Indianapolis 500: Start time, TV schedule for 2018 edition
The Indianapolis 500 is set for Sunday, and we have all you need to know to watch the action.
The 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 is just hours away, and with Ed Carpenter on pole and Danica Patrick taking part in her final race as a full-time competitor, there’s plenty to watch for. Engines are set to start at 12:15 p.m. ET, with a Green Flag time five minutes later.
The action will be broadcast by ABC, with pre-race coverage beginning at 11 a.m. Online streaming of the race can be had via WatchESPN or the ESPN App, or any subscription service that carries ABC.
Patrick is competing in her first Indianapolis 500 since 2011, and will start from seventh on the grid. She was ninth-fastest on Bump Day, just making it into the Fast Nine shootout. There, she out-qualifeid Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon, while trailing Spencer Pigot, Sebastien Bourdais, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud and, finally, Carpenter.
Carpenter posted an average speed of 229.618 to claim pole, and was the only driver to average above 230 mph for one of their laps. Alexander Rossi was considered a favorite going into qualifying, but his spot on the last row after qualifying 32nd will be awfully hard to win from. Only one driver has won the Indy 500 starting from the seventh row or further back since 1987.
Castroneves is a popular pick after qualifying, even though he didn’t have the greatest performance in the Fast Nine. He will be starting eighth on the grid, but the three-time winner is always worth watching on race day. Castroneves won back-to-back races over a decade ago, and now Takuma Sato will try and do that this year. He will be starting from 16th on the grid.
Absent from the race is James Hinchcliffe, who did not make it past Bump Day, along with Pippa Mann. There were multiple rain delays and some car issues for both.
Below is all you need to know to watch the big race on Sunday, and below that is the full starting grid for the action.
How to watch the Indianapolis 500
All Times Eastern
Date: Sunday, May 27
Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, In.
Green Flag: 12:20 p.m.
TV: ABC (from 11 a.m.)
Online Streaming: WatchESPN, ESPN App
Indy 500 starting grid
Row 1: Ed Carpenter, Simon Pagenaud, Will Power
Row 2: Josef Newgarden, Sébastien Bourdais, Spencer Pigot
Row 3: Danica Patrick, Hélio Castroneves, Scott Dixon
Row 4: Tony Kanaan, Matheus Leist, Marco Andretti
Row 5: Zachary Claman DeMelo, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Charlie Kimball
Row 6: Takuma Sato, Kyle Kaiser, Robert Wickens
Row 7: James Davison, Max Chilton, Carlos Muñoz
Row 8: Gabby Chaves, Stefan Wilson, Sage Karam
Row 9: Zach Veach, Oriol Servià, J.R. Hildebrand
Row 10: Jay Howard, Ed Jones, Graham Rahal
Row 11: Jack Harvey, Alexander Rossi, Conor Daly