How Indy 500 qualifying works: The two-day system in full

Qualifying commences at 11am local time on Saturday. Each car is given a single, four-lap run to set an average speed – and will go in an order selected by random draw on Friday night (see below).

When every car in the qualifying order for Saturday has had at least one chance to qualify, teams may choose from two lanes at the end of the pits for subsequent attempts.

Cars in the Priority Lane (Lane 1) must withdraw their qualified time but get priority access to the track ahead of Lane 2. That second lane is for cars that have already qualified and want to try to improve their position but choose not to risk forfeiting the speed average they have already set.

When the gun goes off at 5.50pm, positions 13-30 will be set, and those drivers will not re-qualify on Sunday. The 12 drivers who will contest the front four rows of three, and the four drivers who will squabble over the three slots on the last row will now have been defined.

On Sunday, May 21, from 11.30am, the dozen drivers still in the fight for pole will get a one-hour practice session, and this will be immediately followed by an hour's practice for the desperate quartet due to battle over the last row.

Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda qualifying run

Photo by: Geoffrey M. Miller / Motorsport Images

From 2.00 to 3.00pm comes Top 12 qualifying, in which positions seven through 12 will be determined. Their running order is based on Saturday times, slowest to fastest, and each car is guaranteed one attempt. The quickest of the six then advance to the Firestone Fast Six shootout.

At 4.00pm, the four Last Chance Qualifiers will compete for positions 31-33 – there are 34 entries for this year's race, so someone is going home on Sunday night. Each car is guaranteed one attempt and may make multiple attempts until time expires at 5.00pm.

The car's most recent qualification speed will remain eligible for the starting lineup until the time is withdrawn or qualifications end.

At 5.15pm comes the Firestone Fast Six shootout for pole position in the 107th running of 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing'. Positions 1-6 will be determined and running order is based on times from top 12 Qualifying, slowest to fastest. Each car is guaranteed one attempt.

The top 12 drivers on the starting grid will receive IndyCar Series points, with the P1 Award winner earning 12, the second fastest 11, down to one point for the 12th-placed starter.

Saturday qualifying order after random draw

1 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – No. 23, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Chevrolet

2 – Colton Herta – No. 26, Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian, Honda

3 – Will Power – No. 12, Team Penske, Chevrolet

4 – Helio Castroneves – No. 06, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda

5 – Marco Andretti – No. 98, Andretti Herta Autosport w/Marco and Curb-Agajanian

6 – Marcus Ericsson – No. 8, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda

7 – Christian Lundgaard – No. 45, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda

8 – Alexander Rossi – No. 7, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet

9 – Scott Dixon – No. 9, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda

10 – Simon Pagenaud – No. 60, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda

11 – Benjamin Pedersen – No. 55, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet

12 – Sting Ray Robb – No. 51, Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing, Honda

13 – Felix Rosenqvist – No. 6, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet

14 – Tony Kanaan – No. 66, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet

15 – Ed Carpenter – No. 33, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet

16 – R.C. Enerson – No. 50, Abel Motorsports, Chevrolet

17 – Jack Harvey – No. 30, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda

18 – Conor Daly – No. 20, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet

19 – Devlin DeFrancesco – No. 29, Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport, Honda

20 – Graham Rahal – No. 15, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda

21 – Rinus VeeKay – No. 21, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet

22 – Pato O'Ward – No. 5, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet

23 – Callum Ilott – No. 77, Juncos Hollinger Racing, Chevrolet

24 – Stefan Wilson – No. 24, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, Chevrolet

25 – Takuma Sato – No. 11, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda

26 – David Malukas – No. 18, Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports, Honda

27 – Santino Ferrucci – No. 14, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet

28 – Alex Palou – No. 10, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda

29 – Romain Grosjean – No. 28, Andretti Autosport, Honda

30 – Kyle Kirkwood – No. 27, Andretti Autosport, Honda

31 – Katherine Legge – No. 44 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda

32 – Scott McLaughlin – No. 3, Team Penske, Chevrolet

33 – Agustin Canapino – No. 78, Juncos Hollinger Racing, Chevrolet

34 – Josef Newgarden – No. 2, Team Penske, Chevrolet