Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Day One as it happened

Credit: Dominic Loyer

Welcome to DIVEBOMB's coverage of the opening day of qualifying for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500. The qualifying positions between 13th and 30th will be locked in today for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Stay tuned for all the updates throughout the day from Dan Jones, Archie O'Reilly and Evan Roberts. Photos are provided by DIVEBOMB Photographer, Dominic Loyer who can be found on Instagram (@dominicloyer_photography)

Feel free to get in touch with us on social media with predictions, thoughts or anything else you'd like! You can find DIVEBOMB at @divebombmotorsport on Instagram and @divebombmsport on X.

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KEY MOMENTS OF THE DAY:

• Colton Herta suffers monster accident at Turn 2 on his guaranteed run

• However, bounces back with excellent run in backup tub to put himself in the field

• Marcus Armstrong unable to complete full run thus far after practice crash

• Álex Palou leads Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden at top of the time charts

• Conor Daly loses guaranteed qualifying run for failing post-run inspection

• Robert Shwartzman stars in maiden 500 qualifying run, lying sixth provisionally

• Armstrong, Andretti, Abel and VeeKay to return for Last Chance Qualifying

• Palou, McLaughlin, Newgarden, O'Ward, Dixon, Shwartzman, Malukas, Rosenqvist, Sato, Power, Ericsson and Lundgaard to fight for Indianapolis 500 pole

  
  

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LIVE UPDATES

We'll be back tomorrow to take you through the Fast 12, Last Chance Qualifying and the Fast Six in what will be yet another thrilling day of qualifying at Indianapolis.

Closing thoughts: What a day for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. After all these years of turbulence at Indianapolis, which looked almost certain to continue this year, they find all four of their cars already locked into the field. Especially Graham Rahal who has suffered the hardest of emotions, and he will never be so relieved to qualify 30th.

And a huge credit to Andretti Global in repairing Colton Herta's No.26 Honda to miraculously get him out and into the field despite his scary accident this morning. And credit to IndyCar, whose technical innovations continue to save the lives of drivers as proven once again today.

2025 INDIANAPOLIS 500 ROWS 5-10

ROW 5: Daly, Rossi, Simpson

ROW 6: Carpenter, Ferrucci, DeFrancesco

ROW 7: Robb, Rasmussen, Larson ROW 8: Foster, Ilott, Castroneves

ROW 9: Kirkwood, Siegel, Hunter-Reay

ROW 10: Harvey, Herta, Rahal

FAST 12: Palou, McLaughlin, Newgarden, O'Ward, Dixon, Shwartzman, Malukas, Rosenqvist, Sato, Power, Ericsson, Lundgaard

LAST CHANCE QUALIFIERS: Abel, Andretti, Armstrong, VeeKay

17: 51 ET - Noooooo! Conor Daly, the Indiana native misses out on making the Fast 12 by the finest of margins! He will start the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in 13th. Time is up and there will be no more runs today.

17:49 ET - DALY IS IMPROVING! ANDRETTI DOESN'T HAVE THE TIME TO RUN AGAIN!

17:47 ET - This is interesting. Andretti didn't get to Lane One in time, so they've sent Conor Daly out from Lane Two. Andretti is now relying on Daly being called off to get another run and therefore make the field today.

17:46 ET - This is a bit more like it for Marcus Armstrong and he's got a bit more confidence in the car but the team call him in before his run is complete. He will come back tomorrow, the important question now is will Marco Andretti join him?

17:42 ET - Not enough for Rinus VeeKay. A driver who has qualified for the Fast 12 in all five of his previous Indianapolis 500's will return on Sunday, but this time, to fight for his place in the field. Marcus Armstrong is next in the queue to try and force his way in - and we're also expecting Marco Andretti to go again....

17:38 ET - Gutting for Marco Andretti! He missed out on making the cut by 0.004 mph over 10 miles. A huge lift on the final lap will be haunting him in his sleep tonight as that was the difference between Andretti making the field today and having to return tomorrow.

