- Kyle Kirkwood runs fifth in first-round qualifying for next Sunday's 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500
- Felix Rosenqvist, Takuma Sato also advance to final-round qualifying
Kyle Kirkwood led the way for Honda today in first-round qualifying for next Sunday's Indianapolis 500, posting the fifth-fastest four-lap average speed and one of three Honda drivers who will advance to tomorrow's final qualifying rounds.
Other Honda drivers who will battle for the coveted pole starting position include Meyer Shank Racing's Felix Rosenqvist, who posted the seventh-fastest qualifying run today; and two-time race winner Takuma Sato, who ran ninth today in his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda.
Today's qualifying determined the first 30 starting drivers to make up the 33-car field. Qualifying action continues Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with "Fast 12" second-round qualifying; "Last Chance Qualifying" to determine the 11th and final starting row of three; and "Fast Six" final qualifying to set the pole for next weekend's race.
Indianapolis 500 Honda First Round Qualifying Results
Advance to Fast 12 Final Qualifying Sunday:
- 5th Kyle Kirkwood
- 7th Felix Rosenqvist
- 9th Takuma Sato-W
Andretti Global Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Locked into the Indianapolis 500
- 13th Colton Herta
- 14th Alex Palou
- 16th Marcus Armstrong-R
- 18th Kyffin Simpson-R
- 19th Marco Andretti
- 20th Helio Castroneves-W
- 21st Scott Dixon-W
- 25th Tom Blomqvist-R
- 27th Linus Lindqvist-R
- 28th Christian Lundgaard
- 30th Pietro Fittipaldi
Andretti Global Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Yet to qualify
- Marcus Ericsson-W
- Katherine Legge
- Graham Rahal
- Nolan Siegel-R
Andretti Global Honda
Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Dale Coyne Racing Honda
W - Indianapolis 500 race winner
R - Indianapolis 500 rookie
Quotes
Kyle Kirkwwod (#27 Andretti Global Honda) Fifth-fastest in first-round qualifying for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 next weekend: "I think there actually is more speed left in the car. We were on the conservative side. We could have been a little bit more aggressive. We know we have a horse to be in Sunday's Fast 12 [final qualifying]; we need to be consistent. We'll look into the data. My engineer came to me after the run and said we could go as fast as [Scott] McLaughlin. Something maybe they saw. That's a good enough run right now to put us in the show for tomorrow."
Felix Rosenqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) Seventh fastest in Indianapolis 500 first-round qualifying: "I think honestly we landed where we wanted. We wanted to be near [Kyle] Kirkwood given our [qualifying order] draw, so we're good. Mike Shank [team owner] has done such a great job. The car felt free, but not 'slow' free… kinda the right balance we want for qualifying."
Fast Facts
- Honda has won more Indianapolis 500 races than any major automaker: 15 victories from 23 races – a win ratio of 65% – since the company entered the INDYCAR competition in 1994.
- Honda first won the '500' in the manufacturer's fourth attempt, when Buddy Rice piloted his Rahal Letterman Racing Honda to victory in 2004.
- Honda's most recent "500" victory was recorded in 2022 by Chip Ganassi Racing's Marcus Ericsson, Honda's third consecutive victory at Indianapolis.
Where to Watch Sunday's Indianapolis 500 Final Qualifying
Live television coverage Sunday's final qualifying for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 starts at 12 p.m. ET with practice on NBC Peacock, followed by Fast 12 and last-row qualifying on NBC starting at 3 p.m. ET.
Honda Racing and HRC US social media content and video links can be found on:
