph)
- (20) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 2:35.3725 (231.701 mph)
- (8) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 2:35.4127 (231.641 mph)
- (20) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 2:35.4180 (231.633 mph)
- (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 2:35.4453 (231.593 mph)
- (30) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 2:35.4575 (231.575 mph)
- (77) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 2:35.5336 (231.461 mph)
- (21) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 2:35.5489 (231.438 mph)
- (17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 2:35.6242 (231.326 mph)
- (45) Louis Foster, Honda, 2:35.8049 (231.058 mph)
- (90) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 2:35.8489 (230.993 mph)
- (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 2:35.8592 (230.978 mph)
- (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 2:35.8999 (230.917 mph)
- (6) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 2:36.1342 (230.571 mph)
- (23) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 2:36.2752 (230.363 mph)
- (24) Jack Harvey, Chevrolet, 2:36.2853 (230.348 mph)
- (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 2:36.3910 (230.192 mph)
- (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 2:36.6152 (229.863 mph)
- (98) Marco Andretti, Honda, 2:36.6979 (229.741 mph)
- (66) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 2:37.1426 (229.091 mph)
- (18) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 2:38.6514 (226.913 mph)
- (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 2:34.5036 (233.004 mph)
(12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 2:35.0760 (232.144 mph)
