The 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 provides Chevrolet with the biggest stage in racing to showcase its engineering development and performance on the biggest stage in American Motorsports.
Chevrolet engineers and their technical partner’s hard work over the off-season paid off with a pair of Chevrolet-powered drivers on the front row and five more Team Chevy drivers in the first four rows. Rookie Robert Shwartzman in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet, a surprise pole winner, is joined on the outside of the front row by The No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet driven by Pato O’Ward. The Mexican driver has come up just short, finishing second in two of the last three ‘Greatest Spectacles In Racing,’ and is hungry to add his face to the Borg-Warner Trophy.
“Congratulations to Robert Shwartzman and PREMA Racing on winning the pole for the Indianapolis 500,” said Mark Stielow, Director Motorsport Competition Engineering – General Motors. “As a rookie driver and team, this is a major accomplishment. We are excited to have Pato O’Ward also qualifying on the front row to give Chevrolet two strong drivers up front when the green flag flies, and all 18 Chevy-powered cars qualified into the 33-car field.”
All 18 Chevrolet-powered drivers entered for this year’s Indianapolis 500 qualified, the most Gold Bowtie adorned starters for the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing” since 2002. That year, 26 drivers, including the winner Helio Castroneves and nine of the top ten finishers, were a part of Team Chevy.
“The major goal for Chevrolet is still ahead of us – winning the Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” continued Stielow. “Every year, winning the Indianapolis 500 is one of our primary goals, and our Chevrolet engineering group has worked tirelessly with our teams and technical partners at Ilmor to give the Team Chevy drivers their best opportunity to win the biggest race in the world. To see the Borg Warner Trophy with the wreath, the milk and the amazing Corvette ZR1 pace car awarded to a Chevrolet driver is the ultimate result. We are well prepared for ‘Drivers Start Your Engine’ on Sunday.”
Also new this year, teams and drivers are learning how to maximize the benefit of the hybrid power at the Speedway. Using a supercapacitor to store energy, drivers will have manual and automatic options to deploy the additional 60 horsepower, adding a new wrinkle to the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing.” During practice and qualifying, unique challenges presented to the teams in the quest for optimal performance.
The Team Chevy squad’s 18 drivers represent a mix of experience – half of the Indianapolis 500 winners in the field, with Josef Newgarden (2023 & 2024) behind the wheel of the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet, Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014) driving the No. 23 DRR CUSICK WEDBUSH SECURITIES Chevrolet, Will Power (2018) in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, and Alexander Rossi (2016) piloting the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet, – along with youth – rookies Schwartzman and Nolan Siegel driving the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet are joined by seven other drivers that have made less than five Indianapolis 500 starts. The 18 Chevrolet-powered drivers feature 121 starts, five wins, four poles, 49 top ten finishes and 909 laps led in the ‘Greatest Spectacle In Racing.’
Newgarden, one of the Indianapolis 500 winners on Team Chevy, is looking for a record-breaking third straight Indianapolis 500 victory, something Helio Castroneves, Mauri Rose, Wilbur Shaw, Bill Vukovich, and Al Unser, Sr., the other back-to-back winners, have failed to accomplish.
For the second straight year, Kyle Larson will be wearing a gold Bowtie in both races for his attempt at the “double,” racing all 1,100 miles on Sunday. Larson will start inside the seventh row in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in his second Indianapolis 500, after completing all 500 miles and running inside the top ten for two-thirds of last year’s race. Two quick helicopter rides sandwich a flight from Indianapolis to Charlotte, where the Californian will climb in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Hendrick 1100 Chevrolet for the NASCAR Cup Series’ longest race of the year, the 66th Annual Coca-Cola 600.
The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will pace the traditional 33 starters to the green flag of the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, marking the 36th time a Chevrolet has held that honor.
The 2025 Corvette ZR1, capable of 233mph, the highest top speed of any car ever made in America by an auto manufacturer, is the 22nd Corvette to pace the field, which started on the 25th Anniversary of the iconic symbol of American speed in 1978.
The 5.5L twin-turbo V8 delivers 1,064 horsepower at 7000 rpm, the most powerful V8 ever produced in America by an auto manufacturer, allowing the fastest Corvette produced to complete zero to 60mph in 2.3 seconds and zipping through the quarter mile in 9.6 seconds at 150mph.
Pro Hall of Fame member and longtime “FOX NFL Sunday” analyst Michael Strahan is the honorary Pace Car driver for the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing.”
Rapid Robert
Unexpected pole winner Robert Shwartzman, the driver of the No. 83 PREMA Racing, has an impressive racing resume, spending the last three years as a test and reserve driver in Formula One, winning one WEC race in the Hypercar class after an outstanding junior formula open-wheel career in Europe. Mostly driving for PREMA Racing, the Israeli-born driver won six FIA Formula 2 races, the 2019 FIA Formula 3 championship and more than ten races in the series below that.
The 25-year-old joins Teo Fabi (1983) and Walt Faulkner (1950) as only the third rookie to earn the pole for the Indianapolis 500 and is the only driver to accomplish the unlikely feat in his first-ever oval race.
