List of Indianapolis 500 pole-sitters

In 1911, the starting grid was determined by the order that entries were received by mail. To qualify for the race, entries had to average 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) or faster along a "flying" quarter-mile measured segment of the track. Each cars was given three attempts, and speeds were not recorded - only pass/fail. In 1912, all cars were required to complete one timed lap (2.5 miles) at a minimum speed, but the grid order was still determined by the order the entries were received. For 1913 and 1914, all cars completed one timed lap at a minimum speed. Overseas competitors voiced complaints about their entries arriving in the mail later than local entrants, and thus unfairly starting deep in the grid. A compromise was made such that the grid was determined by a blind draw a few days before the race.

Starting in 1915, for the first time, the grid order was set by qualifying speed. Though multiple days were allotted for qualifying (often referred to as "elimination trials"), drivers were known to wait until the last minute to qualify. Even though the track would normally be made available for practice beginning on May 1, many teams chose not to even arrive until just before elimination trials. The Speedway reacted by setting up a slightly retooled format in 1916 such that the first day qualifiers lined up first in the grid by speed. The second day qualifiers would line up behind the first day qualifiers, and so on, regardless if drivers on subsequent days were faster than the first day qualifiers. This encouraged drivers to qualify earlier rather than "last minute." This general grid alignment rule was used through the 2000s, and (excluding 1911-1914), sixteen times the pole winner was not the overall fastest car in the field.

One-lap qualifying speeds were used for 1915, 1916, and 1919. From 1920 to 1933, the grid was set using four-lap (10-mile) qualifying runs. From 1934 to 1938, the grid was set using ten-lap (25-mile) qualifying runs. In 1939, they reverted to four-lap runs, and that is still in use today.

The term "pole position" is believed to have derived from horse racing. Despite some common misconception, is not so named from the iconic pylon "pole" scoring tower at the track.

The pole position traditionally (and weather permitting) has been determined on the first day of time trials, nicknamed "Pole Day." The final day of time trials has been nicknamed "Bump Day" or "Bubble Day." When the field is filled to 33 cars, the slowest car in the field is said to be "on the bubble." Additional drivers may attempt to qualify faster and bump their way into the field. The driver is said to have 'bust the other driver's bubble.' Since 2014, the use of these two terms has diminished due to a revamped qualifying format (see below).

The schedule for time trials (referred to at the time as "elimination trials") varied over the years. The number of days varied from three to as many as eight. In many cases, qualifying began the Saturday-Sunday before the race, and continued through the week for a few days, and ended usually two days before the race. The day before the race would be normally reserved for track cleaning, and final "carburation tests." It was standard procedure for qualifying to generally run each day until sundown.

After WWII, the Speedway management began to standardize the qualifying schedule. For a few years, six days (three weekends) of qualifying were held. Starting in 1952, it was reduced to four days (two weekends). The pole position would be settled on the first day, now nicknamed "Pole Day." In addition, the closing time for the track was eventually set at 6:00 p.m. local time. In previous decades, the track generally closed at sundown.

In 1974 only, as a gesture to the ongoing energy crisis, qualifying was reduced to two days – the Saturday two weeks before the race, and the Saturday one week before the race. Both of those two days were divided into two sessions (an "early" period and a "late" period) mimicking the traditional four 'days.' Rain hampered both days, however, and the "four periods" plan was rendered incomplete. The two-day schedule lasted only one year, and in 1975, the Speedway reverted to four days.

Since the race itself was not fixed on the weekend until the early 1970s, it was not uncommon prior to then for the final weekend of time trials to occur only a couple days before the race itself (if Memorial Day fell on a weekday early in the week).

From 1998 to 2000, an experimental two-week "compressed" schedule was adopted for the Indy 500. Time trials was reduced to only two days of qualifying, the Saturday & Sunday one weekend before the race. "Pole day" would be held Saturday, and "Bump day" would be held Sunday. This was an effort to reduce costs, and maximize crowds. The middle two days of qualifying had long suffered from dwindling attendance, participation, and interest.

From 2001 to 2004, the schedule was expanded to three days of qualifying, the Saturday and Sunday two weekends before the race, and the Sunday one week before the race. The additional day allowed make-up time in case of rain, and stretched the month back to the traditional three weekends.

The Saturday immediately before Bump Day was reverted to a regular practice day, and for a short time, the Freedom 100 was scheduled for that afternoon. The arrangement received mixed reviews, and was eventually scrapped.

Time trials reverted to four days (two weekends). The procedure also changed, with the first three days only offering the fastest 11 cars on each qualifying day a starting position. The Freedom 100, which was on the second Saturday, was moved permanently to Carb Day later in the month.