17:33 ET - Rosenqvist who ran very well earlier before having to lift late on has gone out again. However, he's several mph off the pace in very similar conditions to what the Swede ran in earlier. He unsurprisingly is told he needs to finish his run early. Strange one.

17:28 ET - Ferrucci continues to test the limits of the Indianapolis walls but had a major lift on Turn 2, Lap 2. His first lap was mighty at a 232.532 but a huge drop off at 228.163 before Ferrucci's run is called off. Ferrucci remains in 16th with 22 minutes to go.

17:25 ET - No improvement from Will Power who continues to be off the pace of his two teammates at Team Penske.

17:21 ET - Nice run from David Malukas! The A.J. Foyt driver elevates himself from ninth to seventh with a 232.546 mph run. He wasn't a favoured driver to reach the Fast 12 tomorrow, but he's now almost certain to reach that phase of qualifying for the first time in his career.

17:17 ET - Louis Foster was in slight danger of coming back tomorrow, he now moves up to 22nd which will be more than enough to book his place in the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 with a 231.058 mph four-lap average.

17:11 ET - Rossi has been back out - for what feels like the 20th time today - still can't improve though and remains outside the all-important Fast 12.

17:07 ET - Armstrong has come on-track with a Frankenstein-looking car with half the livery belonging to Felix Rosenqvist and half his own! We don't have long to look at it though as he's waived off after his first lap was in the 225mph range.

17:03 ET - Hi all, it's Dan back with you to take you over the last 50 minutes which will ultimately decide who will come back tomorrow for the Fast 12 and Last Chance Qualifying. Takuma Sato has just improved to eighth with a 232.415 in the meantime, up from ninth. Marcus Armstrong is remarkably on track after his crash this morning - huge achievement from the Meyer Shank Racing team.

16:59 ET - Marco Andretti fails to break back into the bump zone with a 229.475 mph four-lap run. He is lacking speed in that Andretti Global machine and stays in the bottom four along with the Dale Coyne Racing duo and Marcus Armstrong, who is yet to run after his practice crash this morning. Graham Rahal still safe for now.

16:54 ET - Jack Harvey stays P28 and fails to usurp Dreyer & Reinbold Racing teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay on his latest run. It fell away from him as the four laps progressed. Now attention turns to Marco Andretti, who is trying to bump his way back into the field at the expense of Graham Rahal.

16:50 ET - Colton Herta, driving a back-up car he has never set foot in before at the Speedway, comes straight back out after his huge crash to break into the field in P29! He did not lift. An incredibly bold drive from the young Andretti Global superstar.

16:45 ET - Ed Carpenter gets perilously close to the wall on multiple occasions as he just misses out on making the Fast 12. He jumps up to P15 from P19 with a 231.633 mph four-lap average. Next up: Colton Herta is emerging back out on track after his airborne crash earlier today.

16:39 ET - Ryan Hunter-Reay has just run for the first time since the very start of the day and improves marginally to P27 with a 230.363 mph four-lap average. He jumps ahead of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing teammate Jack Harvey.

16:35 ET - Marcus Ericsson still sits P11 and aborts again on his latest run.

16:31 ET - Callum Ilott improves to P22 with a 230.993 mph four-lap average. Securely in the field for a PREMA team debuting on an oval but remains over 1.5 mph behind teammate Robert Shwartzman.

16:27 ET - Dale Coyne Racing are struggling for speed and Rinus VeeKay, complaining of understeer, remains in the bump zone after a final lap in the 227 mph range. The Dutch driver - with no starting spot worse than seventh at the Speedway - had been tracking to jump ahead of Marco Andretti in P30 until Lap 4. A tough day for one of the series' smallest teams.

16:21 ET - Pato O'Ward (still P4) also ventured out for an exploratory run but, as with Scott Dixon, promptly bails. Rinus VeeKay, who is in the bump zone at the moment, next to go out.

