At The Indy 500, The Most Valuable Real Estate Is The Front Row

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 25: Alex Palou, driver of the #10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, celebrates after winning the NTT IndyCar Series109th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 25, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

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When the green flag waves Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will again turn a 2.5-mile oval in Speedway, Indiana into the center of the sports universe. Race day at Indy is part competition, part civic ritual. “Back Home Again in Indiana” plays before 33 cars roll toward Turn 1. Then, at 12:45 p.m. ET on Fox, the field is scheduled to launch into 500 miles of adrenaline-filled racing.

While the race is measured in miles, advantage is often measured in feet. At Indianapolis, the distance between starting on the front row and lining up deeper in the 33-car field can shape an entire afternoon. The Indianapolis 500 has always rewarded more than raw speed. It demands patience in traffic, precision in the pits, fuel strategy, reliability and the nerve to make the right move at more than 220 mph. Chevrolet and Honda provide one of the race’s defining rivalries, but by the time the green flag falls, a driver’s starting position may matter even more than the badge on the engine cover.