2019 Indianapolis 500

The 2019 Indianapolis 500 is the 103rd running of the annual Indianapolis 500, scheduled to be held May 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is also the sixth race of the 2019 IndyCar Series season.

Will Power is the defending race winner.

Entry list
36 cars are entered for the race. Because there are 36 cars entered for the 2019 Indy 500 instead of the usual 33, bumping is required and three cars will have to be bumped out of the Indy 500 on Bump Day.

Changes

 * The switch from road to oval kits is scheduled for May 13.
 * The track will close on Mother's Day; it has been closed since 2014.

Open Test
The Open Test was scheduled for April 24, 2019. All second round matches at the 2019 Indianapolis Open were all motorsport laps and scheduled to be held that day. After less than 20 minutes, the track was closed due to rain. Because of rain plaguing the session, matches were delayed and weather-permitting, this was extending the session to 8 PM EST.

Decidueye, who won the 2019 IndyCar Classic, topped the rookie orientation and veteran refresher results. The veteran session was topped by the 2018 Feud Rookie of the Year Jirayu La-ongmanee with Apolo Anton Ohno. Both La-ongmanee and Ohno are part of the IndyCar entry (Jirayu La-ongmanee's entry) on the Thailand SuperStar IG; the Abomasnow group went from 1.661 million back down to 1.66 million followers the day before the Open Test. The Ed Carpenter Racing cars rounded the top three. Bold determines match winner. Jirayu La-ongmanee mainly drives the no.30 car, as well as Apolo Anton Ohno.
 * Second Round Matches Scheduled
 * Josef Newgarden vs. 🇺🇸 Ed Carpenter
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Jack Harvey vs. 🇮🇹 Marko Manieri
 * 🇧🇪 Alexander Rossi vs. 🇨🇦 Jack Hammond
 *  Max Chilton vs. 🇪🇸 Mario Lopez
 *  Graham Rahal vs. 🇫🇮 Noivern
 * 🇸🇪 Marcus Ericsson vs. 🇦🇺 Wario
 * 🇨🇦 James Hinchcliffe vs. 🇲🇰 Skorupi
 * 🇸🇪 Hippowdon vs. 🇫🇷 Simon Pagenaud
 *  Palitchoke Ayanaputra vs. Matheus Leist
 * 🇮🇷 Allen Ford vs. 🇹🇭 Tao Pooslip
 *  Mamoswine vs. 🇨🇴 Juan Pablo Montoya
 * 🇰🇿 Trevor Wadleigh vs. 🇵🇱 Joey Fatone
 * 🇺🇸 Peter Driscal vs. 🇲🇽 Patricio O'Ward
 * 🇹🇷 Spencer Pigot vs. 🇲🇩 Amoonguss
 *  Nidoking vs. 🇧🇬 Cody Nickson
 * 🇲🇪 Rashad Jennings vs. 🇰🇷 Jirayu La-ongmanee
 * Rookie Orientation/Refresher Results
 * Rookie Orientation/Refresher Results
 * Veteran Results
 * Veteran Results

Practice 1
As Jirayu La-ongmanee is on the track, and since Hoh Family airs during La-ongmanee's Practice 1, it is impossible for the Korean, having time only during the ROP/Refreshers session before going out on track again.

Last year's Indy 500 winner Will Power topped the session ahead of his Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud who won the 2019 IndyCar Grand Prix last Saturday. The practice was marred by yellow flags for debris and Decidueye's spin. The Penskes of Pagenaud and Power were the only ones able to break the 229mph barrier. Ed Carpenter led most of the session until the Penske cars' laps began to fasten. Hélio Castroneves and Decidueye rounded the top five. Practice 1 Results

Practice 2
Josef Newgarden topped the session, but the session was marred by crashes from Heracross and Fernando Alonso, the latter ending his day. Scott Dixon and Pidgeot rounded the top three, and cars from Marko Manieri and Hélio Castroneves rounded the top five. It was the second consecutive Indy 500 session topped by a Penske car. Practice 2 Results

Practice 3
Weather and Patricio O'Ward's spin were the story. Pippa Mann also caused a yellow for a tow-in. Weather ended the session with just an hour and 10 minutes left in the session. Fernando Alonso didn't participate in the session.

Ed Jones topped the session, continuing the Chevrolet streak but ending the Team Penske streak. This was the first practice at the 2019 Indy 500 all long that a driver not from the Abomasnow entry on the Thailand SuperStar IG topped a session. Jirayu La-ongmanee and Apolo Anton Ohno finished second, and Joey Fatone finished third. Rounding the top five were Beartic in fourth and Decidueye in fifth. Jones was the only driver in the session to break the 227mph barrier. The highest finishing Penske car was Simon Pagenaud in tenth. Practice 3 Results

Practice 4: Fast Friday
Once again, weather became the story of the Indy 500 practice. Kyle Kaiser spun his car, causing a yellow flag. Lighting caused the practice to be red-flagged for an hour and 19 minutes.

Before the weather became the story, Pee Saderd consistently stayed within the top three. He did it on his second lap to record a time of 38:9862. Drivers had began to bump Saderd's time, but most of them expect Daly were unsuccessful in passing him. Pee Saderd led most of the session until Conor Daly upset the Russian in the last minutes of the session with his lap over 231mph. He and his Indy 500 teammate Saderd were the only ones that were able to break a lap under 39 seconds.

This was the first Indy 500 practice topped by a Honda car, ending the Chevrolet streak. Conor Daly upset both Pee Saderd and Saderd's rival Jirayu La-ongmanee. Daly did that because both the drivers he upset, Saderd and La-ongmanee, dropped to 126th in the ranking, their lowest Thailand SuperStar IG ranking in history. The highest finishing Team Penske car was Simon Pagenaud in seventh.
 * Practice 4 Results

Practice 5
Simon Pagenaud's birthday.

Qualifying
The qualifying format was changed in 2019.

Last Row Shootout
All drivers placing 31-36 will have to qualify once to determine their starting positions. As there are 36 cars entered, three drivers fail to qualify.

Positions 10-30
In previous years, drivers had to take a qualifying attempt to determine which row they start in. Now all drivers in positions 10-30 are determined by the end of the session and will not have to requalify on Sunday.

Fast 9
There is still a pole shootout for the 9 drivers that qualified for the Fast 9 on Saturday's qualifying.

Last Row Shootout
All drivers placing 31-36 will have to qualify once to determine their starting positions. As there are 36 cars entered, three drivers fail to qualify.

Positions 10-30
In previous years, drivers had to take a qualifying attempt to determine which row they start in. Now all drivers in positions 10-30 are determined by the end of the session and will not have to requalify on Sunday.

Fast 9
There is still a pole shootout for the 9 drivers that qualified for the Fast 9 on Saturday's qualifying.