16:19 ET - Devlin DeFrancesco with another run of high peaks - a 232.277 mph first lap - but ultimately not enough consistency to break into the Fast 12. Still, he jumps up to 16th with a 231.575 mph four-lap average. While Graham Rahal is struggling, we are certainly seeing improvement from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

16:13 ET - It is not looking good for Jacob Abel. After a first run in the 226 mph range earlier on, he jumps to 228 mph on his first lap but sees the attempt waived off - nowhere near good enough to break into the top 30. Dale Coyne Racing really struggling for speed.

16:09 ET - After all of that, Scott Dixon bails at Turn 1 on the first lap of his supposed 'test' run. No point taking any risks of crashing given the No.9 is safely in the Fast 12. As we speak, the back-up car for Colton Herta is passing through technical inspection after his heavy crash earlier on.

16:06 ET - Christian Rasmussen does not improve on his latest run and remains P17, with all three Ed Carpenter Racing cars on the outside looking into the Fast 12. Next up, while safe in fifth, Scott Dixon is coming out for what is likely a run with a view to testing for tomorrow's fight for the pole position.

16:01 ET - Archie back with you for the next hour. Kyffin Simpson, who was in the top 12 for a long while, has his second attempt of the day waived off as he was not improving on his existing 231.641 mph four-lap average. He still sits a creditable P14 after his big crash on Fast Friday.

15:57 ET - Much, much better from Christian Lundgaard after a strangely sub-par run in his guaranteed attempt. A 231.809 four-lap average puts himself into the provisional Fast 12 in 12th and bumps Alexander Rossi out. High-fives all-round at Arrow McLaren.

15:53 ET - Hélio Castroneves was extremely disappointed with what he managed this morning, but his adjustments have clearly made a difference. He moves way up to 20th with a four-lap average of 230.978 mph. It puts the likes of Ryan Hunter-Reay and Christian Lundgaard in a bit of danger.

15:47 ET - Kyle Kirkwood was one of the favourites to make the Fast 12 on the early running that we've seen this week and he's still on the outside looking in after his most recent run. He lays 20th currently which is not what Andretti Global would have been expecting after not improving from his guaranteed run this morning.

15:41 ET - Rossi continues to have a significant drop-off between his opening laps as he goes from a 232.733 to a 231.486. A stable third lap at a 231.777 and a 230.817 squeezes Rossi into the provisional Fast 12 in 12th.

15:36 ET - The pace is improving as shown by Sting Ray Robb as the Juncos driver moves up to 15th with a 231.461, just under 0.2 mph off making the Fast 12. Alexander Rossi is up next, as he becomes the first driver of the day to attempt a third run.

15:33 ET - It's still not great, but it's certainly better from Graham Rahal who finishes with a 229.863 mph four-lap average to move him marginally up to 28th. Considering the issues that Rahal has had in the last few days, locking himself into the field on Saturday would be an incredible achievement.

15:28 ET - Santino Ferrucci is BOX OFFICE on his qualifying runs at Indianapolis. Always up against the wall and has you watching from behind the back of your sofa. He marginally misses out on the Fast 12 with a 231.593 mph, but improves to 13th, with his opening three laps all at the 231.7 mph mark.

15:22 ET - Marcus Ericsson was out on track but has had his run waived as he was significantly down on his opening run after three laps. IndyCar will pull out the yellow flag for drivers re-attempting their runs who have no realistic chance of improving after two or three laps are complete.

15:16 ET - Larson's downforce from this morning has been reduced and the speed is coming too. A 231.326 isn't quite Fast 12 territory, but it moves him up into 16th which a significant improvement on what the Californian ran this morning.

15:13 ET - A second attempt for Nolan Siegel gives him a four-lap average of 230.099 mph which moves him into 20th position. His Arrow McLaren teammate, Kyle Larson will be out on track next after a frustrating opening run for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion.

15:08 ET - Will Power moves up from 11th to 10th with a 232.144 four-lap average. He becomes the first driver to improve their position with their second run of the day. All three Team Penske drivers currently lay in position to return for the Fast 12 tomorrow.

