INDIANAPOLIS - Kyle Larson qualifies 21st and locks himself into the Indianapolis 500.
Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 is all about consistency and keeping the gas pedal down as much as possible. Drivers must complete four perfect laps to set an average speed which will determine their starting position for the Indy 500. Any small mistake can cause a driver to fall below the cut line or worse, finding themselves in the wall.
The best drivers will set an average top speed around 230 mph. Last year, Larson set an average speed of 232.846 mph to clinch a fifth place starting spot in the 500.
Drivers are allowed to run extra laps to improve their overall lap speed after everyone has had a turn running their set of four laps. There are two lanes on pit road they can select from.
Drivers in lane one have priority over drivers in lane two, however drivers that choose lane one surrender their previous efforts and must accept their latest run. Drivers in lane two must wait on drivers in the first lane to go, but they do not lose their initial qualifying speed even if they set a slower speed.
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This year, IndyCar is using the new hybrid energy system for the first time in Indy 500 history. Introduced midway through last season, the hybrid energy system allows drivers to deploy an electrical boost to the engine, giving them extra horsepower to use at their discretion. However, the electrical capacitor will have to be recharged once it is used, and doing so requires the driver to slow their speed.
Kyle Larson is no stranger to overcoming obstacles. He had a rough go-around in his first run, only putting up a 230.053 average across his four laps, landing him in the lower 20s. He went out for a second run later into the afternoon and improved his average to 231.326, promoting him to 16th.
By the end of the day, Larson had earned the 21st stating position in the 2025 Indianapolis 500.
"I felt like they matched the balance well," Larson said in a live interview during qualifying.
Larson and the No. 17 team will not take to the track tomorrow as the top-12 drivers from today's session will qualify for their starting spots on Sunday. The final row of the grid will be set tomorrow as well.
Indy 500 qualifying results
- Alex Palou, No. 10, 233.043 mph
- Scott Mclaughlin, No. 3, 233.013 mph
- Josef Newgarden, No. 2, 233.004 mph
- Pato O'Ward, No. 5, 232.820 mph
- Scott Dixon, No. 9, 232.659 mph
- Robert Shwartzman, No 83, 232.584 mph
- David Malukas, No. 4, 232.546 mph
- Felix Rosenqvist, No. 60, 232.499 mph
- Takuma Sato, No. 75, 232.415 mph
- Will Power, No 12, 232.144 mph
- Marcus Ericsson, No. 28, 232.132 mph
- Christian Lundgaard, No. 7, 231.809 mph
- Conor Daly, No. 76, 231.725 mph
- Alaxander Rossi, No. 20, 231.701 mph
- Kyffin Simpson, No 8, 231.641 mph
- Ed Carpenter, No. 33, 231.633 mph
- Santonio Ferrucci, No. 14, 231.593 mph
- Delvin Defrancesco, No. 30, 231.575 mph
- Sting Ray Robb, No. 77, 231.461 mph
- Christian Rasmussen, No. 21, 231.438 mph
- Kyle Larson, No. 17, 231.326 mph
- Louis Foster, No. 45, 231.058 mph
- Callum Ilott, No. 90, 230.993 mph
- Helio Castroneves, No. 06, 230.978 mph
- Kyle Kirkwood, No. 27, 230.917 mph
- Nolan Siegel, No. 6, 230.571 mph
- Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 23, 230.263 mph
- Jack Harvey, No. 24, 230.348 mph
- Colton Herta, No. 26, 230.192 mph
- Graham Rahal, No. 15, 229.863 mph
- Rinus Veekay, No. 18, waived off (Must re-qualify)
- Marcus Armstrong, No. 66, waived off (Must re-qualify)
- Jacob Able, No. 51, waived off (Must re-qualify)
- Marco Andretti, No. 98, failed to attempt opening day (Must re-qualify)
Indy 500 qualifying on TV
Qualifying will continue tomorrow from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. with coverage on FOX.
Where did Kyle Larson qualify today?
Larson qualified 21st at Indianapolis on Saturday.