It's 109th Indianapolis 500 race day as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing takes place at legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Here is a blog-style notebook focusing on the race's storylines, biggest moments and Kyle Larson's shot at racing history as he tries to become the second driver to complete all 1,100 miles of The Double — every lap of the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 — on the same day. 

For Indy 500 updates on X, follow FloRacing's Kyle McFadden at @ByKyleMcFadden.

Everything You Need To Know About The 2025 Indy 500

• Indy 500 Preview By The Numbers 2025: Interesting Statistics & More
• Indy 500 Starting Lineup 2025: See Who Starts Where
• Indy 500 Odds 2025: Here Are The Betting Favorites After Qualifying
• Indy 500 Milk Tradition 2025: See Driver Milk Choices Here

2025 Indy 500 Prerace Reading

• Can Josef Newgarden Win The Indy 500 From The Last Row?
  
• Breaking Down What's Different For Kyle Larson At 2025 Indy 500
• Roger Penske Addresses Indy 500 Penalties, 'Integrity' Of His Team
• Who Is Robert Shwartzman? Meet The Rookie Indy 500 Polesitter
• Industry Reacts To Penske's Major Indy 500 Penalties: 'This Is Devastating'
• Indy 500: Tony Stewart Back As Broadcaster & Could He Race The Event Again?
• Kyle Larson's Biggest Indy 500 Challenge Through Wednesday's Practice
• Who Is Kyle Larson's Backup Driver At The 2025 Indy 500?

2025 Indy 500 Postrace Reading

• Indy 500 Results 2025: See The Winner At Indianapolis Motor Speedway Here
  
• Breaking Down The Crashes And Chaos At The 2025 Indy 500
• Kyle Larson Crashes At Indy 500, Ending Run At The Double | WATCH
• What Happened To Josef Newgarden At The 2025 Indy 500?
• Scott McLaughlin Crashes On Pace Lap At 2025 Indy 500

4:30 PM: Palou Wins His First Indy 500

Managing his tires to the finish after a long green-flag to the end, Alex Palou emerged as the winner of the Indy 500 for the first time, giving him five wins in six races to start the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. It was a race that saw 14 different leaders and Indy 500 contenders Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Kyle Larson crash out.

4:16 PM: Palou Powers To the Lead

A well-timed overtake on lap 186 powered Alex Palou to the lead, a move that dispatched Marcus Ericsson (17 laps led) from the top spot. David Malukas in third is a second back. Pato O'Ward and Felix Rosenqvist are the top-five, but still two and three seconds back.

3:50 PM: Less Than 50 To Go

Effective strategy has put Ryan Hunter-Reay out front with less than 50 laps to go. It's an incredible run for the 2014 Indy 500 winner whose one-off Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry started 25th. Conor Daly trails by 1.5 seconds, with David Malukas, Alex Palou and Santino Ferrucci the top five.

3:40 PM: Newgarden Falls Out Of Indy 500

Josef Newgarden's shot at three-in-a-row ended on lap 135 when fuel pump issues struck his speedy No. 2 Team Penske machine. Newgarden had worked his way up to seventh from 32nd before the his terminal incident.

2:57 PM: Larson Wrecks, His Indy 500 Is Over

Kyle Larson wrecked out of 18th on the lap-92 restart, an incident he spun entering turn two that took out Kyffin Simpson and Sting Ray Robb. Larson emerged OK. He should be credited with a 26th-place finish.

2:52 PM: Trouble for Sato, Shwartzman On Lap 87

Front-row starters Robert Shwartzman and leader Takuma Sato (51 laps led) encountered trouble on lap-87 pit stops during the caution period. Shwartzman overestimated his pit entry and clobbered into a crewmen before pounding the inside pit wall. His day is over.

Sato also slide through his pit stall, losing 16 spots as he fell from the lead to 17th.

2:46 PM: Nearing Halfway 

We're under caution for Rinus VeeKey's wreck on pit road.

