Alexander Rossi Cleared to Race Indianapolis 500 from Row 1 — on Crutches

Alexander Rossi received medical clearance Thursday to start Sunday's 110th Indianapolis 500, just four days after fracturing a bone in his right ankle and injuring a left-hand finger in Monday's Turn 2 practice crash. The 2016 winner passed a medical evaluation requiring simulator runs, timed cockpit entry, and pedal-reaction testing with a protective boot in place. “Pain is minimal,” Rossi said. “Range of motion is good. I'm good to go.” He will race on crutches between stints. Starting second in the No. 20 Java House ECR Chevrolet alongside pole-sitter Alex Palou, Rossi switches to a backup chassis that carried him in last year's 500.

Sources: Motorsport.com

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O'Ward's Backup Indy 500 Car Has Won Before — He'll Name It If He Wins Again

Pato O'Ward may be racing a backup car at Indianapolis this Sunday, but he's not complaining. After his primary car “Lana” was destroyed in Monday's crash with Rossi and Grosjean, the Arrow McLaren driver moved to a chassis that previously won for him at Iowa Speedway and on the streets of Toronto in 2025. O'Ward said he tested this car at IMS and has no setup concerns. He starts sixth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, with a podium record including two runner-up finishes. His replacement car already has a name — but he will only reveal it if he wins the race on Sunday.

Sources: Motorsport.com

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Thunderstorms Could Threaten Indianapolis 500 Race Day Sunday

The 110th Indianapolis 500 faces a weather risk on Sunday, with forecasters placing a 50 percent probability of showers and thunderstorms developing after 2:00 p.m. local time. The race starts at 12:45 p.m. ET and organisers will be hoping to run deep into the afternoon before any precipitation arrives. A rain-shortened 500 is official once lap 101 is completed. Temperatures are expected in the low-to-mid 70s Fahrenheit with high humidity and southerly winds at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Teams will monitor radar throughout the event. A 2008 red-flag delay and a 2007 rain-shortened race underscore how vulnerable Memorial Day weekend remains to Indiana spring weather.

Sources: RacingNews365

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Newgarden Unfazed by 23rd Starting Spot: “Race Day Is Its Own Thing”

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden starts 23rd Sunday but insists qualifying position means little once the green flag drops. The Team Penske driver won the race from 17th in 2023 and charged from 32nd to sixth last year before a fuel-pressure retirement on lap 135. “I think we're in a similar position to the last couple of years,” Newgarden said. “We've got a good car underneath us. Race Day is its own thing.” He acknowledged frustration at losing 12 championship points during a poor qualifying run but said his primary focus shifts entirely to race pace, traffic management, and pit-call execution come Sunday morning.

Sources: Motorsport.com

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Kirkwood Must Be Perfect from 25th to Stay Alive in Championship Fight

Kyle Kirkwood enters the Indianapolis 500 second in the NTT IndyCar Series standings, 27 points behind championship leader Alex Palou, but starts 25th in the No. 27 Sam's Club Andretti Global Honda. Despite the grid deficit, Kirkwood says his championship mindset pauses for the duration of the 500. “Monday, we'll focus on points,” he said. “As for the race — we've got to be perfect the whole race.” Kirkwood has posted five top-five finishes in the first six rounds of 2026, including a victory at the Arlington Grand Prix. He and race strategist Bryan Herta have worked a path to the front from deep on the grid before this season.

Sources: Racer

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Sixteen Crews Enter Record-Field Pit Stop Challenge on Carb Day

The annual Oscar Mayer Pit Stop Challenge runs Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET on Carb Day with its largest field in event history: 16 of the 33 Indianapolis 500 crews. Two-time defending champion Josef Newgarden meets four-time winner Scott Dixon in the opening round in a Penske versus Ganassi showdown. Will Power competes for the first time under Andretti Global colours, having won the event in 2017 with Team Penske. The winning crew takes $50,000, with $25,000 for the runner-up. The event airs live on FOX, FOX One, and INDYCAR Radio. Team Penske holds the all-time record with 20 challenge victories since the event began in 1977.

Sources: IndyCar.com

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Dixon Has Led a Record 677 Indy 500 Laps — and Jokes He's “Pretty Crap” at Leading the Right One

Scott Dixon holds the Indianapolis 500's all-time record for laps led — 677 across 23 career starts — yet the Chip Ganassi Racing veteran has converted that dominance into just one victory, in 2008. Dixon greeted the statistic at Thursday's Media Day with characteristic dry humour. “I think it shows I'm pretty crap at leading the right lap,” he said. The five-time IndyCar champion starts tenth Sunday in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda. His teammate Kyffin Simpson, studying Dixon's onboard data as a championship benchmark, admitted it can be “annoying sometimes” to watch Palou outperform everyone while sitting on the same garage wall.

Sources: IndyCar.com

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Castroneves: “Indianapolis Chooses Its Winners” — Four Titles and He Still Believes It

Helio Castroneves won the Indianapolis 500 four times, but a fifth eluded him in 2003 when he led 58 laps from pole, drove “with one hand,” and still lost to Penske teammate Gil de Ferran after a backmarker ended his momentum at the worst moment. That loss crystallised a belief he still holds: Indianapolis Motor Speedway chooses its winner. “You can have the fastest equipment, everything,” he said. “To this day, that's exactly what I feel.” Castroneves starts 14th Sunday in the No. 06 Cleveland-Cliffs Meyer Shank Honda and, at 51, remains among the active threats to add a historic fifth Borg-Warner baby face.

Sources: IndyCar.com

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Bumped Last Year, Abel Returns for Long-Awaited Indianapolis 500 Debut

Jacob Abel was the lone driver bumped from last year's Indianapolis 500. He returns with family-owned Abel Motorsports for his first 500 start and says Friday's Carb Day practice is about mastering one thing: pit lane entry. “The pit lane entry here is unlike anything else,” Abel said. “The braking and all of that is really tricky.” He starts 30th in the No. 51 Abel Construction Company Chevrolet alongside fellow back-row starters Jack Harvey and Sting Ray Robb. Abel's INDY NXT background has given his team a framework for race strategy and pit coordination heading into Sunday's 500-mile event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Sources: IndyCar.com

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