The busy month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway shifts into another gear on Saturday with Pole Day to begin determining the starting grid for the Indianapolis 500 next Sunday.
Tony Kanaan in the #11 car will be the first car to qualify following a blind draw to set the order. The first segment of qualifying from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET will determine the first 24 starting positions in the field based on the fastest four-lap speed average. Each car has up to three attempts to qualify among the top 24 cars until 4:00 p.m.
After the field of 24 is set, the top nine cars will run in reverse order starting at 4:30 p.m. to try to earn the pole. After each car tries for the top of the grid, bumping for the pole is allowed up until 6:00 p.m. Weather delays won't add to the drama this year which means there will be plenty of action as race teams try to put themselves in the best possible position to start the Indianapolis 500 race next Sunday.
What: Indy 500 Pole Day qualifying
Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
When: 11:00 a.m. ET
TV: NBC Sports Network (11:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.ET)
For more on Indy racing including the 2012 Indianapolis 500, please visit Pop Off Valve.