Here's the top-10 as they stand: Takuma Sato (47 laps led), David Malukas, Alex Palou, Conor Daly, Santino Ferrucci, Pato O'Ward, Callum Ilott, Felix Rosenqvist, Josef Newgarden (from 32nd) and Helio Castroneves (from 22nd).

2:42 PM: Disaster On Pit Road

Rinus VeeKay, who earlier used strategy to work his way into the top-five, wrecked entering pit road lap 81. VeeKay reported that he lost his brakes entering pit road, triggering him to spin and hit the left-side wall. 

Right before VeeKay's wreck, Alexander Rossi's No. 20 went up in flames while making routine pit stops. Rossi's day is over on lap 73. He led 14 laps earlier in the race when he stayed out under the lap-18 caution.

2:30 PM: Speeding Penalty For Colton Herta

Colton Herta had to serve a drive-through penalty for pit road speeding. He was running eighth on lap 62.

2:22 PM: Larson Settling In

After his car stalled on pit road, which tumbled him from 19th to 31st, Kyle Larson has worked his way back to 23rd and just turned his best lap of the race on lap 52.

2:21 PM: Newgarden Strong, But Reporting Vibration

Josef Newgarden is up to 14th from the 32nd-starting spot on lap 50, but is reporting a left-rear vibration.

2:20 PM: Lap 50 Of 200

Takuma Sato is back out front at the quarter-way mark after the six drivers who stayed out during the first lap-18 caution — Alexander Rossi, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter, Devlin DeFrancesco, Jack Harvey and Rinus VeeKay — all made their first stops of the day between laps 43-47.

Conor Daly, David Malukas, Alex Palou and Santino Ferrucci are the top-five.

2:12 PM: Scott Dixon Struggling

Six-time IndyCar champ had to change brake calibers under the last caution, which leaves him three laps down in 31st. 

2:05 PM: Back Green After 12-Lap Caution For Conditions

Back under green at IMS on lap 30 after a 12-lap caution for conditions. Pole-starting Robert Shwartzman has fallen back to 20th after a slow pit stop. Alexander Rossi assumes the lead after staying out.

Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter, Devlin DeFrancesco, Jack Harvey and Rinus VeeKay also stayed out. Takuma Sato emerged first off pit road among those who pitted and restarted seventh.

1:57 PM: Slow Pit Stop For Kyle Larson

Nothing is going Kyle Larson's way to start this Indy 500 as his No. 17 machine stalls while pitting on lap 24. He tumbles down the leaderboard from 19th to 31st.

1:48 PM: Caution For Conditions On Lap 18

A few raindrops has drawn the second yellow flag of the day on lap 18 with Takuma Sato leading. Cars are still on track and pacing around the 2.5-mile oval, which shouldn't take much longer to dry. All it takes is the littlest drizzle for race officials to put drivers out of harm's way.

1:43 PM: First Indy 500 Lap Complete

After nearly an hour delay between the start on hold for rain and cleanup for Scott McLaughlin's devastating crash under pace laps, the Indy 500 is officially underway Robert Shwartzman led the opening eight laps before Takuma Sato took the lead on lap nine.

Kyle Larson rides in 19th on lap 17 while 32nd-starting Josef Newgarden is up to 26th.

1:39 PM: Andretti Crashes Out

Marco Andretti's Indy 500 hopes ended on the opening corner. He emerged OK.

A wreck after the green flag to start the #Indy500!@MarcoAndretti's day is DONE in his 20th start. pic.twitter.com/B4LsQtHeZq

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 25, 2025

1:21 PM: Devastation For Scott McLaughlin

Devastation has struck Indy 500 contender and 10th-starting Scott McLaughlin, whose day is over after an astonishing crash while warming up his tires on the pace laps.

The onboard from the No. 3 car of @smclaughlin93 😱 pic.twitter.com/Gc9zdnPPDs

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 25, 2025

1:16 PM: Indy 500 Finally Starting Soon

IndyCar officials say that the command to start Indy 500 engines will take place at 1:21. The original command to start engines was 12:39, so that makes for a 42-minute delay. Green flag should fly around 1:30.

