Indianapolis 500

How to Watch Indy 500: Start Time, TV Channel, Lineup

“The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is set for Sunday on NBC and Peacock

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How to watch Indy 500: Start time, TV channel, lineup originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The world’s biggest race has finally arrived.

After weeks of practice and qualifying sessions, the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 is here.

Thirty-three drivers will compete for the chance to raise the Borg-Warner Trophy, sip a bottle of milk and kiss the bricks at the start-finish line.

Here’s all the info for the race:

What is the Indy 500 schedule for this weekend?

The “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is set for Sunday, with the green flag being waved by actor Adam Driver at 12:45 p.m. ET.

How do I watch the Indy 500?

All coverage from Indianapolis will air on NBC and Peacock. Here’s the full TV schedule:

Sunday, May 28

Pre-race show: 9 a.m. ET, Peacock

Pre-race show: 11 a.m. ET, NBC and Peacock

Indianapolis 500: 12:45 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock

Mike Tirico will be the host for NBC’s pre-race telecast alongside racing legends Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick. For the race, Leigh Diffey will be the play-by-play announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. The pit reporters are Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Dave Burns and Dillon Welch.

What were the qualifying results for the Indy 500?

The starting lineup for the 33-car field was set last weekend. Alex Palou, the 2020 IndyCar champion for Chip Ganassi Racing, won his first career Indy 500 pole award with a four-lap qualifying average of 234.217 mph.

Here’s the full starting lineup:

  1. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
  2. Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
  3. Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren
  4. Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
  5. Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren
  6. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
  7. Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren
  8. Takuma Sato, Chip Ganassi Racing
  9. Tony Kanaan, Arrow McLaren
  10. Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
  11. Benjamin Pederson, A.J. Foyt Enterprises
  12. Will Power, Team Penske
  13. Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing
  14. Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
  15. Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Autosport
  16. Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
  17. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
  18. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
  19. Romain Gosjean, Andretti Autosport
  20. Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
  21. Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport
  22. Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing
  23. David Malukas, Dale Coyne Racing
  24. Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta Autosport
  25. Devlin DeFrancesco, Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport
  26. Agustin Canapino, Juncos Hollinger Racing
  27. Callum Ilott, Juncos Hollinger Racing
  28. R.C. Enerson, Abel Motorsports
  29. Katherine Legge, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
  30. Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
  31. Sting Ray Robb, Dale Coyne Racing
  32. Jack Harvey, Rahal Metterman Lanigan Racing
  33. Graham Rahal, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

Will Stefan Wilson race after crashing in practice?

No, Wilson will not compete on Sunday.

Wilson wrecked with Legge in Monday’s practice session. He was transported to the hospital, where he stayed overnight and was diagnosed with a fracture of the 12th thoracic vertebrae.

As a result, Wilson will miss the race and be replaced by Rahal in the No. 24. Rahal was the only driver who did not make the race on qualifying speed, but he will now get a chance to compete in his 16th career Indy 500 – albeit driving someone else’s car. He has a career best finish of third in the race, doing so in 2011 and 2020.

How many people attend the Indy 500?

Last year, 325,000 fans attended the event – which marked the race’s second-best attendance in the last 20 years.

Track president J. Douglas Boles said Thursday that the 2023 crowd will be the second-biggest in 25 years, topping the 2022 attendance.

What is Carb Day at the Indy 500?

Carb Day is annually held on the Friday before the Indy 500. It is the final practice session prior to the event. Traditionally, Carb Day was when teams would tune their carburetors similar to how they would on race day. Even though no car has used a carburetor since 1963, the official name of Carburetion Day has stuck.

What is the Indy 500 Carb Day concert for 2023?

After the Carb Day practice session in the middle of the day, there is a Pit Stop Challenge followed by the Carb Day Concert.

Bryan Adams will headline the concert with special guest Soul Asylum to open the show. Concert gates open at 3:30 p.m. ET with the show set to run from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

Who won the Indy 500 last year?

Marcus Ericsson, a former Formula One driver, won the 2022 Indy 500 for his first career oval track victory.

Including Ericsson, there are nine former Indy 500 champions vying for another win in 2023: Helio Castroneves (2001-02, 2009, 2021), Takuma Sato (2017, 2020), Simon Pagenaud (2019), Will Power (2018), Alexander Rossi (2016), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Tony Kanaan (2013) and Scott Dixon (2008).

Who is favored to win the Indy 500?

Two teams stand out entering the race: Chip Ganassi Racing and Arrow McLaren. They’ve been the quickest cars all month and that’s reflected in the betting odds, where the top seven favorites drive for those two teams.

Here are the full odds to win the 2023 Indy 500, courtesy of our betting partner, PointsBet:

  • Alex Palou, +600
  • Pato O’Ward, +700
  • Scott Dixon, +800
  • Marcus Ericsson, +850
  • Takuma Sato, +1000
  • Felix Rosenqvist, +1000
  • Alexander Rossi, +1200
  • Rinus VeeKay, +1200
  • Scott McLaughlin, +1200
  • Josef Newgarden, +1300
  • Santino Ferrucci, +1400
  • Will Power, +1600
  • Tony Kanaan, +2000
  • Colton Herta, +2100
  • Kyle Kirkwood, +2500

What is the weather for the Indy 500?

Sunday is setting up to be a beautiful day for racing in Speedway, Ind. NBC Chicago is expecting a high of 79 degrees, with cloudy skies and just a 2% chance of rain. You can see the full forecast here.

Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.

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