{"id":34011,"date":"2025-05-18T19:40:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T23:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=34011"},"modified":"2025-05-18T19:40:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T23:40:29","slug":"robert-shwartzman-stuns-at-indy-500-qualifying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/05\/18\/robert-shwartzman-stuns-at-indy-500-qualifying\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Shwartzman Becomes First Rookie Indy 500 Pole Sitter in 43 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_34015\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-34015\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-34015 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/05\/Robert-Shwartzman-Indianapolis-500-Practice-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m129712-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Robert Shwartzman - Indianapolis 500 Practice - By: Chris Owens\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/05\/Robert-Shwartzman-Indianapolis-500-Practice-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m129712-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/05\/Robert-Shwartzman-Indianapolis-500-Practice-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m129712-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/05\/Robert-Shwartzman-Indianapolis-500-Practice-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m129712-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/05\/Robert-Shwartzman-Indianapolis-500-Practice-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m129712-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/05\/Robert-Shwartzman-Indianapolis-500-Practice-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m129712.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-34015\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robert Shwartzman during Indianapolis 500 Practice. Photo by Chris Owens, Penske Entertainment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After two chaotic days of qualifying for the 109th Indianapolis 500, we have our 33 drivers who will compete for 500 miles next weekend. Rookie Robert Schwartzman and PREMA Racing win the pole in their first season in IndyCar, the first rookie to do it in 43 years.<\/p>\n<h2>Robert Shwartzman Becomes First Rookie Indy 500 Pole Sitter in 43 Years, Indy 500 Qualifying Recap:<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The grid has finally been set for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500. After <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/05\/13\/indycar-101-breaking-down-indy-500-qualifying\/\" target=\"_self\">two days of qualifying,<\/a> the starting grid is established and ready to go next Sunday during the greatest spectacle in racing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Indy 500 Qualifying Day One Results<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Row 4: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scott McLaughlin <\/span><b>10th, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Josef Newgarden <\/span><b>11th, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Will Power <\/span><b>12th\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Row 5:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Conor Daly <\/span><b>13th,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Alexander Rossi <\/span><b>14th,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Kyffin Simpson <\/span><b>15th<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Row 6:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ed Carpenter <\/span><b>16th,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Santino Ferrucci <\/span><b>17th<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Devlin DeFrancesco <\/span><b>18th<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Row 7:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Sting Ray Robb <\/span><b>19th,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Christian Rasmussen <\/span><b>20th<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Kyle Larson <\/span><b>21st\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Row 8:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Louis Foster <\/span><b>22nd,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Callum Ilott <\/span><b>23rd,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Helio Castroneves <\/span><b>24th<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Row 9:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Kyle Kirkwood <\/span><b>25th,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Nolan Siegel <\/span><b>26th,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ryan Hunter-Reay <\/span><b>27th<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Row 10:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Jack Harvey <\/span><b>28th,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Colton Herta <\/span><b>29th,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Graham Rahal <\/span><b>30th<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/13XGVvdqy0g?si=oTCkXgePNXfRf-Iq\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><b>Indy 500 Qualifying Day Two\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All three Team Penske drivers will occupy places 10-12. Following a crash during this morning\u2019s practice, Scott McLaughlin\u2019s car suffered extensive damage. As a result, he wasn\u2019t able to participate in qualifying and is set to start from P12.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The other two Penske cars of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/01\/01\/reliving-josef-newgardens-first-championship-winning-season\/\" target=\"_self\">Josef Newgarden<\/a> and Will Power were disqualified after failing to pass inspection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Robert Schwartzman, second fastest &#8211; Indy 500 debut\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Top 12 Qualifying\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the disqualification of Team Penske, only nine drivers participated to move on to the Firestone Fast Six.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2024\/11\/12\/shwartzman-completes-prema-lineup\/\" target=\"_self\">Rookie driver Robert Shwartzman<\/a> set an average speed of 232.008 mph. He was the third fastest overall, making his first appearance at the Indy 500 a memorable one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alex Palou went fifth fastest during the top 12 to knock David Malukas down to P7.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Last Chance Qualifying<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marco Andretti, Marcus Armstrong, Rinus Veekay, and Jacob Abel were the four competitors for the final three available on the grid.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Armstrong didn\u2019t record an average speed during qualifying day one, after suffering a crash during yesterday morning\u2019s practice. He wasn\u2019t cleared to drive during the first round of qualifying, which resulted in him fighting for a spot during Last Chance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Marcus Armstrong wrecks hard ahead of Indy 500 qualifying | INDYCAR\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Yy4htRxplAk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dale Coyne Racing chose to send out teammates Veekay and Abel to decide who would be driving for the team at the 500.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Veekay recorded a speed of 226.913 mph during his second attempt, and Abel recorded a speed of 226.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Row 11: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marco Andretti <\/span><b>31st,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Marcus Armstrong <\/span><b>32nd,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Rinus Veekay <\/span><b>33rd.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>READ MORE:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/02\/05\/taking-a-look-at-dale-coynes-rookie-driver-jacob-abels-racing-career\/\" target=\"_self\">Introducing Jacob Abel: IndyCar&#8217;s Newest Addition to the Grid<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><b>Firestone Fast Six\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Fast Six for Indy 500 qualifying consisted of Takuma Sato, Alex Palou, Scott Dixon, Robert Shwartzman, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2024\/10\/23\/owards-career-and-rise-to-indy-stardom\/\" target=\"_self\">Pato O\u2019Ward,<\/a> and Felix Rosenqvist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sato set a benchmark time of 232.478 mph.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Palou has been the fastest driver throughout the weekend but recorded a time of 231.378 mph. His teammate Scott Dixon finished ahead of him with a speed of 232.052 mph.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shwartzman completed a stellar set of laps to record a speed of 232.790 mph. This is his first time not only racing at the Indy 500, but also on an oval. He\u2019s the first rookie in over 40 years to be a pole sitter at the 500.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pato O\u2019Ward slotted himself nicely into the top six, just narrowly beating Dixon to start from third.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rosenqvist pushed but unfortunately wasn\u2019t able to beat Shwartzman and will start from fifth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Row 2: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scott Dixon <\/span><b>4th,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Felix Rosenqvist <\/span><b>5th,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Alex Palou <\/span><b>6th<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Row 1: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Robert Shwartzman <\/span><b>1st,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Takuma Sato <\/span><b>2nd,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Pato O\u2019Ward <\/span><b>3rd<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2024\/11\/12\/shwartzman-completes-prema-lineup\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Shwartzman completes Prema lineup<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>Follow along with LWOS all week long as we cover all the action leading up to Sunday, as well as coverage of the Indy 500 on May 25th.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>Main Photo:\u00a0<\/strong>Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment<\/p>\n<p>Recording Date: 5\/18\/2025<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After two chaotic days of qualifying for the 109th Indianapolis 500, we have our 33 drivers who will compete for 500 miles next weekend. Rookie Robert Schwartzman and PREMA Racing win the pole in their first season in IndyCar, the first rookie to do it in 43 years. Robert Shwartzman Becomes First Rookie Indy 500 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5230,"featured_media":34016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,1663],"tags":[1600,596,539,1868,1627,112,118,1824,932,168],"class_list":["post-34011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-indycar","category-ntt-indycar-series","tag-alex-palou","tag-dale-coyne-racing","tag-indy-500","tag-marcus-armstrong","tag-pato-oward","tag-prema-racing","tag-qualifying","tag-robert-schwartzman","tag-takuma-sato","tag-team-penske"],"modified_by":"Hayden Murdock","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5230"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34011"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34017,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34011\/revisions\/34017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}