The 2026 Indy 500 will be raced this weekend with one driver claiming one of the most prestigious titles in all of racing. The race takes place on Sunday. Drivers will throw it into gear at 12:45 Eastern at the Indianapolis 500 Speedway. This year’s grand marshall is none other than Caitlin Clark from the Indiana Fever.
The Indy 500 is always one of the most anticipated races of the year and that isn’t changing this season. The race already announced that there will be a sellout at the course. Over 350,000 will pile into the Speedway to watch the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Alex Palou won the pole this year because of course he does. Palau won the Indy 500 in 2025. He also has won 11 of the last 22 races he has raced in. He has taken home three of the season’s first five races to build a 17-point lead over Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood. There is no better driver in the sport than Palou. He is easily the favorite to win the race and bring home a second state title.
Maybe the biggest story going into the weekend is the crash from Monday’s practice. Alexander Rossi’s car got loose in Turn 2 and crashed into the outside wall. It lifted Rossi’s wheels off the ground before Pato O’Ward spun into Rossi’s wrecking car. Romain Grosjean was also involved in the crash.
Rossi suffered the worst of the three. He is still hoping that he can race this weekend. His team said that he “underwent successful outpatient procedures” for injuries to a finger on his left hand and a right ankle injury.
He won the race back in 2016 but is trying to get higher in this year’s standings. He is 13th with three top 10 finishes but has yet to win his first race of the season.
O’Ward is the third favorite to win the race. He qualified sixth and will retain the position due to IndyCar’s rules which state the use of a backup car is permitted without forfeiting the driver’s original qualifying position. His replacement car is being arranged now for him.
The most interesting person to watch is Katherine Legge. The English driver will attempt to become the first woman to complete the “double” by racing in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
Legge is the sixth driver to attempt the grueling day, joining John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson. Tony Stewart is the only driver to complete every lap of both races in 2001 when he finished sixth at Indianapolis and third at Charlotte.
Odds:
- Alex Palou, +225
- David Malukas, +625
- Pato O’Ward, +700
- Conor Daly, +700
- Alexander Rossi, +950
- Felix Rosenqvist, +1000
- Josef Newgarden, +1100
- Scott McLaughlin, +1100
Prediction:
It’s Alex Palou’s world and we are just living in it.