The IndyCar Series turned Indianapolis 500 qualifying upside down with a single-day format that forced all 33 drivers to set the field in one long, high-pressure session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The result was a fast, chaotic seven-hour stretch that produced a familiar name on pole, several surprises near the front, and plenty of heavy hitters left frustrated in the middle and back of the grid.

Alex Palou delivered the standout performance of the day, earning his second career Indy 500 pole. The defending race winner put together a four-lap average of 232.248 mph in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, becoming the only driver to break the 232 mph mark.

“I have no words,” Palou said. “Today, honestly, we didn’t expect to have that much speed. Wow. That was incredible. Thank you to all the fans.”

Palou’s run came during a fast-moving pole shootout that featured limited opportunities for each driver. Under the format, every driver was restricted to a single qualifying attempt, raising the stakes across both the full-field session and the Fast 12 and Fast Six rounds.

Alexander Rossi secured the outside of the front row with a strong run of 231.990 mph in the No. 20 car for Ed Carpenter Racing. David Malukas followed closely in third at 231.877 mph for Team Penske, showing strong speed throughout the day.

Felix Rosenqvist was one of the early favorites after dominating both the 33-car session and Fast 12, but he faded slightly in the final round and ended up fourth. Santino Ferrucci impressed again at Indianapolis, landing fifth with a consistent effort that kept him near the top all day.

Pato O’Ward rounded out the Fast Six in sixth after a challenging final run, while still managing to keep himself in the pole conversation after earlier rounds.

The rest of the Fast 12 included Kyffin Simpson in seventh, Conor Daly in eighth, Scott McLaughlin in ninth, rookie Caio Collet in tenth, Scott Dixon in eleventh, and Rinus VeeKay in twelfth.

Outside the Fast 12, the field was filled with major names who simply could not find enough speed on their single attempts. Takuma Sato led that group in 13th, followed by Ed Carpenter and Helio Castroneves in 14th and 15th.

Marcus Ericsson was the lead Andretti Global qualifier in 18th, while Will Power ended up 20th. Ryan Hunter-Reay took 23rd, Josef Newgarden landed 24th, and Kyle Kirkwood finished 26th after a difficult session for Andretti.

Katherine Legge qualified 27th in the No. 11 car for HMD Motorsports/AJ Foyt Racing. Her run was especially notable as she prepares to attempt the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 “double,” making her qualifying effort an important step toward that historic effort.

Mick Schumacher qualified 28th in his Indy 500 debut attempt, while Sting Ray Robb rounded out the field in 33rd after struggling through a difficult four-lap run.

The new format produced a wide spread of outcomes, with strong early-session speed not always translating into a top starting position once the Fast Six reshuffled the order. Several veterans and past winners found themselves buried deeper in the grid than expected, setting up a wide-open race next weekend at the Indianapolis 500.