Palou snags pole ahead of Veekay and Rosenqvist; Harvey bumps Rahal from field

The buildup to the 107th Indianapolis 500 is officially upon us.

Colloquially referred to as “The Month of May” – presumably because “The Fortnight of May” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue – the next 15 days will feature nine practice sessions, two days of qualifying with one entry not making the field, a pit stop competition and, of course, the Indy 500 itself on Sunday, May 28. NBC and, primarily, Peacock combine to broadcast nearly 60 hours of coverage from the speedway.

Legge, Wilson crash in Monday practice

The first crash of the Month of May came in the seventh practice session as Katherine Legge and Stefan Wilson tangled in Turn 1 with about 50 minutes remaining in the session. Running in a pack down the front stretch, Legge was not able to slow her car enough and ran into the back of Wilson, sending both into the wall.

Wilson gave the crowd a thumbs up as he was placed on a backboard before being transported to the infield medical center, while Legge got out of her car under her own power. Track medical personnel said Wilson was communicative and in good spirits and is being transferred to an area hospital for advanced imaging.

2023 Indy 500 practice results

2023 Indy 500 TV/streaming schedule

All times Eastern

Friday, May 26 11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Final practice – “Carb Day” (Peacock, IndyCar Radio) 2:30-4 p.m.: Pit stop competition (Peacock)

Sunday, May 28 9-11 a.m.: Pre-race show (Peacock) 11 a.m.-4 p.m.: 107th Indianapolis 500 (NBC, Universo, Peacock, SiriusXM, IndyCar Radio)

2023 Indy 500 Qualifying results

1. Alex Palou (10), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

2. Rinus Veekay (21), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

3. Felix Rosenqvist (6), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

4. Santino Ferrucci (14), A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet

5. Pato O’Ward (5), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

6. Scott Dixon (9), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

7. Alexander Rossi (7), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

8. Takuma Sato (11), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

9. Tony Kanaan (66), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

10. Marcus Ericsson (8), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

11. Benjamin Pederson (55), A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet

12. Will Power (12), Team Penske Chevrolet

13. Ed Carpenter (33), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

14. Scott McLaughlin (3), Team Penske Chevrolet

15. Kyle Kirkwood (27), Andretti Autosport Honda

16. Conor Daly (20), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

17. Josef Newgarden (2), Team Penske Chevrolet

18. Ryan Hunter-Reay (23), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet

19. Romain Grosjean (28), Andretti Autosport Honda

20. Helio Castroneves (06), Meyer Shank Racing Honda

21. Colton Herta (26), Andretti Autosport Honda

22. Simon Pagenaud (60), Meyer Shank Racing Honda

23. David Malukas (18), Dale Coyne Racing/HMD Motorsports Honda

24. Marco Andretti (98), Andretti Autosport Honda

25. Stefan Wilson (24), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet

26. Devlin DeFrancesco (29), Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport Honda

27. Callum Ilott (77), Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

28. Agustin Canopino (78), Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

29. RC Enerson (50), Abel Motorsports Chevrolet

30. Katherine Legge (44), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

31. Christian Lundgaard (45), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

32. Sting Ray Robb (51), Dale Coyne Racing/Rick Ware Racing Honda

33. Jack Harvey (30), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

Did not qualify: Graham Rahal (15), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

Harvey shocks Rahal in last-chance qualifying

With five minutes remaining in Sunday’s last-chance qualifying, Jack Harvey was not in the Indianapolis 500 field. At the end of what seemed like his final run, he still was not in the field of 33. But the team and Harvey made the decision to make one final, desperate run without the luxury of cooling the engine. Harvey crossed the line to make that last run with seconds remaining on the clock and bumped Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate Graham Rahal out of the field by 0.004s.

Indy 500 qualifying format

There are 34 entries vying for 33 starting spots in the 107th Indianapolis 500. Qualifying is split into two days, with the bulk of the field set during Saturday’s marathon seven-hour session. Sunday will feature sessions for the last three spots – and one elimination – the top 12 and top six shootout for pole. The drivers’ average speed over a four-lap run determines their standing.

Qualifying Day 1 – Saturday, May 20
Grid spots 13-30 locked in
• After each car has one opportunity at a four-lap run, they may choose one of two lanes for subsequent attempts at improving their times. Lane 1 has priority to track access, but teams must forfeit their prior qualifying speed to enter it.

Qualifying Day 2 – Sunday, May 21
Grid spots 1-12 and 31-33 locked in
•The first hourlong session features the top 12 cars making runs with spots 7-12 determined.
• The bottom four cars get an hour to determine who will and won’t make the race with spots 31-33 locked in.
• Finally, the top six cars will have a 30-minute session to determine pole position through sixth.

Best bets for the 2023 Indy 500

Despite there being nine former winners in the field, just one, Scott Dixon, enters the weekend with better than 10-to-1 odds at victory, according to BetMGM. Three Hondas and two Chevrolets are among the top favorites to win.

Best odds to win

• Scott Dixon +700
• Pato O’Ward +700
• Josef Newgarden +800
• Colton Herta +1000
• Alex Palou +1000

107th Indianapolis 500 entry list

Josef Newgarden (2), Team Penske Chevrolet
Scott McLaughlin (3), Team Penske Chevrolet
Pato O’Ward (5), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Helio Castroneves (06), Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Felix Rosenqvist (6), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Alexander Rossi (7), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Marcus Ericsson (8), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Scott Dixon (9), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Alex Palou (10), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Takuma Sato (11), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Will Power (12), Team Penske Chevrolet
Santino Ferrucci (14), A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet
Graham Rahal (15), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
David Malukas (18), Dale Coyne Racing/HMD Motorsports Honda
Conor Daly (20), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
Rinus Veekay (21), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
Ryan Hunter-Reay (23), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet
Stefan Wilson (24), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet
Colton Herta (26), Andretti Autosport Honda
Kyle Kirkwood (27), Andretti Autosport Honda
Romain Grosjean (28), Andretti Autosport Honda
Devlin DeFrancesco (29), Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport Honda
Jack Harvey (30), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Ed Carpenter (33), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
Katherine Legge (44), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Christian Lundgaard (45), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
RC Enerson (50), Abel Motorsports Chevrolet
Sting Ray Robb (51), Dale Coyne Racing/Rick Ware Racing Honda
Benjamin Pederson (55), A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet
Simon Pagenaud (60), Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Tony Kanaan (66), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Callum Ilott (77), Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
Agustin Canopino (78), Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
Marco Andretti (98), Andretti Autosport Honda

2023 Indy 500 weather forecast

Entering the first week of practice for the 107th Indianapolis 500, rain threatens to hinder two days of running on track – the first two sessions Tuesday, May 16 and “Fast Friday” May 19. Otherwise the forecast calls for cool temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s with scattered cloud cover. But, it being the Midwest, conditions can change at a moment’s notice.