2023 Indianapolis 500 Sports News

2023 Indianapolis 500: Full Schedule and Event Information

By Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 23 May 2023

Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief

Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.

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Thirty-four drivers are set to buckle up and stomp on the throttle pedal in Speedway, Indiana, to qualify for the 107th edition of the Indianapolis 500 (Indy 500) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28 at 12:45 ET. This makes the Indy 500 a popular event for the best motorsport betting websites across the world.

34 cars will compete for 33 starting spots on the grid in the Indy 500 Qualifying session on Saturday, May 20
Nine former Indy 500 winners, including defending champion Marcus Ericsson will be on the grid this year
Ericsson could become the first driver to defend his Indy 500 crown after Helio Castroneves achieved the feat in 2002

2023 Indianapolis 500: Full Schedule

The first three practice sessions of the 2023 Indy 500 were scheduled to commence on Tuesday, May 16. However, no rubber was laid on track as all opening-day practice sessions were canceled due to intermittent showers. Before the qualifying sessions on the weekend, three more practice sessions were scheduled on the days before it.

The cars are expected to be on the 2.5-mile oval on Wednesday, May 17, at 10:00. Each car will get five minutes of installation laps. The practice session will commence at noon and run till 18:00. The single practice sessions on Thursday and Friday will remain unchanged, and the first qualifying session will commence on Saturday, May 20, at 11:00.

Sunday will be another busy day on track, with a Top-12 practice session and two qualifying sessions for the Top-12 and Top-6 following it. The practice session will be green-flagged at 11:30 and conclude at 12:30. Last-chance qualifiers practice will commence immediately and end at 13:30.

The Top-12 qualifying will take place between 14:00 and 15:00. Six cars that set the fastest time in this session will get another shot to earn the pole position. After an hour-long break, Last chance qualifying will begin at 16:00 and run for an hour. After this session, spectators will know which car will not race at the 2023 Indy 500 on May 28.

The last qualifying session of the day will start at 17:15 and run till 17:45. The first two rows of the grid will be finalized during this session, and pole position will be at stake. The driver who sets the fastest time will take the pole position and start at the front of the pack on race day. There will be one last practice session on Monday, six days before the race.

2023 Indianapolis 500: Event Information

The qualifying for the Indy 500 this year is expected to be mercurial. The race is less than two weeks away, and despite some drivers emerging as strong favorites, it will be difficult to predict who will win. The driver who earns the pole position will certainly have the advantage, but the last pole-sitter to win the Indy 500 was Simon Pagenaud in 2019.

The Drivers and Teams

12 teams and 34 drivers will enter the enthralling competition with only one aim – to drink milk in the victory lane and lift the coveted Indy 500 trophy while standing at the top of the podium. Of the 12 teams, five are powered by Honda engines, while the rest will expect Chevrolet to give them the speed and power to win.

A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Abel Motorsports, Arrow McLaren, Ed Carpenter Racing, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Juncos Holliner Racing, and Team Penske will race with Chevrolet-powered cars. Meanwhile, Andretti, Chip Ganassi Racing, Dale Coyne Racing with HMD, Meyer Shank Racing, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will be powered by Honda.

Chip Ganassi Racing was the winning car at the 2022 Indy 500 race after Marcus Ericcson got the better of Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward in a riveting battle on track. Ericsson is one of nine Indy 500 winners who will be on the grid for the 107th edition of this historic race. The grid also comprises four rookie drivers who are looking to steal the spotlight.

Helio Castroneves will not only be the oldest driver on the grid but will also be the one with the most Indy 500 wins. The Brazilian has won this event four times, including the famous back-to-back triumph in 2001 and 2002. His last Indy 500 win came in 2021. Takuma Sato has won on this track twice, in 2017 and 2020, and will aim for a hat-trick this time.

Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Scott Dixon, Simon Pagenaud, Tony Kanaan, Will Power, and Ericcson have won the race once in their respective careers. The four rookie drivers will be Agustin Canapino, Benjamin Pedersen, RC Enerson, and Sting Ray Robb.

The Favorites

O’Ward will be looking to avenge last year’s disappointment against Ericcson. On the final lap of the 2022 Indy 500 race, the Mexican was only four one-hundredths of a second behind the Swede. Ericsson defended well and held onto his position for a win.

Romain Grosjean made his IndyCar debut last year but crashed out at Indianapolis – a feat he will not want to repeat this year. Scott Dixon served a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pitlane at a crucial point. The New Zealander will certainly want to dodge silly mistakes this year.

The other names on the favorites list will be Alex Palou, Alexander Rossi, Colton Herta, Josef Newgarden, and Scott McLaughlin. It will be interesting to see who emerges on top after 200 laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28.