Practice will begin on Tuesday, May 12, and Time Trials will be held on May 16–17. Carb Day, the traditional final day of practice, along with the Pit Stop Challenge, will take place on May 22.[2] An open test is planned for April 28–29. Álex Palou is the defending winner, and three-time defending IndyCar Series champion.
Since the 2019 race, according to track president J. Douglas Boles, the Speedway began investigating bumps in Turn 2. During the 2025 track evaluation before the race, the Turn 2 bump in question was considerably higher than in the past, so the pavement was pressed to attempt to reduce the severity back to 2024 levels. However, in July 2025, during the NASCAR In-Season ChallengeBrickyard 400, the severity of the bumps in Turn 2 were reported by drivers and crew chiefs during the track walk and all sessions.[7]
The Speedway on September 23, 2025, excavated the section of track in question. Bricks originally installed when the track was paved in 1909 that had been paved over in 1937 expanded and split because of moisture that raised the pavement. The bricks were removed, a new base applied, and that section of the track was repaved, followed by diamond grinding to blend the new section with the other sections of the track. The section of track was allowed to cure for four weeks before the late October Speedway tests for Firestone.[8]
Rule changes
A new Independent Officiating Board (IOB) has been created, tasked with presiding over the IndyCar Series and Indy NXT. The new entity, titled IndyCar Officiating, Inc. will be led by three members: Ray Evernham, Raj Nair (Ford), and Ronan Morgan (FIA).[9] The decisions separates race control and technical inspection from Penske Entertainment, which owns INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in an effort to eliminate perceived conflicts of interest. In 2025, Team Penske was penalized for technical infractions during qualifying, resulting in two cars being moved to the back of the grid, monetary fines, and points deductions.[10][11][12] The controversy led to the dismissal of team president Tim Cindric,[13] and widespread calls for officiating reform. In January 2026, Team Penske revealed that Cindric had returned to the team as a strategist.[14]
Sponsorship
Online financial services company Gainbridge signed an initial four-year deal for presenting sponsorship of the Indianapolis 500 from 2019 to 2022.[15] A multi-year extension was signed in 2022.[16][17] On November 6, 2025, Gainbridge signed another multi-year contract extension. Terms of the deal were undisclosed.[18]
Rookie rules for the Indianapolis 500 include the mandate that a driver pass a supervised high-speed oval test before he/she is allowed to participate in the official Rookie Orientation Program (ROP) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.[20] Approved venues for the initial high-speed oval track test include Texas Motor Speedway, Homestead–Miami Speedway, and a few other select venues.[21]
The Rookie Orientation Program at Indianapolis consists of three phases. For phase 1, each driver is required to complete ten laps between 205–210mph (330–338km/h), while demonstrating satisfactory car control, proper racing line, and safe interaction with other cars on the circuit. The laps do not have to be consecutive. Phase 2 is fifteen laps between 210–215mph (338–346km/h), and phase 3 is fifteen laps over 215mph (346km/h). Veteran drivers that have not competed in an IndyCar oval race since the previous year's Indy 500 are required to take a refresher test. The refresher test consists of phase 2 and phase 3 of the aforementioned rookie test.[22]
Testing – October 2025
On October 20–21, 2025, the Speedway organized private testing. Álex Palou (Ganassi) and Pato O'Ward (Arrow McLaren) participated in tire tests for Firestone, including evaluating the newly repaved section of track to remove Turn 2 bumps. A new tire compound was developed in order to address weight balance issues stemming from the hybrid system first used at the Speedway in 2025. Alexander Rossi (ECR) and Takuma Sato (RLLR) tested brake and damper components for speedway-specific braking systems (used at Indianapolis and Nashville, which in 2026 will be a 400-mile race).[23]
Rookie oval tests
The series hosted a high-speed oval rookie evaluation test at Nashville Superspeedway on November 6, 2025. Two drivers participated: Dennis Hauger (Coyne) and Caio Collet (Foyt). No incidents were reported. Both drivers completed their evaluations and were approved to take the Rookie Orientation Program at the April Open Test at Indianapolis.[24]
Four-time IndyCar Series champion Álex Palou (pictured in 2024) is the defending Indy 500 winner.Four-time Indy 500 winner Hélio Castroneves (pictured in 2022) has the most previous starts in the field with 25.
PREMA Racing currently has two Chevrolet engine leases for the 2026 IndyCar Series season, but is currently undergoing an ownership shake-up which has left the team in limbo regarding competing in any of the 2026 events.[29]
Colton Herta is competing full time in Formula 2 in 2026. However, since F2 has no races in May, Herta is attempting to put together a program to run with Andretti Global in the No. 98 entry.[30]Katherine Legge, the most recent female to have competed in the Indy 500 (2024), is also pursuing an entry.[31] Should PREMA's two entries, Herta, and Legge join the field, that would move the entry list to 35 entries for the 33 spots.
The race will be televised live by Fox in the second year of a multi-year contract. On February 18, 2026, Fox announced their primary broadcast team for the IndyCar season, with Will Buxton serving as lead commentator and driver analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell each returning from 2025.[64]
The race will be broadcast by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. The chief announcer will be Mark Jaynes in his eleventh year as chief announcer, and 31st year overall with the network.
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