Your guide to Indianapolis 500 qualifying weekend

We've got the need for speed. Lucky for us, it's Fast Friday.

The big picture: It's qualifying weekend for the Indianapolis 500.

• Today is the final — and fastest — practice before the field of 33 is set.
• Cars get a turbocharger boost to reach the speeds they'll run during qualifying.

Vibe check: Quals are a lower-key way to get a taste of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

• You get all the speed — we're talking 230-plus miles per hour — without the race day crowd.

How it works: Don't skip this — it's different this year!

• Qualifying begins at 11am Saturday, and by 6pm spots 15-33 will be set.
• Drivers who qualified in the top 15 on Saturday will be back on track Sunday to secure their starting position.
• On Sunday, cars ranked 1-9 are automatically advanced to the Top 12, while those in 10th-15th spots will have to compete for those last three spots.
• The fastest three move on; the slowest three get spots 13-15 on race day.
• Then, the Top 12 qualifiers will advance as last year, with those finishing 7-12 claiming those spots and the fastest six advancing to the Firestone Fast Six later in the day to determine positions 1-6.

Yes, but: The forecast doesn't look great.

• Chances of rain start early Saturday morning and continue through Sunday.

The intrigue: Defending champ Alex Palou has turned some of the fastest laps in practice so far, but he's not the only driver looking hot going into the weekend.

• Hometown hero Conor Daly won the day Wednesday with a 228 mph lap — and "we weren't even flat on that lap," Daly said.
• Two-time runner-up Pato O'Ward and 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi have also looked strong.

If you go: Fast Friday, the final day of practice before qualifying, starts at noon and the qualification draw starts at 6:15pm.

• Qualifying runs start at 11am Saturday and 4:05pm Sunday.
• Tickets start at $25 for Fast Friday and $30 for quals.