Based on the qualifying draw, all drivers will complete a qualifying race in the qualifying opening hours on Saturday, which consists of a total of four full laps around the 2.5 mile oval (4 km). Just like Fast Friday, they can use extra turbo pressure and therefore extra horsepower. On Saturday it’s a place in the fastest nine, which allows you to fight for pole position on Sunday.
When all the pilots have completed a time, the pilots may make another attempt to improve their time. This can be done in two ways: you join the normal queue at the back without specifying a lap time earlier, or you skip the normal queue and surrender your previously completed lap time. The latter normally occurs mainly at the end of the qualifying day.
As well as competing for the fastest nine times on Saturday, this also applies to positions 10 to 30. Drivers who finish in these places are guaranteed a place on the Indy 500 grid and will start from these places. The drivers finishing in places 31 to 35 will take the ?? Last Chance ?? qualify to drive. In this, they are all only allowed to drive one qualifying round, after which the slower two can pack their bags and thus not qualify for the Indy 500.
The top 9 will face off on Sunday in the Fast Nine qualifying, where all of the top nine will face off in a qualifying round on Saturday. The driver with the fastest time will win the honorable pole position for the 104th Indianapolis 500.
In addition to the chance to win pole position, all drivers participating in the Fast Nine qualifiers will also receive bonus points for the championship. The fastest runner in Fast Nine qualifying gets nine points, the second eight points, up to one point for the slowest runner on Sunday.
PhotoIndyCar / Getty Images
“Introvert. Avid gamer. Wannabe beer advocate. Subtly charming zombie junkie. Social media trailblazer. Web scholar.”