15:03 ET - Marco Andretti runs again with a marginally better run of 229.356 but complains on the radio with a gearing issue. Andretti's line seemed to be rather narrow and didn't utilise the track on exit as noted by the FOX Sports commentary team. He will likely run again later. Will Power is next on track.

14: 54 ET - Encouraging news for Colton Herta fans as Andretti Global believe that they might be able to get the No.26 ready in about 90 minutes time as they continue work on their back-up car. A reminder that Herta had an airborne accident this morning on his opening qualifying lap.

14:51 ET - As you can probably guess, not much is going on, but some cars are being brought onto pitlane as they prepare for some runs, hopefully in the next few minutes. Watch out for the likes of Ed Carpenter and Marco Andretti which could cause a chain reaction for those 25th and below.

14: 40 ET - You can tell it's quiet because my rambles are about to begin! But, as part of the DIVEBOMB IndyCar Podcast's pre-season predictions competition, we all had to guess Kyffin Simpson's Lap 3 time in qualifying.... and here's how it's shaping.....

Simpson's third lap lays at 231.238 mph. Our pre-season guesses:

Dan: 229.764

Archie: 231.958

James: 231.974

It's advantage Archie early doors! I clearly thought the hybrid would have too much of an impact on proceedings pre-season. However, we did this with Ryan Hunter-Reay last year before he threw a spanner into the works by making the Fast 12! Simpson's current position? P12.

Anyway if you would like an on-track update, Old Town Road by Lil Nas X is blaring round Indianapolis.

14:30 ET - After failing technical inspection for his run earlier this morning, Conor Daly has gone out to re-attempt his four laps. A lift at Turn 2 on his final lap gives a slower last lap but finishes with a 231.221 four-lap average. Daly slots in 16th but does not sound overly pleased over the radio.

14:21 ET - Expect this to be the quietest time of the day now that the guaranteed runs are over. Anybody wishing to run again will likely want the cooler conditions that come later in the day. A reminder that engines will need to cool between runs too.

14:19 ET - Rossi has run again, however, ran slower than his run earlier on this morning. He went into Lane Two though, therefore doesn't lose that speed he set his benchmark at earlier.

14:15 ET - Hélio Castroneves completes his run at 229.634 mph, but that leaves him a lowly 28th. He's more than likely going to run again today, as he continues his 'Drive for Five.'

14:12 ET - So if you aren't aware what happens now the guaranteed runs are done, drivers have the option to go into two 'lanes.' Your options are:

Lane One: Abandon your time already on the board, but get priority into being the next car on track. A high risk option - particularly if you end up crashing. Expect drivers lower down the order prioritise Lane One, in order to not be forced to compete for their place in the field on Sunday.

Lane Two: Keep your current time, but you must wait for all drivers in Lane One to complete their next attempts. A much safer option, which usually causes a huge queue in pitlane. Expect drivers just outside the Fast 12 drivers to go for this option.

14:10 ET - It's a 233.004 four-lap average for Josef Newgarden which slots in him behind Palou and McLaughlin in third. A small lift in Turn 2 on the final lap but a great run for Newgarden which should comfortably put him into tomorrow's Fast 12.

14:07 ET - Hi all, it's Dan to take you through the next two hours here at Indianapolis. Double-defending race winner, Josef Newgarden has started his first run of the day.

13:48 ET - That is all of the guaranteed runs complete. Both Hélio Castroneves and Josef Newgarden were pulled from the line to make setup changes and will run in due course. Marcus Armstrong (after his practice crash) and Colton Herta (after his qualifying crash) are also without times and it is uncertain whether either will run again today. If they do not, providing Castroneves and Newgarden slot safely into the field, currently in danger of contesting Last Chance Qualifying are Graham Rahal and Jacob Abel. Conor Daly ran this morning but lost his run for failing technical inspection after his four laps.

13:43 ET - Rinus VeeKay with an extremely consistent run. But he is not out of the woods and places P27 with a 229.228 mph four-lap average as Dale Coyne Racing search for speed. It is a far cry from what he is used to - never having qualified worse than P7 for the Indy 500.

