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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Nate Cunningham

How Does the Indy 500 Work? Explaining the Indianapolis 500

Arrow McLaren driver Christian Lundgaard heads into turn one Monday, May 19, 2025 during practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. | HG Biggs/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Indianapolis 500, or Indy 500, is one of the largest and most famous races on the planet. Since 1973 the race is held on Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 2025 race will be the 109th in history and the event routinely pulls in more than 300,000 fans to the stands (not to mention a global television audience).

But how does the race work? From qualifying for the Indy 500 to the race itself, we're breaking it down.

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