Immediately after Practice 4 at the speedway, the random qualifying draw took place behind the famous Pagoda.
A total of 33 numbered coins were hidden in black boxes laid out on a table.
Most drivers elected to have representatives choose on their behalf, though a select few IndyCar stars took the stage to pick a box at random.
The order of the qualifying draw was based on the results of Practice 4, from fastest to slowest.
Typically, drawing a lower number is considered more favourable with conditions that are coolest during the morning.
Dixon, who was 12th fastest in Practice 4, was joined by his son Kit on stage, whose face lit up at the realisation that he had drawn top spot.
Dixon recalled a serendipitous moment after practice, just prior to the qualifying draw.
“That was great,” said Dixon.
“It was weird though, because after practice I came in the bus and said ‘what number are you going to pull today?’ and he said number one, so there we go.
“He’s definitely back next year, that’s for sure. Good job man.”
Picks 1️⃣. Dabs. Refuses to elaborate.
Kit Dixon, you hero. 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/32pVNyUIsf
— Chip Ganassi Racing ⚡️ (@CGRTeams) May 15, 2026
Christian Lundgaard, who won last weekend’s Indianapolis road course race, will roll off of second.
“So far it’s been good,” said the McLaren driver.
“It’s always nice to come back here to the speedway. Firestone has done a pretty good job with giving us some good tyres. The racing this year has been a lot better, even out there today.
“Let’s just hope the rain stays away tomorrow so we’ll all have a clean run.”
On Sunday (AEST), each car will participate in full-field qualifying. Each car will get one run, and positions 16-33 will be decided.
There are some concerns that qualifying could be rained out, with hotter temperatures and inclement weather expected on Sunday (AEST).
Qualifying is slated for 1am AEST with coverage live and exclusively on Stan Sport.
110th Running of the Indianapolis 500, qualifying order
| Pos | Num | Driver | Team | Engine |
| 1 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 2 | 7 | Christian Lundgaard | Arrow McLaren | Chevy |
| 3 | 31 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Arrow McLaren | Chevy |
| 4 | 33 | Ed Carpenter | ECR | Chevy |
| 5 | 76 | Rinus VeeKay | Juncos Hollinger Racing | Chevy |
| 6 | 3 | Scott McLaughlin | Team Penske | Chevy |
| 7 | 6 | Nolan Siegel | Arrow McLaren | Chevy |
| 8 | 15 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 9 | 2 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Chevy |
| 10 | 26 | Will Power | Andretti Global | Honda |
| 11 | 60 | Felix Rosenqvist | Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian | Honda |
| 12 | 14 | Santino Ferrucci | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Chevy |
| 13 | 28 | Marcus Ericsson | Andretti Global | Honda |
| 14 | 23 | Conor Daly | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevy |
| 15 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 16 | 18 | Romain Grosjean | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda |
| 17 | 66 | Marcus Armstrong | Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian | Honda |
| 18 | 5 | Pato O’Ward | Arrow McLaren | Chevy |
| 19 | 12 | David Malukas | Team Penske | Chevy |
| 20 | 20 | Alexander Rossi | ECR | Chevy |
| 21 | 19 | Dennis Hauger | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda |
| 22 | 77 | Sting Ray Robb | Juncos Hollinger Racing | Chevy |
| 23 | 27 | Kyle Kirkwood | Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian | Honda |
| 24 | 4 | Caio Collet | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Chevy |
| 25 | 6 | Helio Castroneves | Meyer Shank w/ Curb-Agajanian | Honda |
| 26 | 75 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 27 | 21 | Christian Rasmussen | ECR | Chevy |
| 28 | 45 | Louis Foster | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 29 | 8 | Kyffin Simpson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 30 | 24 | Jack Harvey | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevy |
| 31 | 10 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 32 | 51 | Jacob Abel | Abel Motorsports | Chevy |
| 33 | 11 | Katherine Legge | HMD Motorsports w/ AJ Foyt Racing | Chevy |
Discussion about this post