13:39 ET - Kudos to PREMA! Callum Ilott puts himself safely in the field in P17 with a 230.704 mph four-lap average. Teammate Robert Shwartzman, who ran in the ideal early conditions, is still inside the top five. Despite not being ready for the start of practice on Tuesday, PREMA have lifted themselves safely out of bumping contention.

13:34 ET - Devlin DeFrancesco with an inconsistent run - as high as the 232s and low as the 229s - but a 230.415 mph four-lap average puts him P19 and safely in the field as it stands. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate Louis Foster is one position ahead, with Takuma Sato P8 and Graham Rahal still second-last.

13:31 ET - NEWS: Marcus Armstrong has been cleared to drive after his heavy crash in practice this morning. His Meyer Shank Racing team have been working hard to prepare a back-up car for the sophomore.

13:29 ET - Kyle Kirkwood weathers the wind but will have wanted more from his run as he goes P15 with a 230.917 mph four-lap average. A lift on Lap 4 dropped him into the low 229s. The Andretti Global driver had been towards the head of the no-tow speed charts all week long.

13:24 ET - A brave run from the gutsy Christian Rasmussen. He got perilously close to the wall at Turn 1 on his third lap but kept his foot pinned to log a 231.438 mph four-lap average. He slots into P14 - between his Ed Carpenter Racing teammates Alexander Rossi and Ed Carpenter, split by less than 0.2 mph.

13:20 ET - Sting Ray Robb goes P18 with a 230.335 mph four-lap average. Improved on his second and third laps before falling into the 229s on his final tour of the 2.5-mile oval.

13:15 ET - Scott McLaughlin falls just shy of Álex Palou's chart-topping four-lap average by 0.03 mph as he also breaks through the 233 mph barrier with a 233.013 mph run. Dropped into the 232s on his second lap but produced two more laps in the 233s to finish the run.

13:12 ET - News coming in that Conor Daly has failed post-qualifying tech inspection. He put in a very solid run early on.

13:10 ET - Rookie Louis Foster puts in a strong first-ever Indy 500 qualifying attempt. He slots into P15 with a 230.566 mph four-lap average - almost 2 mph clear of teammate Graham Rahal, who still sits last in the order.

13:05 ET - Archie O'Reilly here for the next hour, taking over from Evan. Just as 2025’s dominated driver Álex Palou jumps to the top of the speed charts, eclipsing Pato O’Ward as he logs the first four-lap average of over 233 mph with a 233.043 mph run.

13:00 ET - Adorned in Danny Sullivan's famous 'spin and win' tribute livery, Jacob Abel in the Dale Coyne machine certainly wasn't showing the same speed that took Sullivan to the 85' winners circle. Setting the slowest average speed by a margin with a 226.859.

12:56 ET - Speaking of veterans, Marco Andretti could join a historic list of drivers who have qualified 20 times for the big show. In spite of this, an average speed of 229.857 won't help cure the famous "Andretti Curse" that has haunted him over the past two decades.

12:52 ET - Despite being a series Veteran, Ed Carpenter turned up to fight, showing a very fast opening lap. Whilst the speed slowly bled as the run continued, a 231.392 is nothing to be ashamed of for the three-time polesitter.

12:47 ET - Two-time winner Takuma Sato flexed his mastery of the speedway once again for RLL, setting an average speed of 232.169, almost 4mph faster than his teammate Rahal.

12:42 ET - Unfortunately for Kyle Larson, being leader in points over in NASCAR didn't translate to qualifying speed in Indianapolis. Having already had multiple incidents over the week, the McLaren driver looked to prioritise stability over speed, setting an average of 230.053 to go second-to-last of cars that have set a time.

12:38 ET - Will Power was up next, the first of the favoured Penske machines, whilst he didnt seem to have the outright speed, the first three laps all looked calm and controlled, consistently in the mid 232s before a big wide moment on his final attempt dragged his average down to 231.880, putting him seventh.

