2025 Indy 500 preview and 5 bold predictions

The 109th running of the Indy 500 is on the horizon as the 33 drivers will be racing the hybrid IndyCars around the 2.5-mile oval for the first time. The Indy 500 is the marquee event of the IndyCar season, and the whole month of May is more or less dedicated to the greatest spectacle of racing.

The 2025 Indy 500 will be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 25, i.e., Memorial Day. The Indianapolis 500 is the oldest oval race that continues to take place, with over a century of history and traditions.

With the Carb Day done and dusted, as the teams have made the final changes to the setup of the cars, lets detail what the fans can expect from the 500-mile races and look at a few predictions for the iconic race.

2025 Indy 500: Full Preview

The 109th running at the 2.5-mile Brickyard

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was constructed in 1909, and is infamously known as the Brickyard, as it was the first oval to feature a solid track made out of bricks in comparison to the other ovals of that time, which featured a dirt surface.

The 2.5-mile oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is more of a rectangle with rounded edges. The Main straight and the back straight at the longer edges of the rectangle, with the other two straights being the shorter sides.

All four straights are connected with a 90⁰ banked corner to complete the IMS oval. The cars and drivers reach speeds upto 230 mph or over on the straights. The first Indy 500 took place in 1911, and has since been one of the most iconic races to take place on American soil.

The qualifying drama at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Indy 500 weekend was smooth sailing until the qualifying sessions came around. The first day of qualifying was about Colton Herta and Marcus Armstrong’s crashes, and rookie Robert Shwartzman making it into the Top 12 qualifying.

109th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 - Practice and Previews - Source: Getty

The second day of qualifying was where the Team Penske IndyCars were caught with illegal modifications to the attenuator of the #2 and #12 Chevrolet. Josef Newgarden and Will Power's cars were then withdrawn by their team. Scott McLaughlin, on the other hand, crashed during practice on Sunday, pushing all three Team Penske cars out of the pole contention.

The Team Penske cars were later penalized and sent to the back of the grid. The aftermath of the incident was Team Penske parting ways with three senior members of the team, which included Tim Cindric.

On the other hand, Robert Shwartzman shocked everyone by taking the pole position at his Indy 500 debut. Moreover, the in-form driver, Alex Palou, struggled and finished the Fast 6 qualifying as the slowest driver.

Josef Newgarden's three-peat dream derailed by the Team Penske scandal

Josef Newgarden came into the 2025 Indianapolis 500 as the back-to-back winner of the last two Indy 500s. The American made it into the Top 12 qualifying and showcased great pace during the practice. However, the controversy has put him at the back of the grid.

109th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 - Practice and Previews - Source: Getty

While it won't be impossible for Newgarden to win the Indy 500 after starting at the back, the #12 Chevrolet team has made the task increasingly difficult for themselves. Newgarden is the first driver after Helio Castroneves to have had a shot at the three-peat.

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Predictions for the 2025 Indy 500

#1 Alex Palou to challenge for the win at the Indy 500

Alex Palou has been racing in IndyCar for over 5 years, and has won three championships, yet hasn't managed to win at an oval. However, coming into the 2025 Indy 500, Palou has won four of the first five races and showed great pace at the Indy 500 open test and the practice sessions.

109th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 - Practice and Previews - Source: Getty

The Spaniard starts P6 and is in a position to contend for the race. The CGR driver will have to go up against veterans like Takuma Sato and last year's runner-up Pato O'Ward if he wants to challenge for the win.

#2 Josef Newgarden to be the biggest mover

Josef Newgarden starts the race on the last row following the IndyCar penalties for the modified attenuator. However, the Team Penske cars have always been strong around the 2.5-mile oval, and Newgarden had the experience to make his way up the field over the 200 laps. If luck (caution) is on the #2 driver's side, he might as well finish on the podium or challenge for the win.

#3 The 2025 Indy 500 is expected to see an increase in crashes and cautions

There have been only a couple of cautions since the start of the 2025 IndyCar season. However, with IndyCar racing the hybrid cars for the first time around the circuit, the race is expected to have an increase in crashes and cautions.

Many drivers crashed during the Indy 500 practice and qualifying. The drivers complained about the added weight of the hybrid system, making the rear of the car unstable. The effect is only going to worsen in race conditions behind the dirty air of a car, and might lead to an increase in the cautions.

#4 Hybrid system to increase overtakes, but make it trickier

With the hybrid system available, the driver will have to choose whether they regenerate and lose speed to use the extra power later in the lap, or decide not to regen and use the limited available power. This will change the dynamic as different drivers, on different strategies, might use different hybrid modes.

All this in combination with the push to pass makes for too many variables, and hence, there will possibly be an increase in the number of overtakes.

#5 Robert Shwartzman to face reliability issue

Although Robert Shwartzman is starting on pole position and has shown incredible pace during the Indianapolis 500 weekend, reliability has been an issue for PREMA Racing since they made their IndyCar debut earlier this season. Running 200 laps at full throttle is no joke as it can put the cars and drivers through strains that cannot be stimulated otherwise.