IndyCar Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis start time, qualifying, race, how to watch

It’s May, so the IndyCar Series is camped out in Indianapolis, starting with the Sonsio Grand Prix, an 85-lap race on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Alex Palou has three race wins this season, including the last two. Kyle Kirkwood is trying to keep up.

Here’s what you should know about the race:

When does the IndyCar Series race in Indianapolis? When is the Sonsio Grand Prix? IndyCar Series schedule for the Indianapolis Grand Prix

(All times ET; all IndyCar sessions are on IndyCar Live, IndyCar Radio and Sirius XM Channel 218)

Friday, May 8

• 8 a.m.: Indy NXT practice, FS2
• 9 a.m.: IndyCar practice, FS1
• Noon: Indy NXT qualifying, Fox Sports app
• 1 p.m.: IndyCar practice, FS2
• 4 p.m.: Indy NXT race, FS2
• 5:30 p.m.: IndyCar qualifying, FS2

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Saturday, May 9

• 11:30 a.m.: IndyCar warm-up, FS1
• 2:30 p.m.: Indy NXT race, FS1
• 4:30 p.m.: IndyCar race, Fox (green flag scheduled for 4:57 p.m.)

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Where to watch the IndyCar race at Indianapolis? How to watch the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis?

TV: Coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, May 9, 2026, on Fox. Green flag is scheduled for 4:57 p.m. Will Buxton is the play-by-play voice, with analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters.

IndyCar predictions for the Sonsio Grand Prix in Indianapolis from IndyStar’s Zion Brown

• Is Alex Palou inevitable? “It seems that he is. I think he wins his fourth straight race on the IMS road course.”
• Who will give Palou his biggest challenge? “Pato O’Ward. He finished second behind Palou in 2023 and ’25, and I think O’Ward has the best chance of spoiling Palou’s chance at a four-peat.”
• Who wins pole position? “I think Scott Dixon will be on the pole here for the third time.”

How much are Sonsio Grand Prix tickets? How much are tickets for Indianapolis grand prix?

Practice and qualifying tickets are $25; race tickets start at $45.

Sonsio Grand Prix tickets

Who won the IndyCar race at Indianapolis in 2025? Who won the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis last year?

Pole-sitter Alex Palou won by 6+ seconds over Pato O’Ward, with Will Power completing the podium. Palou has won three straight races on the Indianapolis road course. He won the Indianapolis 500 two weeks later on his march to a third consecutive series championship.

Who is leading IndyCar? 2026 IndyCar results

Alex Palou (three), Josef Newgarden and Kyle Kirkwood have won races.

1. Alex Palou, 205 points
2. Kyle Kirkwood, 188
3. David Malukas, 142
4. Pato O’Ward, 136
5. Christian Lundgaard, 131
6. Josef Newgarden, 130
7. Scott McLaughlin, 127
8. Scott Dixon, 120
9. Felix Rosenqvist, 109
10. Graham Rahal, 106
11. Alexander Rossi, 105
12. Marcus Ericsson, 104
13. Marcus Armstrong, 104
14. Will Power, 89
15. Rinus VeeKay, 79
16. Dennis Hauger, 76
17. Kyffin Simpson, 75
18. Santino Ferrucci, 74
19. Louis Foster, 60
20. Romain Grosjean, 60
21. Christian Rasmussen, 59
22. Caio Collet, 59
23. Nolan Siegel, 56
24. Mick Schumacher, 44
25. Sting Ray Robb, 42

How can I stream the IndyCar race at Indianapolis? How to stream the Sonsio Grand Prix in Indianapolis?

FoxSports.com, Fox Sports app

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How can I listen to IndyCar race at Indianapolis?

IndyCar Nation is on SiriusXM Channel 218, IndyCar Live and the IndyCar Radio Network (check affiliates for each race). Mark Jaynes is the anchor, with driver analyst Davey Hamilton.

Will it rain during the IndyCar race in Indianapolis? Indianapolis weather forecast for IndyCar race

• Friday: Cloudy with rain likely. High in the mid 60s.
• Saturday: Sunny with highs in the low 70s.

IndyCar tire allocation, push-to-pass for Sonsio Grand Prix in Indianapolis

• Tires: Five sets primary and five sets alternate are available during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires for the first practice. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.
• Push-to-pass: 200 total seconds are available in increments of up to 20 seconds per activation.

IndyCar schedule 2026

(*-street course; ^-road course; #-oval; all races on Fox, SiriusXM Channel 218; times are start of TV coverage, ET)

• March 1: St. Petersburg, Fla. * (Winner: Alex Palou)
• Saturday, March 7: Phoenix # (Winner: Josef Newgarden)
• Sunday, March 15: Arlington, Texas * (Winner: Kyle Kirkwood)
• Sunday, March 29: Birmingham, Alabama ^ (Winner: Alex Palou)
• Sunday, April 19: Long Beach, California *, (Winner: Alex Palou)
• Saturday, May 9: Indianapolis road course ^, 4:30 p.m. (4:57 p.m. green flag)
• Sunday, May 24: Indianapolis 500 #, 12:45 p.m.
• Sunday, May 31: Detroit *, 12:30 p.m.
• Sunday, June 7: Madison, Illinois #, 9 p.m.
• Sunday, June 21: Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin ^, 2 p.m.
• Sunday, July 5: Lexington, Ohio ^, 12:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 19: Lebanon, Tennessee #, TBD
• Sunday, Aug. 9: Portland ^, 4 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 16: Markham, Ontario *, noon
• Sunday, Aug. 23: Washington, D.C. *, TBD
• Saturday, Aug. 29: Milwaukee #, 2:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 30: Milwaukee #, 1 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 6: Monterey, California ^, 2:30 p.m.

IndyCar Series teams, drivers in 2026

(with team, car number and driver; *-Indianapolis 500 only)

• Abel Motorsports: 51, Jacob Abel *
• A.J. Foyt Racing: 4, Caio Collet; 11, Katherine Legge * (with HMD Motorsports); 14, Santino Ferrucci
• Andretti Global: 26, Will Power; 27, Kyle Kirkwood; 28, Marcus Ericsson
• Arrow McLaren: 5, Pato O’Ward; 6, Nolan Siegel; 7, Christian Lundgaard; 31, Ryan Hunter-Reay *
• Chip Ganassi Racing: 8, Kyffin Simpson; 9, Scott Dixon; 10, Alex Palou
• Dale Coyne Racing: 18, Romain Grosjean; 19, Dennis Hauger
• Dreyer & Reinbold Racing: 23, Conor Daly *; 24, Jack Harvey *
• Ed Carpenter Racing: 20, Alexander Rossi; 21, Christian Rasmussen; 33, Ed Carpenter *
• Juncos Hollinger: 76, Rinus VeeKay; 77, Sting Ray Robb
• Meyer Shank Racing: 60, Felix Rosenqvist; 66, Marcus Armstrong; 06, Helio Castroneves *
• Rahal Letterman Lanigan: 15, Graham Rahal; 45, Louis Foster; 47, Mick Schumacher; 75, Takuma Sato *; reserve driver, Toby Sowery
• Team Penske: 2, Josef Newgarden; 3, Scott McLaughlin; 12, David Malukas

Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter.