IndyCar Tops Scoville Rating of 1,000,000 in Lead-Up to the 109th Indy 500

One of the wildest seven days in IndyCar history sees 350,000 bags of popcorn sold to the Indy 500. A rookie will lead the field’s 33 cars to the green on Sunday, while two drivers embossed on the Borg Warner Trophy find themselves starting on the back row. Eight past champions and three rookies bookend the breadth of talent competing this weekend.

Let’s go through the top stories leading into this Sunday’s 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Rookie Driver Robert Shwartzman Qualifies on Pole with a Rookie Team

Let’s put this one at the top, for the first time since 1983 a rookie will lead the Indy 500 field to the green flag. 25 year old Israeli driver Robert Shwartzman in his first-ever oval race completed his four laps at an average speed of 232.790 mph with a car provided by Prema Racing - a rookie IndyCar team. The latter feat hasn’t been accomplished since 1984.

“No, honestly I can't believe it," Shwartzman said to the Fox broadcast team, "I was closing my eyes like this is a dream, it can't be true. Honestly, I don't know what even to say.”

Whether the rookie car and a driver in his first oval race will have long-run pace over Sunday’s 200 laps is still up in the air, though. Shwartzman emphasized after last Sunday’s Fast 6 qualifying session that he and Prema Racing used the prior week’s practice sessions to focus heavily on qualifying pace.

He’ll need every bit of speed he can muster, as Shwartzman starts the Indy 500 with two-time winner Takuma Sato and twice runner-up Pato O’Ward to his outside.

Team Penske is Embroiled in a New Cheating Scandal

With just a few minutes before their runs began in the Fast 12 qualifying session, the Team Penske machines of Will Power and Josef Newgarden were backed up and towed back into the garage area. The reason soon became clear - the cars had failed a last-minute inspection on the grid. 

The reason for that failure has rocked the racing world, Team Penske modified the connection between the car’s rear crash attenuator and the chassis using a type of body filler to increase the joint’s aerodynamic performance. According to a statement release by IndyCar President Doug Boles, the rear attenuator is an “as supplied” part, meaning no modifications of any kind by the team are permitted. 

The scandal is the latest in a series by Team Penske across multiple motorsport series. Last year, the three Penske IndyCar machines of Power, Newgarden, and Scott McLaughlin were penalized following an illegal deployment of the Push to Pass system at the season’s first few rounds. Around the same time, Team Penske NASCAR driver Joey Logano was fined for his use of illegally-modified webbed race gloves at Atlanta. Completing a trifecta of sorts in 2024, a Porsche Penske 963 was penalized following the IMSA weekend at Indianapolis when modifications to homologated wiring harnesses were discovered by inspectors.

Team Penske announced midweek that this past weekend’s scandal was the final straw, and long-time Team President Tim Cindric had been fired alongside Managing Director Ron Ruzewski and General Manager Kyle Moyer.

A further result of the rule violation, Power and Newgarden will start the 500 mile race from the back row in 32nd and 33rd position.

Strong Winds Made for a Tricky Qualifying Weekend as Several Drivers Found the Wall

It’s been a stormy week that was in Indianapolis. Sustained winds of 20-30 mph made their presence known during the event’s unique two-day qualifying period. Worse than just the winds speed for the 34 drivers who attempted to enter the 500 was the direction, as those strong winds blew perpendicularly across the track from the grand stands towards the back straight. The result, a direct tailwind on the course between turns 1 and 2.

Five drivers were ultimately caught out by the conditions and found themselves in the wall - Kyffin Simpson, Kyle Larson, Marcus Armstrong, Colton Herta, and Scott McLaughlin. The latter’s crash was particularly impactful as McLaughlin’s car gouged the track surface, forcing repairs by track workers while Team Penske prepared a backup car. 

McLaughlin’s new car would ultimately not be ready for Fast 12 Qualifying, a circumstance that potentially prevented a Penske back row lockout. Scotty Mac will instead start from P10.

And the weather this coming weekend? Likely similar.

The 2025 Indy 500 is Sold Out

It started with Bronze Badge garage-access passes selling out last week, but this week Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced an even more impressive feat - all 350,000 grandstand seats have been claimed in this year’s Indy 500.

It’s the first time since 2016 that the speedway has seen a sellout crowd. That year, rookie Alexander Rossi became an Indy 500 champion; does this year’s sellout crowd bring good omens for a repeat rookie win? 

Indy 500 to be Simulcast Live on the MEGA-ZILLA Screen in Times Square

Finally, a reason for New Yorkers to be in Times Square. It’s time to watch the Greatest Spectacle in Racing on what is possibly the greatest television in the world - the 20,000 square foot MEGA-ZILLA. 

The screen takes up an entire city block and will air the race from start to finish. Just don’t take your eyes off the shifty looking off-brand mascots for too long. 

Coverage of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 airs on Fox starting at 10 AM ET with the green flag set to drop at 12:45 PM ET.