How does IndyCar qualifying work in 2025?

The American open-wheel racing series (now IndyCar) scene began racing around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. IMS is often regarded as the breeding ground for American motorsports, and as a result, ovals became an integral part of the series.

Unlike IndyCar, the European open-wheel racing categories (like Formula 1) don't race around ovals, and hence, the qualifying formats for the two series are contrastingly different.

However, within IndyCar itself, the qualifying format changes depending on whether the race is on a permanent/street circuit or an oval. The Indy 500 has a qualifying format of its own.

Let's have a look at how the qualifying works in IndyCar on the different types of tracks.

Permanent/Street Circuit IndyCar Qualifying

The qualifying around the permanent/street circuits is divided into three sections. The first section consists of dividing the grid into two groups, which is determined by the times from the practice session. With 27 permanent entries for the 2025 season, groups of 13 and 14 will be made.

AUTO: AUG 17 NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

Both groups are then given 10-minute sessions to post the fastest time possible, and the fastest 6 drivers from the groups advance to the next segment. The remaining are given grid positions from P13 onwards depending on their qualifying from segment one.

The 12 cars (6 from each group) then fight it out in the second section, where again after a 10-minute round, the fastest 6 advance with the others given grid position from P7 onwards.

The final session is named the fast six, where the advancing cars are given six minutes of green flag track time to set the fastest lap possible. The grid positions are allotted as per the time set by the driver.

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Oval IndyCar qualifying (excluding Indy 500)

The oval qualifying is much simpler compared to the street circuit as only one car is permitted on the track at one point of time. The qualifying sequence in which the cars go out is determined by the championship position, which is then reversed. This means the driver with the least points sets the lap time first.

Each driver is given two warm-up laps around the circuit before the green flag drops. The drivers have to complete two back-to-back laps, and the average lap time of the two laps determines the position. The fastest aggregate time gets the pole position.

However, in case of a double header weekend where two races are conducted on the same track, Lap 1’s time is used to set the grid for Race 1 and Lap 2 for Race 2.

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Indy 500 Qualifying

The Indy 500 qualifying takes place on the weekend before the race weekend. A draw decides the order in which the cars will take the track. As in the oval qualifying, only one car is allowed on the track at a specific moment.

The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Two warm-up laps are allowed (even three if race control allows), and then the driver does a four-lap run, and the average lap time decides their position. Once all the cars have completed the laps, the Top 12 move onto the next round, and the grid is decided for the positions 13-30.

Anyone finishing below P30 gets a chance on Sunday during the last chance qualifying, which decides the last three positions on the grid, i.e., 30-33.

The Top 12 shootout then takes place, where the Top 6 drivers make it to the fast six while the grid positions are decided from P7-P12 for the remaining drivers in the session. The Fast Six is the last qualifying session, where the fastest aggregate lap time gets the pole position and the other 5 drivers are also given a grid position depending on the lap time.