Race fans, start your engines! Memorial Day Weekend is nearly upon us. As per tradition, that means that the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is also just around the corner. The 2022 Indianapolis 500 is in fact scheduled for this Sunday afternoon. This will be the 106th running of the most prestigious open-wheel auto race in the world. The build-up to the race itself began a full week in advance with practice and qualifying. IndyCar Series veteran Scott Dixon was able to nail down the pole position in the Indianapolis 500 starting lineup. He even managed to make a little Indy 500 history in the process.
The following article offers all sorts of vital information to help get you primed and ready for the biggest IndyCar Series race of the year. Readers will find the complete 2022 Indianapolis 500 starting lineup, grid, start time and Indy 500 coverage as well as some key takeaways from qualifying.
IndyCar Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
2022 Indianapolis 500 Start Time, Schedule, Info
106th Annual Indianapolis 500
Date: Sunday, May 29, 2022
Start Time: 12:45 p.m. EST (with pre-race coverage beginning at 11 a.m.)
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway — Indianapolis, IN
Coverage: NBC
Pole Sitter: Scott Dixon
Defending Champion: Helio Castroneves
Indianapolis 500 Race Breakdown
Distance: 500 miles
Laps: 200
Lap Length: 2.5 Miles
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 4
Banking: Turns — 9.2°; Straightaways — 0°
RELATED | Up to $2000 in Indy 500 Betting Bonuses at BetOnline!
Scott Dixon Wins Pole, Breaks Indy 500 Qualifying Record in the Process
Everything about the Indianapolis 500 helps set it apart as the biggest auto racing event on the annual calendar. From the elaborate qualifying procedures which played out over the course of two separate days to the three-wide starting formation for the race itself, the Indy 500 is truly a race like no other. Thanks to Scott Dixon, an all-time Indy 500 qualifying speed record was established this past weekend.
Dixon has had a phenomenal career in the NTT IndyCar Series. However, the native of New Zealand is itching to get back to victory lane in the Indianapolis 500 itself. Dixon won the Indy 500 in 2008 but has failed to reach the top of the mountain since. He was considered a favorite ahead of last year’s race after winning the pole position. Well, Dixon managed to replicate that feat and will once again be the pole-sitter in the 2022 Indy 500 starting lineup.
Making his run to the front of the Indianapolis 500 starting lineup all the more impressive was that Dixon actually set a record in the process. Known as the “Flying Kiwi”, the 41-year-old veteran certainly was flying during Indy 500 qualifying. His four-lap average speed of 234.046 mph broke the record for the fastest Indianapolis 500 qualifying run in the history of the race. As a result, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver will start on point in the Indy 500 starting lineup for the second year in a row and the fifth time in his impressive IndyCar Series career.
Official 2022 Indianapolis 500 Starting Lineup and Grid
The following table displays the complete starting lineup and grid for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500.
| Starting Pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team | Engine Manufacturer |
| 1 | Scott Dixon | 9 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 2 | Alex Palou | 10 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 3 | Rinus VeeKay | 21 | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Ed Carpenter | 33 | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet |
| 5 | Marcus Ericsson | 8 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 6 | Tony Kanaan | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 7 | Pato O’Ward | 5 | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Felix Rosenqvist | 7 | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Romain Grosjean | 28 | Andretti Autosport | Honda |
| 10 | Takuma Sato | 51 | Dale Coyne Racing with RWR | Honda |
| 11 | Will Power | 12 | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 12 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 13 | David Malukas | 18 | Dale Coyne Racing with HMD | Honda |
| 14 | Josef Newgarden | 2 | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 15 | Santino Ferrucci | 23 | Dreyer and Reinbold Racing | Chevrolet |
| 16 | Simon Pagenaud | 60 | Meyer Shank Racing | Honda |
| 17 | JR Hildebrand | 11 | A.J. Foyt Racing | Chevrolet |
| 18 | Conor Daly | 20 | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet |
| 19 | Callum Ilott | 77 | Juncos Hollinger Racing | Chevrolet |
| 20 | Alexander Rossi | 27 | Andretti Autosport | Honda |
| 21 | Graham Rahal | 15 | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 22 | Sage Karam | 24 | Dreyer and Reinbold Racing | Chevrolet |
| 23 | Marco Andretti | 98 | Andretti Herta Autosport with Marco Curb | Honda |
| 24 | Devlin DeFrancesco | 29 | Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport | Honda |
| 25 | Colton Herta | 26 | Andretti Autosport | Honda |
| 26 | Scott McLaughlin | 3 | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Helio Castroneves | 06 | Meyer Shank Racing | Honda |
| 28 | Kyle Kirkwood | 14 | A.J. Foyt Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | Dalton Kellett | 4 | A.J. Foyt Racing | Chevrolet |
| 30 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 6 | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Christian Lungaard | 30 | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 32 | Jack Harvey | 45 | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 33 | Stefan Wilson | 25 | DragonSpeed/Cusick Racing | Chevrolet |
Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Notes
- Scott Dixon set a qualifying speed record on his way to capturing the pole position. This is the fifth time that the 2008 Indy 500 champion has started the race on the pole.
- Dixon may have been the fastest of them all, but the entire Chip Ganassi Racing fleet stole the show in qualifying. Defending IndyCar Series Champion Alex Palou will join Dixon on the front row in the Indianapolis 500 starting lineup. Marcus Ericsson and Tony Kanaan will both start on Row 2, giving CGR four of the top six starting spots.
- The only other race team to earn a starting position on the first two rows was Ed Carpenter Racing. Rinus VeeKay will be the third car in Row 1 for Sunday’s race while Ed Carpenter himself will start fourth.
- Team Penske is noticeably absent from the front of the Indy 500 starting lineup. Will Power was the fastest Penske Chevrolet in qualifying, but he will only be starting 11th.
- Defending Indianapolis 500 race winner Helio Castroneves is back to defend his throne with Meyer Shank Racing. Unfortunately, he will have work to do if he is to win his record-setting fifth career Indy 500. Castroneves will start 27th after a lackluster qualifying run.
- Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson is set to make his Indianapolis 500 debut this season. Johnson qualified 12th, the worst starting spot of the five Chip Ganassi Racing cars. However, he was the second-fastest of the seven Indy 500 rookies who qualified for this year’s race.
