110th Indianapolis 500

110th Indianapolis 500 — Week Schedule

1. May 15, 2026 · Fast Friday
   The final practice day before qualifying, when cars run at peak boost chasing 230-plus mph.
2. May 16, 2026 · Qualifying weekend
   Two days set the 33-car grid; Álex Palou won pole at 232.248 mph.
3. May 22, 2026 · Miller Lite Carb Day
   Final pre-race practice, the Pit Stop Challenge and a concert headlined by Counting Crows.
4. May 23, 2026 · Legends Day
   Autograph sessions, the public drivers’ meeting and fan events the day before the race.
5. May 24, 2026 · 110th Indianapolis 500
   Gates open at 6 a.m.; pre-race ceremonies build to “Back Home Again in Indiana” and the green flag around midday.

110th Indianapolis 500 Weekend Planning Blueprint

The 500 is logistics-heavy, and the gap between a smooth trip and a miserable one is mostly planning.

1. Sort tickets early through IMS itself. The 110th running’s grandstands sold out, so buy through IMS.com or the official IMS marketplace rather than gambling on race day.
2. Decide between Speedway and downtown. The town of Speedway puts you walking distance from the gates and Main Street; downtown Indianapolis, 5 to 8 miles away, gives you far more hotels and restaurants.
3. Build the week, not just Sunday. Add Carb Day on May 22 for final practice, the Pit Stop Challenge and the concert — the cheapest way to get inside the Speedway.
4. Plan race-day morning around traffic and heat. Gates open at 6 a.m. and the green flag is around midday — arrive very early and bring sun protection.
5. Use Speedway’s Main Street as your base. During race weekend it runs as an open-container fan zone with bars and restaurants all walkable from the track.

Who This Event Fits Best

The 500 rewards a specific kind of traveler. Here is who should book it.

• The motorsport completist. The Indy 500 is one of the three races that make up the unofficial Triple Crown of motorsport — a mandatory stamp in the passport.
• The tradition seeker. You are here for the milk, the bricks, the Borg-Warner Trophy and a pre-race ceremony that has barely changed in decades.
• The Snake Pit crowd. You want the race as a festival. Race morning in Turn 3 is a full EDM event with 20,000 people and 33 cars roaring behind it.
• The first-timer who wants the big one. If you see exactly one American race in your life, the largest single-day sporting event on earth is a defensible pick.
• Maybe sit this one out if… you want a relaxed, low-effort weekend. This is a 350,000-person crowd, a pre-dawn start, serious heat and traffic.

Official Links & Tickets

Official 110th Indianapolis 500 site
Tickets are sold by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway directly at IMS.com. The 110th running’s grandstands have sold out, so race-day reserved seats are best sourced through the official IMS ticket marketplace.