The Speedway reinstated the two-week "compressed" schedule, similar to the plan used in 1998–2000. Time trials is scheduled for two days: the Saturday & Sunday one weekend before the race. From 2010 through 2013, "Pole Day" is held Saturday, and "Bump Day" is held Sunday. The track opens for practice the weekend before time trials.

Starting in 2014, with the addition of the road course race on the first weekend, oval practice is reduced, and the two-day qualifying schedule was kept intact, but the procedure was changed such that the pole position winner is not actually determined until Sunday.

During the USAC era, the traditional qualifying procedure went largely unchanged although it may appear complicated to the casual observer. Pole day was considered the most significant, popular, and busiest of the speed trial period, while the other three days were more often leisurely and sometimes uneventful. The evening before pole day time trials, a blind draw is used to establish the qualifying order. Prior to 1965, no draw was used,[3] and the qualifying order was a "first-come, first-served" line-up, queued down the pit lane and usually stretching into the garage area. Some teams would even claim their spots in line the night before. The unorganized scramble to roll the cars into a queue had often led to heated exchanges, collisions, and unfair situations. In 1971, the rules were further clarified to guarantee every car in the original qualifying draw at least one attempt to qualify in the pole position round, regardless if weather or other circumstances interfered.[4]

One at a time, cars ran a four-lap qualifying attempt to post qualifying speed. Despite the popular commonplace of reporting qualifying speed, officially, the qualifying results are scored by elapsed time. Each car had three attempts to post a qualifying time and whenever the four laps were completed the time was "locked in". During the run, if a driver/team felt their speed was not to their satisfaction, they could wave off that run at any time before completing the fourth lap. The wave off was accomplished either by the driver pulling into the pits, or by a crew member waving a yellow flag, and one attempt would be charged to the car. Each car was allowed three total attempts.

Once the run was completed, the qualifying time was locked-in. If the team decided the locked-in time was insufficient, the car would have to be withdrawn, and could not be re-qualified. Another car would have to be used to make a new attempt. In most cases, teams usually would wait until their car was bumped rather than preemptively withdrawing, as the risk-reward was usually considered high.

The fastest qualifier on Pole day won the pole position. The pole day qualifiers were lined up by speed rank. There was no set number of qualifiers for pole day, and the total widely varied by year - ranging from as few as 11 in 1987 to as many as 33 in 1999 - for a number of factors (e.g., weather conditions, crashes, mechanical problems, injuries, or simply by choice). Cars that qualified on the second day lined up by speed behind the pole day qualifiers, followed by the third day qualifiers, and finally, the fourth day qualifiers, until the field filled to 33. This grid arrangement (based on speed rank on each day) usually dictated that the entire grid would not be arranged by speed from top-to-bottom in exact order. In fact, only one time during this period (1969), did the grid happen to be aligned exactly by speed from 1st to 33rd (and that was aided by the fact that two days of time trials had been rained out). It never occurred when four full days of time trials were observed.

Once the field was filled to 33 cars, bumping would begin. The slowest car in the field, regardless of the day it was qualified, was "on the bubble." If a driver went out and qualified faster, the bubble car would be bumped, and the new qualifier would be added to the field. The bumped car would be removed from the grid, and all cars that were behind him would move up a spot. The new driver would take his position according to his speed rank on the day he qualified (typically the final day). This procedure would be repeated until the track closed at 6 p.m. on the final day of qualifying. Bumped cars could not be re-qualified. A bumped driver would have to secure a back-up car (assuming it had attempts left on it) in order to bump his way back into the field.

Starting 2005, although due to rain it was not observed fully until 2007, the qualifying procedure was altered. The 33-car field would be split into three parts.

• On the first day of qualifying (pole day)- positions 1–11 would be filled; bumping amongst those 11 cars would occur
• On the second day of qualifying- positions 12–22 would be filled; bumping amongst those 11 cars would occur
• On the third day of qualifying- positions 23–33 would be filled; bumping amongst those 11 cars would occur
• On the fourth day of qualifying (bump day)- bumping begins immediately as the slowest car overall is "on the bubble," in danger of being bumped out by the next qualifier; all cars behind those bumped out are immediately slotted up one position regardless of their day of qualification, but no fourth-day qualifier is slotted ahead of first-, second- or third-day qualifiers still remaining in the field.

This procedure is commonly referred to as "11/11/11" since eleven cars would qualify on each of the first three days. Two other major rule changes were introduced alongside this format. Drivers were now allowed three qualifying attempts in a car per day. Previously each car was only allowed three attempts during the entire month, and once an attempt had been completed, it was locked-in. Cars that were bumped could be re-qualified (provided they still had attempts left), and likewise drivers could withdraw an already-qualified car and re-qualify it (provided it still had attempts left). In both cases, the new rules permitting multiple attempts per day allowed drivers more opportunities to put in their fastest possible speeds. Allowing bumped cars to re-qualify also alleviated the issue regarding the shortage of chassis that had become somewhat problematic during that time.

