You don't have to be an IndyCar expert to enjoy the Indianapolis 500.

The big picture: Here's a casual fan's guide to some of the sport's biggest names and those to watch during Sunday's race.

Alex Palou: The Spanish driver and last year's Indy 500 winner is starting on pole. Once again, no one is more dominant in the series than Palou.

• Combined with the fact that the pole sitter wins the race about 20% of the time, Palou's the odds-on favorite to win again.

Pato O'Ward: A fan favorite, O'Ward has finished second twice, in 2022 and 2024, and third last year — near misses that he says still sting "and will sting until I get one."

• He'll start in the sixth spot, on the outside of Row 2, but he'll be in his backup car after getting caught up in a three-car crash in practice on Monday.

Conor Daly: The only Hoosier in the field of 33, the Noblesville native is starting his 13th Indy 500.

• Daly knows how it feels to lead at Indy: He led the most laps in the 2021 race and has been among the fastest in practice the last two weeks.
• Plus, he'll start 8th — his best yet.

Malukas has momentum

When drivers start their engines for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, racing terms will be thrown around fast and furious.

Here's your guide to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

The race is 500 miles — 200 laps around the 2.5-mile track.

• It takes about three hours.

It's governed by flags. The main ones you need to know are:

• Green flag: Go racing.
• Yellow flag: Caution. Everybody has to slow down and there's no passing until the green flag is waved again.
• White flag: Last lap of the race.
• Checkered flag: Race is over. Head to the winner's circle!

Zoom in: Here are the storylines driving the day.

🤕 Rossi's recovery

• Alexander Rossi was having a great Month of May, until Monday. The 2016 winner lost it in Turn 2 and took a hard hit into the wall.
• Yes, but: He's still racing on Sunday. And he'll be doing it in his backup car — a bummer after his original ride proved fast enough to qualify second.

👯‍♂️ Katherine Legge is attempting "The Double" — racing both the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte on the same day.

• Legge is the first woman and just the sixth person to sign on for the 1,100-mile feat.

What we're watching: If there's a rain delay, it'll be nearly impossible for her to get to Charlotte in time.

Helio's drive for five

Here's everything you need to know to have a successful Indianapolis 500.

🎟️ Gates open at 6am.

🟢 The green flag drops at 12:45 (weather permitting).

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 There's a sellout crowd, so fans should arrive even earlier than usual.

💳 The speedway is cashless.

🌥️ Temperatures are forecasted to be around the average race day high, so remember to drink water and apply sunscreen.

• Officials with the IMS infield care center say they see between 100 and 300 patients every year, largely because of heat.

🥤 Pro tip: Bring a cooler (no bigger than 8" x 15" x 15") full of your favorite beer — just no glass.

• A full list of prohibited items can be found here.
• Passes for the parking areas around IMS are sold out for race day, so be prepared to hunt for street parking or haggle for lawn spots.

🚲 Yes, or: Bike to the 500.

• The race day commute starts at the AMP at 16 Tech and follows a police escort to the track where bike parking is available at Gates 1 and 2.

When you're at the track this weekend, keep an eye out for Justin Vining. He's hard to miss — he's the guy with the canvas, easel and paints.

The big picture: The Indianapolis-based artist is in his ninth year of plein air painting at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 500.

• He's there just about every day the gates are open, capturing scenes around the track, from the sunset over the pagoda to the winning car crossing the yard of bricks.

What he's saying: "It was a business opportunity," Vining said of his first year painting at the track. "And then I just fell in love with it. So I keep coming out."

Zoom out: The rest of the year, he paints city scenes and landscapes around Central Indiana and works out of a studio on the near east side.

What's next: He'll post this year's Month of May paintings on his website for sale the day after the race.

• His race day painting won't be among them, though. He's kept every race day canvas for himself.

Surprising no one, oddsmakers have Alex Palou — aka the "hottest driver on the planet" — as the favorite to win Sunday.

Driving the bets: Palou, who will start in pole position, is +250 to win back-to-back Indy 500s on DraftKings Sportsbook, meaning a $100 bet on a Palou victory will net you a $250 profit.

• Pato O'Ward (+600), Conor Daly (+700), David Malukas (+800), and Alexander Rossi (+900) round out DraftKings' predicted top 5 finishers.

Zoom in: 45% of Axios Indianapolis readers who took our Instagram poll picked Palou to win, followed by 36% who picked O'Ward, 9% who picked Daly and 9% who said someone else will win.

The Indianapolis 500 is helping music lovers to start the summer with a hot show.

Why it matters: The 2026 Carb Day and Snake Pit concert lineups mash EDM, classic rock and more into two events.

Yes, but: Pour one out for the Legends Day Concert, which didn't return this year.

Zoom in: The Counting Crows and Switchfoot headline Carb Day. Gates open at 2pm today for the 4pm show. Tickets start at $50.

• Zedd, Crankdat, Wooli, it's Murph, and Wax Motif are performing in the Snake Pit. Gates open at 7am Sunday and the music starts at 8:15am. General admission wristbands are $85.

Go deeper: Here is a 40-track Spotify playlist featuring the artists providing the soundtrack for the 110th running.