Indianapolis 500 Honda Message Points

Speedway, IN
Sunday, May 25, 2025 10 AM ET
Live on Fox

What to Watch for in the Indianapolis 500

• Winning Streak: Honda-powered NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams and drivers have swept the first five races of the 2025 season. Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou has scored wins at St. Petersburg, Thermal, Barber Motorsports Park and on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this month. Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood took victory in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in American Honda's backyard in April.
• Honda's Back (Alright!): After a difficult Month of May in 2024—which saw the highest-qualified Honda start in P9—Honda has bounced back in qualifications at the 2025 edition of the race. Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan will be starting on the front row, and five Honda drivers are starting in the top-10; Scott Dixon (P4), Felix Rosenqvist (P5), Alex Palou (P6) And Marcus Ericsson (P9). The performance in qualifying is a testament to the work Honda Racing Corporation USA has put into the engine program since May of last year, giving the Honda-powered teams and drivers their best shot at victory come Sunday.  
• An Electrified (and Electrifying) Race: The excitement of the Indianapolis 500 has a new facet for 2025, as the 109th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing will be the first to be hybrid-powered. Introduced in July of 2024, the IndyCar hybrid system was an important part of qualifying for this year's race, as drivers tried different strategies of regeneration and deployment of the low-voltage system to best give them an advantage in qualifications. How the system is used in race conditions at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway remains to be seen, but the group at HRC US have been working with Honda teams on simulations to best optimize the system.    
• Going for More: Four Honda-powered drivers in this year's Indianapolis 500 have at least one 500 victory under their belts and will be looking to add to their tally in 2025. Marcus Ericsson (2022) and Scott Dixon (2008) will both be looking for their second victory, Takuma Sato (2017, 2020) will be seeking a third, and Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021) will be looking for his history-making fifth Indy 500 win. Helio Castroneves, AJ Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser share the all-time record with four 500 wins apiece. 
• Palou Show Plays on: Alex Palou's quest to win his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship title in five years is off to a strong start. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has a lowest finish so far of second—at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, behind Kyle Kirkwood. Palou's championship lead sits at 97 points over P2 following his four wins and perfect run of podiums to open the year. Notably, a tortoise named Alex Palou also won the Zoopolis 500 at the Indianapolis Zoo earlier this week, giving the Ganassi driver yet another victory in his impressive title defense.