Nine Past Winners, Five Series Champs Starting '500' Preparation

Practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge starts Tuesday, May 12 with a field consisting of nine past winners of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and five NTT INDYCAR SERIES champions.

There are 33 entries for this year’s edition of the “500.” Practice is scheduled to start at noon ET Tuesday with PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying on May 16-17. All track activity on the historic 2.5-mile oval leads into Race Day, Sunday, May 24.

SEE: Entry List

Alex Palou earned the first oval race victory of his career in the 2025 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, completing a sweep of the Month of May after winning the Sonsio Grand Prix on the IMS road course.

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Palou went on to win his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship and third in a row in 2025, becoming the first driver since Dario Franchitti in 2010 to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and the series title in the same season.

Other past winners aiming for a spot in the race this year include four-time winner Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021), two-time winners Takuma Sato (2017, 2020) and Josef Newgarden (2023, 2024), and single winners Scott Dixon (2008), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Will Power (2018) and Marcus Ericsson (2022). The record for winners in one field is 10, set in 1992.

Castroneves earned a spot with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears in the most prestigious club in motorsports – four-time winners of the Indianapolis 500 – with his emotional victory in 2021, for Meyer Shank Racing. A record-breaking fifth would put Castroneves alone at the top with the most victories. Additionally, Castroneves is 51 years old, and a victory would make him the oldest winner in “500” history, a record held by Unser, who won the 1987 edition just five days shy of his 48th birthday.

The field includes five past INDYCAR SERIES champions: Dixon, Hunter-Reay, Newgarden, Palou and Power.

Katherine Legge is the sole female driver in the field, competing in the event for the first time since 2024.

Four drivers are competing for Rookie of the Year honors in 2026: Jacob Abel, Caio Collet, Dennis Hauger and Mick Schumacher.

Live Race Day coverage begins on FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls at 10 a.m. (ET), with the green flag set for 12:45 p.m.

2026 ENTRY BREAKDOWN:

Winners (9): Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou, Will Power, Alexander Rossi, Takuma Sato

Rookies (4): Jacob Abel, Caio Collet, Dennis Hauger, Mick Schumacher

U.S. drivers (12): Jacob Abel, Ed Carpenter, Conor Daly, Santino Ferrucci, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Kyle Kirkwood, David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, Graham Rahal, Sting Ray Robb, Alexander Rossi, Nolan Siegel

International drivers (21, from 14 countries): Marcus Armstrong, Helio Castroneves, Caio Collet, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Louis Foster, Romain Grosjean, Jack Harvey, Dennis Hauger, Katherine Legge, Christian Lundgaard, Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward, Alex Palou, Will Power, Christian Rasmussen, Felix Rosenqvist, Takuma Sato, Mick Schumacher, Kyffin Simpson, Rinus VeeKay

Engines (33): Chevrolet 18, Honda 15 (all cars use Dallara chassis and Firestone tires)