12:41 PM: Indy 500 Under Weather Delay

The start of the Indy 500 is on hold for slight rainfall. It's nothing serious, but enough to pause things for now. Where does this leave Kyle Larson, who's on a tight window to get to Concord, N.C.'s Coke 600? FOX reports Larson has 40 minutes to give should the delay drag on.

That means if green flag was slated for 12:46 p.m., the race must start by 1:26 at the very latest for Larson to stay for all 200 laps of the Indy 500.

At he and Hendrick Motorsports have said, the Coke 600 is the priority for Larson this year. 

9:45 AM: Indy 500 Storylines

• Newgarden’s Historic Bid Amid Scandal: Josef Newgarden aims for a historic third consecutive Indy 500 win, starting last due to Team Penske’s cheating scandal involving illegal modifications.
• Rookie Shwartzman’s Pole Shock: Rookie Robert Shwartzman of upstart PREMA Racing stunned by winning pole, only the third rookie in Indy 500 history to do so and first since 1983. His achievement's been somewhat overshadowed by the Penske drama, but puts him under pressure to lead a field with eight former winners in his first oval race.
• O’Ward’s Redemption Quest: Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, starting on the front row, seeks his first Indy 500 win after a heartbreaking runner-up in 2024 where he lost the race in the final corner to Newgarden.
• Larson’s Double Duty Challenge: NASCAR star Kyle Larson attempts “The Double,” racing the Indy 500 (starting 19th) and Coca-Cola 600 today. Despite two practice wrecks due to the hybrid system’s weight, his resilience makes him a focal point, with timely race execution critical for both events.
• Palou’s Oval Breakthrough: Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou, starting on the second row, chases his first Indy 500 and, believe it or not, first overall oval win. Palou has dominated 2025 with four victories and a runner-up finish in five races.
• Castroneves’ Record Fifth Title Quest: Helio Castroneves, at 50, aims for a historic fifth Indy 500 win, surpassing the record he shares with A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser. Starting 22nd, the four-time champion’s experience and Meyer Shank Racing’s momentum make him a sentimental favorite to land atop Indy 500's history.
• World’s Largest Sporting Event: The Indy 500’s soldout crowd of 350,000+ spectators makes it the world’s largest single-day sporting event, surpassing events like the Super Bowl or Le Mans (329,000 in 2024). With 257,325 permanent seats and a massive infield, including the iconic Snake Pit, the Speedway dwarfs other venues, cementing its status as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

9:30 AM: Can Josef Newgarden Win The Indy 500 From The Last Row?

Just how good is Josef Newgarden at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

Let's just say nobody's won the Indianapolis 500 from 20th or worse since 1987 when Al Unser won from that spot, yet the 32nd-starting Newgarden has wholesome confidence he can win from the very last row.

Heck, no winner at The Greatest Spectacle in Racing has come from deeper than 28th. Ray Harroun won the inaugural 1911 event from there and so did Louis Meyer in1936 when he started the celebratory milk-drinking tradition. Has it been mentioned nobody's ever won three straight Borg-Warner Trophies, too?

So just how good is Newgarden at IMS and the Indy 500? When asked if he can still win despite the seemingly insurmountable odds — on top of the penalties and drama Team Penske has brought on itself — Newgarden's boldness speaks for itself.

"Oh, absolutely," the 34-year-old said. "Absolutely."

To read more about Newgarden's shot at multifaceted history, click here.

8:45 AM: Will Kyle Larson Complete The Double?

Last year, Mother Nature turned one of the biggest days of Kyle Larson's career into a conundrum when a four-hour rain delay at the Indy 500 derailed his highly touted run at The Double — completing both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day.

But this time around, the weather, in Indianapolis at least, looks considerably favorable for the 32-year-old who starts 19th in the Indy 500 and second in the Coke 600 to have a shot at joining only Tony Stewart to complete all 1,110 miles of The Double.

