Robert Shwartzman became the underdog story of the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge by earning NTT P1 Award honors in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet.
Rookie Shwartzman, from Israel, completed a four-lap average of 232.790 mph to take the top spot for the first oval race of his life. He is the first rookie to win the “500” pole since Teo Fabi in 1983.
“I’ve never witnessed qualifying as big as it was yesterday in the Indy 500,” Shwartzman said. “Qualifying is always cool, but the mentality is that the race is the main thing. Here, it seems that the qualifying is an actual race. It’s like yesterday, I felt like I’ve won a race.”
How does the rookie pole winner who became an overnight sensation celebrate?
“I went to McDonalds,” he said.
By the time Shwartzman completed media obligations, he exited Indianapolis Motor Speedway around 10:15 p.m. ET. Shwartzman drove to Fishers, Indiana, about 30-40 minutes north of the Speedway, which is also near PREMA’s shop, and noticed there were few options open for food that late on a Sunday night. So, the Golden Arches it was.
“I ordered a McChicken, chicken nuggets and a bit of fries,” Shwartzman said. “I had no food since I don’t know when, came back home straight away, just ate it because I was so hungry, jumped in the shower, and went straight to bed. That was around 12:20 a.m., I think, and then 6:30 a.m. woke up, so around six hours of sleep.”
By Monday, he was already back to work, logging 76 laps in practice and finishing 26th on the speed charts at 222.561 mph. Far from discouraged, he emphasized that it was a session focused on learning, experimenting with different positions in traffic and observing experienced drivers.
“We put myself in different positions in the grid to see how it feels and how the car behaves, for my understanding,” Shwartzman said. “Overall, quite happy.
“We need to obviously work a little bit on getting the car a bit stronger. I was in a group with Alex (Palou) and Pato (O’Ward), and me and Pato seemed to be quite similar, but Alex was a tiny bit stronger, feeling-wise. So, we need to see what was different and try to get a bit more grip.”
Ericsson Confident of ‘500’ Chances
Marcus Ericsson may not have lit up the speed charts in his No. 28 Allegra Honda for Andretti Global during Monday’s practice session, ranking 18th at 224.056. But don’t mistake that for a lack of confidence.
The 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2023 runner-up, both for Chip Ganassi Racing, knows exactly what it takes to win at the Brickyard. He thinks he has the car to do it again.
“We’re strong now, and we still have more to put into the car,” Ericsson said.
Despite the modest practice speed, Ericsson’s focus isn’t on raw pace alone. The two-hour session took place in weather that closely mirrors what’s expected on Race Day, partly cloudy skies with air temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s. Drivers said those conditions offer a reliable preview of how the car will perform in Sunday’s 200-lap showdown.
“I know what car I need to win this race, and I feel we have that,” he said. “I’m feeling very confident.”
And confidence matters. Ericsson has proven he can be both aggressive and strategic when it counts most. Starting ninth this weekend, he’ll again be in striking distance, just as he was in 2022 when he won from fifth.
O’Ward’s Confidence Stems from New Approach
Pato O’Ward (photo, above) entered “500” Race Week activity in his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet with quiet confidence. He qualified third and believes this is his best championship start in five full-time seasons, despite being fourth in points, trailing Alex Palou by 100 points.
Considering Palou’s dominant form, O’Ward is taking a pragmatic and mature approach to the title chase. Rather than obsessing over Palou’s performance, he’s focused inward.
“You can’t focus on him (Palou),” O’Ward said. “All you can do is, if you leave every single week knowing that you maximize, or at least turn the weekends around, that could have been a lot worse. That’s a win in itself. Everyone’s riding their own wave. My championship is not going to be the same.”
O’Ward’s early-season results are testament to that philosophy. His NTT P1 Award at The Thermal Club (where he led 51 of 65 laps and finished second), a sixth-place finish at Barber Motorsports Park and a gritty climb from 23rd to 11th in the season opener at St. Petersburg have all been foundational in keeping his title hopes alive.
It’s not just about winning races anymore for O’Ward; it’s about surviving the rough ones, salvaging points and keeping himself in contention when it matters most.
“We literally turned stuff into gold,” O’Ward said. “That is ultimately what you’ll be thinking at the end of the year.”
Heading into the Indy 500, a race in which O’Ward finished runner-up two of the last three years, he’s in a strong mental space.
“I’m in a great space,” O’Ward said. “I love where I’m at. Like, I genuinely think we’ve been doing a great job. And I’m excited. There’s so many races to go. We’ve seen so many times that people have a lightning start, and this goes in waves. They’re going to get their fair share of bad luck, which we’ve already had a few.”
Lundgaard Joins Arrow McLaren Incentives
The playful, yet telling, banter between O’Ward and Arrow McLaren teammate Christian Lundgaard reveals a lighter side of the high-stakes pressure heading into the Indianapolis 500, especially when it comes to what’s on the line beyond the Borg-Warner Trophy.
For years, O’Ward has been open about striking “side deals” with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, ranging from luxury watches to Formula One test drives and even exotic McLaren supercars. These personal incentives have been part of O’Ward’s motivational tool kit, though he clarified that nothing formal is on the table this year.
But that hasn’t stopped new teammate Lundgaard from stirring the pot.
“It’s funny; I was looking at cars,” Lundgaard said, recalling a moment that made his girlfriend roll her eyes. “Just me lying there looking on my phone, asking, ‘Hey, what do you think about this, this and that?’”
While he hasn’t officially spoken with Brown yet, Lundgaard dropped a hint that Arrow McLaren Team Principal Tony Kanaan had casually brought up incentives during the Velocity Invitational luxury motorsports festival last year.
“I’m not sure Zak’s aware of that, so I definitely need to send him a message to make sure we’re all on the same page,” Lundgaard said with a laugh. “I need that in writing.”
Odds And Ends
- Each of the first four rows of Sunday’s race includes at least one “500” winner. Two-time winner Takuma Sato is in the first row, 2008 winner Scott Dixon starts in Row 2, 2022 winner Ericsson is in Row 3, and 2016 winner Alexander Rossi starts in Row 4.
- Row 7 consists of last year’s top-finishing rookie, Christian Rasmussen, and 2024 Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson.
- The next practice is from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network) on Miller Lite Carb Day.