It’s time to head to the Brickyard for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Today is a busy day for fans of motorsports — beginning with the Indy 500, continuing with the F1 Canadian Grand Prix in just a few hours and ending later tonight with the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 — and it will be be particularly buy for one woman.
Katherine Legge will become the first woman to attempt The 1,100-Mile Double, a feat where a driver starts and finishes both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.
Last year’s Indy 500 winner, Alex Palou, will start this year’s race in pole position after coming first in last weekend’s qualifying. He’s entering the race as a favorite it win it all — and get the traditional milk celebration — again.
2026 indy 500: what to know
- Date and time: May 24, 12:45 p.m. ET
- Venue: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Indiana)
- Channel: FOX
- Streaming: DIRECTV (try it free)
Pato O’Ward and David Malukas are also among the favorites to win this year’s Indy 500.
Today’s race is set to air on Fox for the second year in a row; here’s everything you need to know to tune in with or without cable.
2026 Indy 500 start time
The green flag at the Indy 500 is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ET today, May 24. Coverage of the race day on FOX begins at 10 a.m. ET.
How to watch the 2026 Indy 500 for free:
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the Indy 500 for free.
DIRECTV is our favorite service for watching sports live for free — its five-day free trial includes FOX, where the Indy 500 is airing. When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $44.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.
Sling TV is another affordable way to stream NFL games; its Select plan includes FOX and starts at $19.99/month.
Indy 500 starting grid:
| Row | Inside | Middle | Outside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Row 1 | 10 Alex Palou | 20 Alexander Rossi | 12 David Malukas |
| Row 2 | 60 Felix Rosenqvist | 14 Santino Ferrucci | 5 Pato O’Ward |
| Row 3 | 8 Kyffin Simpson | 23 Conor Daly | 3 Scott McLaughlin |
| Row 4 | 9 Scott Dixon | 76 Rinus VeeKay | 75 Takuma Sato |
| Row 5 | 33 Ed Carpenter | 06 Helio Castroneves | 21 Christian Rasmussen |
| Row 6 | 66 Marcus Armstrong | 28 Marcus Ericsson | 7 Christian Lundgaard |
| Row 7 | 26 Will Power | 6 Nolan Siegel | 45 Louis Foster |
| Row 8 | 31 Ryan Hunter-Reay | 2 Josef Newgarden | 18 Romain Grosjean |
| Row 9 | 27 Kyle Kirkwood | 11 Katherine Legge | 47 Mick Schumacher |
| Row 10 | 15 Graham Rahal | 19 Dennis Hauger | 51 Jacob Abel |
| Row 11 | 77 Sting Ray Robb | 4 Caio Collet | 24 Jack Harvey |
2026 Indy 500 race day schedule:
- 11:47 a.m. ET: Driver introductions begin
- 12:24 p.m. ET: National anthem (performed by Jordin Sparks)
- 12:29 p.m. ET: “Drivers, to your cars” command
- 12:36 p.m. ET: “Back Home Again in Indiana” (performed by Jim Cornelison)
- 12:38 p.m. ET: Command to start engines
- 12:45 p.m. ET: Green flag waves
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