Speedway management had toyed with the idea going back as far as 1987, and seriously considered it around 1990. It was offered as an idea to generate excitement into the normally sparse second and third qualifying days. It was not adopted until 2005, and after mixed results, was scrapped after 2009.

A new format was introduced, adding an element similar to "knockout qualifying" systems used in World Superbike, Formula One, as well as IndyCar road course races. Cash prizes for the front row were increased, and championship points were awarded for qualifying results for all positions.[5][6]

• Pole Day (Saturday) opened at 11:00 am. A total of 24 positions were available to be filled. All cars were permitted to make up to three qualifying attempts, time permitting, until the session closed at 4:00 pm. Bumping began as soon as the field filled to 24 cars.
• At 4:00 pm, positions 10-24 were locked in for the day. Positions 1-9 advance to the Fast Nine Shootout.
• At 4:30 pm, the Fast Nine Shootout began, and ran until 6:00 pm. Each of the nine cars had their afternoon time erased. Each car was guaranteed at least one attempt during the shootout to re-qualify. Once every car had completed one attempt, time permitting, cars could go out and make up to two additional attempts. Drivers were not required to erase their initial time when making their second and/or third attempt. The shootout determined the pole position as well as starting positions 2-9.
• On Bump Day (Sunday), the remaining positions 25-33 were open for any remaining entries. Bumping begins as soon as the field filled to 33 cars. The slowest car in the field, regardless of the day the car qualified, would be on the bubble, except that the nine cars that competed in the second qualifying session for the pole were protected, and could not be bumped.

On two occasions, (2011 and 2013), rain delayed the start of the Fast Nine Shootout session. In each of those cases, the nine participants were allowed only one attempt during the shootout session. In the first year of the Shootout, the order was set based on the afternoon qualifying results. The nine drivers in order of speed (1st to 9th) chose their position in the qualifying line. In subsequent years, the Shootout order was set as the reverse order of the afternoon qualifying results (9th to 1st).

A qualification day participation sticker on Tony Kanaan's #10 car in 2015

A new qualifying format was introduced for 2014, commonly known as the "Two-day format". Qualifying was held over two days (Saturday-Sunday), with the pole position winner, as well as the starting lineup, not determined until the second day. The qualifying procedure was as follows:

• On the first day of time trials (Saturday), qualifying was scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. All cars entered were allowed up to three attempts. At the end of the day, the fastest 30 cars were locked into the starting field. Starting grid positions, however, were not assigned. The top nine cars from Saturday advanced to the Fast Nine Shootout.
• On the second day of time trials (Sunday), the cars that posted times from 10th to 30th each made one qualifying attempt. The times from Saturday were erased, and the Sunday speeds determined the starting grid.
• Also on Sunday, the top nine cars from Saturday participated in the Fast Nine Shootout to determine the pole position as well as starting positions 2-9.

In 2015, due to inclement weather and a major crash during the Sunday morning practice session, qualifying was delayed and retooled. The Fast Nine Shootout was cancelled, and the field was set in one Sunday afternoon session. Each car was given one attempt to qualify, and positions 1–30 were locked in. In the final hour, a 45-minute Last Row Shootout was held to determine positions 31–33.

During this timeframe, the use of the traditional terms "Pole Day" and "Bump Day" were somewhat curtailed. Eventually the term "Bump Day" would be used for Saturday, and "Pole Day" would be used for Sunday, a reverse of the norm.

A modified version of the Two-day format was introduced beginning in 2019. A new television contract with NBC prompted an emphasis on Sunday for time trials, largely to avoid a conflict with the Preakness Stakes. In addition, after popular driver James Hinchcliffe failed to qualify in 2018, calls for changes to the bumping procedure escalated during the offseason.

Qualifying will continue to be held over two days (Saturday-Sunday), but bumping will be moved back to Sunday. Both the familiar Fast Nine Shootout and a new Last Row Shootout will be held Sunday. The most significant procedural change was that cars that qualified 10th-30th would no longer be required to re-qualify on the second day.

On Saturday, the procedure is as follows:

• Qualifying is open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. All cars entered will be guaranteed at least one attempt. Additional attempts are allowed, time/weather permitting.
• Positions 1–9 will advance to the Fast Nine Shootout.
• Positions 10–30 will be locked-in, and will not re-qualify.
• Positions 31 and lower will be entered into the Last Row Shootout.