Shwartzman’s first lap pace during the three portions of qualifying was impressive. The rookie had the second-fastest lap on Saturday at 233.320mph and the fastest laps during the Fast 12 (233.166mph) and Firestone Fast Six (233.173).
Ryan Briscoe won the first Indianapolis 500 pole in the twin-turbo 2.2L era of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition with Chevrolet power. This year, Briscoe is the Sporting Director for PREMA Racing, who, with Shwarztman, won the first Indianapolis 500 pole in the hybrid twin-turbo 2.2L era.
Shwartzman is the first Israeli-born driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.
The No. 83 PREMA Racing crew is a mix of experienced INDYCAR hands, newcomers from Europe, and one race engineer using vacation time from his full-time gig. That includes Nina Cheikh, Ilmor INDYCAR Trackside Support Engineer and Andrea Preacher, General Motors Trackside Engineer.
Television coverage for the 109th Indianapolis 500 in the U.S.A. will be available on FOX, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app beginning with pre-race coverage at 10 a.m.(ET), with the green flag flying at 12:45 p.m. International viewers car find viewing options here. INDYCAR Radio Network begins coverage at 10 a.m. and can be found on SiriusXM 218 or one of many local INDYCAR Radio affiliates.
Chevrolet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Wins: 13
2024 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske
2023 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske
2019 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske
2018 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske
2015 – Juan Montoya – Team Penske
2013 – Tony Kanaan – KV Racing Technology-SH Racing
2002 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske
1993 – Emerson Fittipaldi – Team Penske
1992 – Al Unser, Jr. – Galles/Kraco
1991 – Rick Mears – Team Penske
1990 – Arie Luyendyk – Doug Shierson Racing
1989 – Emerson Fittipaldi – Team Penske
1988 – Rick Mears – Team Penske
Poles: 14
2025 – Robert Shwartzman – PREMA Racing
2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske
2019 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske
2018 – Ed Carpenter – Ed Carpenter Racing
2015 – Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing
2014 – Ed Carpenter – Ed Carpenter Racing
2013 – Ed Carpenter – Ed Carpenter Racing
2012 – Ryan Briscoe – Team Penske
2002 – Bruno Junqueira – Chip Ganassi Racing
1991 – Rick Mears – Team Penske
1990 – Emerson Fittipaldi – Team Penske
1989 – Rick Mears – Team Penske
1988 – Rick Mears – Team Penske
1987 – Mario Andretti – Newman Haas Racing
Podiums: (2.2L V6 Era since 2012): 19
Drivers: Josef Newgarden (3 – 2024, 2023, and 2016), Helio Castroneves (2 – 2017 & 2014), Tony Kanaan (2 – 2013 & 2012), Pato O’Ward (2 – 2024 & 2022), Simon Pagenaud (2 – 2021 & 2019), Will Power (2 – 2018 & 2015), Ed Carpenter (2018), Santino Ferrucci (2023), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2013), Charlie Kimball (2015), Juan Montoya (2015), and Carlos Munoz (2013)
Teams: Team Penske (9 – 2024, 2023, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015 [2], 2014), Andretti Global (2 – 2013 [2]), Arrow McLaren (2 – 2024, 2022), Ed Carpenter Racing (2 – 2018 & 2016), KV Racing Technology w/SH (2 – 2013 & 2012), A.J. Foyt Racing (2023), and Chip Ganassi Racing (2015)
Laps Led: (2.2L V6 Era since 2012): 1442
Drivers: Simon Pagenaud (169), Will Power (140), Ed Carpenter (137), Tony Kanaan (114), Pato O’Ward (93), Marco Andretti (90), Scott Dixon (87), Helio Castroneves (74), Conor Daly (69), Josef Newgarden (69), Scott McLaughlin (66), Rinus VeeKay (65), Felix Rosenqvist (47), Ryan Hunter-Reay (34), Juan Montoya (26), Carlos Munoz (12), AJ Allmendinger (23), Sting Ray Robb (23), Alexander Rossi (16), Ryan Briscoe (15), Santino Ferrucci (15), Charlie Kimball (10), J.R. Hildebrand (8), James Hinchcliffe (7), Spencer Pigot (7), Callum Ilott (6), EJ Viso (5), Oliver Askew (4), Sage Karam (4), Kyle Larson (4), Rubens Barrichello (2), and Townsend Bell (1)
Teams: Team Penske (568), Ed Carpenter Racing (278), Arrow McLaren (165), Chip Ganassi Racing (147), Andretti Global (140), A.J. Foyt Racing (57), KV Racing Technology (47), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (34), Juncos Hollinger Racing (5), and Panther Racing (1)
2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS
344: Podiums in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012.
221: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as a twin-turbo V6 engine supplier since 2012.
122: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012.
139: Earned poles since 2012. Chevrolet holds 144 poles awards in total with five recorded based on points due to weathe
107: Poles by Team Penske, the most of any Chevrolet powered team since 2012
85: Wins by Team Penske, the most of any Chevrolet powered team since 2012
47: Poles by Will Power since 2012, the most by any Chevrolet powered driver
31: wins by Josef Newgarden since 2012, the most by any Chevrolet powered driver
19: historical Driver Championships, including seven since 2012.
9: Manufacturer Championships since 201
8: podiums in 2025
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