12:34 ET - Having been given some feedback by his Foyt teammate, Santino Ferrucci was next up. Despite having had a torrid time so far this week on the speedway, his first lap seemed an improvement, matching Malukas' opening lap before dropping off over the remaining three attempts with a loose car. He set an average speed of 230.837 to go tenth.

12:30 ET - With the green flag waived, the first of the AJ Foyt Racing cars piloted by Malukas gets running back ahead with a consistent and quick run of 232.194. His two fastest laps came on his third and fourth attempts.

12:20 ET - Work continues on getting the track ready for David Malukas with five and a half hours left to run.

12:08 ET - HUGE CRASH in turn 1 for Colton Herta on his first lap. The Andretti car went airborne, hitting the concrete wall before landing upside down onto the roll hoop and sliding into the turn 2 wall where the car came to a stop. Herta thankfully was able to walk away from the crash under his own steam and will head to the driver care centre. The 26 crew will have a lot of work to do now.

12:05 ET - Five time polesitter Scott Dixon lives up to his title of Mr Consistency, all four of his laps coming within 0.200 mph. The Iceman set a four lap average of 232.659, with his fastest lap coming in his final attempt.

12:00 ET - Next up was Felix Rosenqvist in the Creed sponsored Meyer Shank Racing car and despite setting a "higher" initial two laps, a big lift on his third time round left him with an average of 232.449, slotting into third.

11:55 ET - Home hero Conor Daly sets a steady four lap average of 231.596.

11:50 ET - Nolan Siegel who won't have fond memories of the 500 has made a good start to this years campaign, beating his teammate Lundgaard to go sixth with an average of 230.571.

11:44 ET - Having felt the emotions of being bumped from the show in 2023, Graham Rahal will be hoping the slowest average speed so far of 228.686 will be enough to keep him from being in a similar position come tomorrows action.

11:39 ET - Next up is Christian Lundgaard who has famously struggled so far at the speedway. Unfortunately for the Dane, that trend looks to have continued with a big lift on his opening lap leaving him with the slowest opening lap of 228. Despite this, he slowly clawed back the speed and with his fastest lap coming in his last attempt, the average equates to 230.304.

11:34 ET - Fresh from the commentary booth, on the other side of the team, Jack Harvey went for a completely different option, his Dreyer & Reinbold racing car seemingly having a lot less downforce than RHR. He went a full MPH faster on his first run but the time bled off as the tyres started to scream. Despite this, an average of 230.348 still puts him ahead of his teammate in the pecking order, going to sixth.

11:32 ET - The first of two consecutive Dreyer & Reinbold Racing cars, 2014 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay sets an unconvincing yet incredibly consistent average speed of 230.236, his car struggling for outright pace.

11:25 ET - A disappointing run for Alexander Rossi and ECR's standards, the 2016 winner slots in last of the cars that have made a run so far in P5 with an average of 231.510.

11: 21 ET - PREMA bringing the pace with the fastest single lap speed so far. With Robert Shwartzman behind the wheel, the newcomer team set their first 500 qualifying average of 232.584 with a big drop off from the first two laps which were both comfortably in the 233s.

11:18 ET - Kyffin Simpson is the third car on the road for the second year in a row. A 231.641 average will do wonders to his confidence following an airborne incident in practice yesterday.

11:11 ET - Speaking of consistency, Pato O'Ward despite his toxic relationship with the Indy 500, has made a brilliant start to the 109th edition. With an average of 232.820.

11:06 ET - A competitive and consistent run from Marcus Ericsson with a four lap average of 232.132, only slightly dipping into the 231's on his final lap. A huge improvement on his effort last year.

10:54 ET - Marcus Armstrong has been seen and released following a huge crash in practice this morning, he is not yet been cleared to race and it will have to be a big shift from his MSR team to get his road course car ready.

10:49 ET - Fresh from a weekend to forget, 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson will be the first on track today, the Swede will be hoping to kickstart what has been a disappointing season so far.

10:32 ET - It’s Evan Roberts to guide you through the first two hours of qualifying for the 109th Indy 500.