On Sunday, time trials concludes as follows:

• The Last Row Shootout is held. Entries that finished 31st and lower on Saturday will re-qualify. Times from Saturday will be erased. Starting positions 31–33 will be filled. All other cars from 34th and lower will fail to qualify. In 2019, the participants were given only one attempt. For 2020, multiple attempts will be permitted.
• The Fast Nine Shootout will determine starting positions 1–9, including the pole position. Times from Saturday will be erased, and cars will have one attempt to re-qualify. Championship points (9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1) will be awarded based on the results of the Fast Nine Shootout.

• 1935: Billy Arnold qualified at 121.687 mph (10-lap qualifying runs) to win the pole position. In post-inspection, it was determined he used too much fuel. Rules allowed drivers to use 3 gallons of fuel maximum for the run, with a margin of error of 1 pint. It was measured that he used ​⁵⁄₈ pint over, and he was disqualified. Rex Mays, the second-fastest qualifier, was elevated to the pole position.
• 1996: At the conclusion of pole day qualifying, Scott Brayton qualified for the pole-position, Arie Luyendyk qualified second, and Tony Stewart qualified third. Officially it was Brayton's second consecutive Indy pole (1995–1996). One hour and forty-five minutes after qualifying was over, Luyendyk was disqualified for his car being 7 pounds underweight. Stewart was elevated to second position. The following day, Luyendyk qualified with the fastest speed overall, but as a second day qualifier, was required to line up behind the first day qualifiers. Five days later, Brayton was killed in a practice session accident while driving a back-up car. His primary car was taken over by Danny Ongais, but rules required a substitute driver to move to the rear of the field. Thus, Stewart was elevated to the pole position for race day.

† Italian-born

Type	Distance		Date	Driver	Time	Average speed
	Laps	Miles
Qualifying	1	2.5 miles (4.0 km)	May 12, 1996	Arie Luyendyk	37.895	237.498 mph (382.216 km/h)
Qualifying	4	10 miles (16 km)	May 12, 1996	Arie Luyendyk	2:31.908	236.986 mph (381.392 km/h)

Note: Arie Luyendyk's record-setting time trials run was conducted on the second day of time trials in 1996. Therefore, due to the rules at the time, he was ineligible for the pole position. He lined up 20th on the starting grid.

• Most Time Starting on Front Row
  • 11 - Rick Mears (1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)
• Most Consecutive Time Starting on Front Row
  • 6 - Rick Mears (1986-1991: 1st, 3rd, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st)
• Three Former Winners on the Front Row
  • 1975 - A. J. Foyt, Gordon Johncock, Bobby Unser
  • 1987 - Mario Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Rick Mears
  • 1988 - Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan, Al Unser
  • 1991 - Rick Mears, A. J. Foyt, Mario Andretti
• Most Pole Positions, Owner/Team
  • 18 - Roger Penske (1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2019)
  • 5 - Chip Ganassi Racing (1993, 2002, 2008, 2015, 2017)
  • 4 - Al Dean/Dean Van Lines Racing (1960, 1961, 1966, 1967)
  • 3 - J. C. Agajanian (1950, 1962, 1963)
  • 3 - McLaren (1971, 1973, 1976)
  • 3 - A.J. Foyt Enterprises/Gilmore Racing (1974, 1975, 1998)
  • 3 - Team Menard (1995, 1996, 2000)
  • 3 - Ed Carpenter Racing (2013, 2014, 2018)
  • 2 - many teams
• Owner/Team qualifying 1st-2nd-3rd
  • Roger Penske - 1988 (Rick Mears / Danny Sullivan / Al Unser)
• Owner/Team qualifying 1st-2nd
  • Many times; most recent: Penske Racing - 2010 (Hélio Castroneves / Will Power)
• Most Cars Qualified on Front Row, All-Time, Owner
  • 46 - Roger Penske (participation ranges 1969-1995, 2001-2019)
• Closest Margin Between Top Two Qualifiers
  • 0.0023 seconds - 2012 (Ryan Briscoe & James Hinchcliffe)
  • 0.01 seconds - 1970 (Al Unser & Johnny Rutherford)
• Closest Time Between Top Three Qualifiers
  • 0.0758 seconds - 2016 (James Hinchcliffe, Josef Newgarden, Ryan Hunter-Reay)
• Most consistent qualifying laps
  • 0.0049 seconds, Scott Dixon, 2008 (time was later withdrawn)
    • Lap 1: 39.9677
    • Lap 2: 39.9700
    • Lap 3: 39.9705
    • Lap 4: 39.9656
• Pole Position Winner - Race Performance (103 races)
  • Finished 1st: 21 times
  • Finished in the top five: 44 times
  • Finished in the top ten: 58 times
  • Finished last (33rd): 5 times

• Indianapolis 500 Chronicle, copyright 1999, Rick Pope
• 2006 Indianapolis 500-Mile Race Official Program
• Three forgotten Indianapolis ‘500’ trophies