• Will Kyle Larson Complete The Indy 500-Coke 600 Double?

Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon said that Larson "is going to be here (at Charlotte Motor Speedway) for driver introductions at 5:25" no matter how the Indy 500 plays out.

To read more about Larson's attempt at The Double, click here. 

7:00 AM: Good Morning From IMS: What's The Weather Like?

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing is here. With 350,000-plus expected to descend upon IMS along, cool but ideal temperatures on the forecast for today and a bevvy of storylines to follow, the 109th Indy 500 has the makings to be memorable.

Race fans can expect a cool, mostly cloudy day, with highs near 69°F and lows around 50°F, and east-northeast winds blowing at 5 to 10 mph. There’s a slight 20 percent chance of sprinkles or stray showers, but conditions are expected to stay mostly dry, setting up for an on-time green-flag at 12:46 p.m., which would put the race's end around 4 p.m.

Six-time IndyCar champ Scott Dixon said it himself earlier this week: "With the cooler weather I really do think it's going to be a tremendous race on Sunday."

2025 Indy 500 Starting Lineup

2025 Indy 500 Minute-By-Minute Schedule

5 a.m.-1 p.m.: Tickets and Credentials Office Open

6 a.m.-4 p.m.: Public Gates Open 

6 a.m.: Cannon Blast & Pyrotechnics

7 a.m.: Coors Light Snake Pit Gates Open

8 a.m.: Oliver Heldens Begins – Coors Light Snake Pit

8:55 a.m.: Borg-Warner Trophy March to the Bricks Begins

9 a.m.: DJ Slater Hogan Begins on Pagoda 3

9:05 a.m.: Borg-Warner Trophy Reaches Checkpoint 2 – Pagoda Plaza

9:10 a.m.: Borg-Warner Trophy Reaches Checkpoint 3 – IMS Midway

9:15 a.m.: Kayzo Begins – Coors Light Snake Pit

9:20 a.m.: All Cars in Pit Lane, Engine Warm Up #1 Begins

9:38 a.m.: Borg-Warner Trophy Reaches Checkpoint 4 – Band Gate

10:00 a.m.: FOX Prerace Coverage Begins

10:10 a.m.: Borg-Warner Trophy Arrives at Yard of Bricks

10:26 a.m.: “On The Banks Of The Wabash” – Purdue University Band

10:30 a.m.: Sammy Virji Begins – Coors Light Snake Pit

10:37 a.m.: Green Flag Lap Rolls Out

10:40 a.m.: Indy 500 Winners Lap

10:44 a.m.: Honorary Starter Receives Green Flag from IUH Patient – Trackside Stage

10:54 a.m.: Historic Cars Lap

10:55 a.m.: All Cars on The Grid

11:22 a.m.: Team USA Salute – Victory Podium

11:25 a.m.: Chevrolet Military Appreciation Lap

11:47 a.m.: Driver Introductions Begin

12:10 p.m.: U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team Begins Descend

12:10 p.m.: “America the Beautiful” by Ephraim Owens – Victory Podium

12:18 p.m.: Invocation by Archbishop Charles Thompson – Trackside Stage

12:19 p.m.: Rifle Volley and “Taps”– Victory Podium

12:21 p.m.: “God Bless America” by Arturo Chacón-Cruz – South Stage

12:24 p.m.: National Anthem by Natalie Grant

12:26 p.m.: Flyover – F-16 Jets of the 114th Fighter Wing

12:31 p.m.: “Drivers to Your Cars” – Grand Marshal

12:38 p.m.: “Back Home Again in Indiana” by Jim Cornelison

12:39 p.m.: “Drivers Start Your Engines” – Roger Penske, Victory Podium

12:46 p.m.: Green Flag, 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Honorary Starter is Casey Irsay Foyt.

12:50 p.m.: Illenium Begins – Coors Light Snake Pit

2:25 p.m.: Two Friends Begins – Coors Light Snake Pit