Indianapolis, IN
Alex Palou Claims Pole For 110th Indianapolis 500
Getty
Alex Palou will start the 2026 Indianapolis 500 from the pole.
Alex Palou returned to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this May as if he never left the famed racetrack. The four-time NTT IndyCar Series champion is a force to be reckoned with once again, and he showcased his raw ability once again on Sunday.
Rain plagued Indianapolis on Saturday, postponing qualifying for the 110th Indianapolis 500. The series had to fit in both the main time trials and the Fast 12 on Sunday, and that was no issue for Palou, who has been fast throughout the entire month in Indianapolis.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver, who won the 2025 Indianapolis 500, won his second career Indianapolis 500 pole (the first was in 2023).
Palou’s No. 10 DHL Honda soared around Indianapolis with a four-lap average of 232.248 mph during the Fast 12. He will start next Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 alongside Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi and Team Penske’s David Maukas.
“You could see the celebration was really high (after winning the pole) because this morning when we woke up, we did not expect this speed,” a humble Palou said.
Alex Palou’s IndyCar Series Dominance
Since Palou joined Chip Ganassi Racing, he is the most dominant driver in America’s premier open-wheel division. He joined CGR in 2021 and besides his four championships, he’s won a series-leading 22 races in that span.
Last year, Palou won eight of 17 races on the calendar, including the 2025 Indianapolis 500. This year, the CGR driver is showing no signs of slowing down. Through six races, he has three victories and is the series points leader once again. Though Palou has showed extraordinary talent, he remains committed to the IndyCar Series and has denied rumors that he will attempt to move to Formula 1 like Colton Herta.
Palou, who is only 29 years old, has plenty of runway left in his career. A second Indianapolis 500 victory on Memorial Day Weekend could certainly catch the attention of team owners outside of IndyCar.
The 2026 Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500 is shaping up to be one of the most competitive spectacles in the history of the historic race. The entire 33-car field was separated by just six mph during qualifying.
Among the highlights of this year’s field is the return of three Indianapolis 500 champions: Helio Castroneves, Takuma Sato and Ryan Hunter-Reay. Sato will start 13th next Sunday, with Castroneves in 15th and Hunter-Reay in 23rd.
Katherine Legge, who will be attempting The Double between the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, will start the 500 in 27th.
“Very few drivers ever get the opportunity to attempt ‘The Double,’ and I do not take that opportunity lightly,” Legge said. “This challenge is about pushing through perceived limits, betting on yourself, taking risks and trying to do something unique. I am so incredibly grateful to e.l.f. Cosmetics for believing in what this moment represents and for building a community around it.”
All three CGR cars qualified for the Fast 12, with Kyffin Simpson starting in seventh, while veteran Scott Dixon will start 11th. One of the shockers in qualifying was the lack of speed out of Penske’s Josef Newgarden, who will start in 24th in the Indianapolis 500, which will air on Fox.
Joseph Wolkin Joseph Wolkin is a motor sports expert, focusing on telling the untold stories inside of Nascar, Formula 1 and the IndyCar Series. He is currently working on a new book about team leaders turn racers into champions. Follow Joseph on X at @joewolkin. More about Joseph Wolkin
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is under a heat advisory with temperatures in the 90s throughout the week.
Many cooling centers will open throughout the state for those that need to find relief from the heat. Hoosiers looking to find cooling centers in their area can contact Indiana 211. To learn more, call 211 or (866) 211-9966.
Avaliable cooling centers can also be found by clicking here.
Marion County
For those living in Indianapolis, Indy Parks has several cooling centers across the city.
Those Cooling Centers are:
- Broad Ripple Park Family Center
- Brookside Park Family Center
- Christian Park Family Center
- Frederick Douglass Park Family Center
- Garfield Park Burrello Family Center
- Krannert Park Family Center
- Grassy Creek Environmental Education Center
- Pride Park Family Center
- Rhodius Park Family Center
- Riverside Park Family Center
- Stanley Strader Park Family Center
- Washington Park Family Center
- Windsor Park Family Center
- Watkins Park Family Center
- Thatcher Park Family Center
For addresses and hours of operations of these cooling centers, click here.
Beech Grove will also have two cooling Centers for residents starting Monday, June 29. Those hours and locations are:
- Beech Grove Senior Center, 602 Main St
- 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Friday
- Hornet Park Community Center, 5245 Hornet Ave
- 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday
Other Central Indiana Cooling Centers
For addresses and hour of operations of cooling centers below, click here.
Marion
- St. Martin Community Center
- Grant County Family YMCA
- Grant County Rescue Mission
Kokomo
- The Kokomo Rescue Mission
- The Excel Center in Kokomo
Peru
- Community Resource Center
- Miami County Courthouse
- Miami County Health Department
- Miami County YMCA
- Peru City Hall
- Peru Public Library
- Peru Schools Administration Building
INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — The National Weather Service out of Indianapolis has issued a Heat Advisory for all of Central Indiana and a High Heat Warning for parts of northern Indiana. The Advisory and Warning will go into effect at 12 PM on Monday and will run through 8 PM Thursday.
WRTV
A Heat Advisory means that temperatures in the 90s with dew points in the 70s, will lead to Heat Index values reaching 106. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses.
Stay cool:
Drink plenty of fluids, check up on relatives and neighbors, and stay in an air-conditioned room when possible. If outside for extended periods of time, make sure to take frequent breaks in the shade as much as you can.
TODAY
Patchy fog early gives way to a partly sunny, warmer, and much less active day. Highs reach the mid to upper 80s, with a light south breeze around 5 mph. After the unsettled Saturday, this looks like a far more usable day for outdoor plans, with most of central Indiana staying dry from start to finish.
TONIGHT
Mostly clear early, then becoming partly to mostly cloudy toward daybreak. Lows hold in the low 70s, with a light south southeast breeze around 5 mph. Humidity stays elevated overnight, but quiet weather continues and there are no meaningful travel concerns.
TOMORROW
Mostly sunny and hot with highs pushing into the low 90s. A south southwest breeze around 5 to 10 mph keeps the air moving, but the bigger story is the heat and humidity building in. Heat index values around or above 100 are possible during the afternoon, so outdoor plans will need extra water and more breaks.
TOMORROW NIGHT
Mostly clear and warm, with lows around the mid 70s and a light south southwest breeze. There will be very little cooling after sunset, and the muggy feel hangs on through the night. Dry weather remains in place.
TUESDAY
Sunny and even hotter, with highs in the low to mid 90s and a light southwest breeze around 5 mph. This is another day where heat becomes the main impact, and it will not take long to feel it during the afternoon. Outdoor work and summer activities will need to be paced carefully.
TUESDAY NIGHT
Clear and warm again, with lows in the mid 70s and a light southwest wind. The air remains sticky overnight, and there is still no meaningful rain signal for Indianapolis.
WEDNESDAY
Mostly sunny and hot, with highs in the low to mid 90s. Wind stays light, becoming south southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Heat remains the main concern, and another uncomfortable summer afternoon is expected across central Indiana.
7 DAY FORECAST
After Saturday’s leftover storm chances fade away, the pattern flips quickly toward heat and humidity. Sunday looks quieter and warmer, then Monday through at least Wednesday trend hot with highs in the 90s and heat index values over 100 possible at times. Rain chances stay very low through midweek, with the next better opportunity for showers and storms showing up later Thursday into Friday. Overall, the bigger concern after tonight becomes summer heat rather than repeated storm chances.
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