The 103rd edition of the Indianapolis 500 runs this Sunday, with some historical elements and surprises leading up to one of the year’s most popular race days. Simon Pagenaud is the first French driver to win pole position in a century, heralded F1 driver Fernando Alonso failed to qualify for even the last of the 33-car field slots, and the race will be televised by NBC—the first move away from longtime host ABC since 1965.
The 2019 Indianapolis 500 lineup
Each driver is listed in order of their starting position, with team name and car number included.
- Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske, 22
- Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 20
- Spencer Pigot, Ed Carpenter Racing, 4
- Ed Jones,Ed Carpenter Racing/Scuderia Corsa, 63
- Colton Herta, Harding Steinbrenner Racing, 88
- Will Power, Team Penske, 12
- Sebastien Bourdais, Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan, 18
- Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 2
- Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport, 27
- Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta Autosport w/ Marco Andretti & Curb-Agajanian, 98
- Conor Daly, Andretti Autosport, 25
- Helio Castroneves, Team Penske, 3
- Marcus Ericsson, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, 7
- Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 30
- James Davison, Dale Coyne Racing with Byrd/Hollinger/Belardi, 33
- Tony Kanaan, A. J. Foyt Enterprises, 14
- Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 15
- Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 9
- Oriol Servia, MotoGator Team Stange Racing with Arrow Schmidt Peterson, 77
- Charlie Kimball, Carlin, 23
- JR Hildebrand, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, 48
- Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport, 28
- Santino Ferrucci, Dale Coyne Racing, 19
- Matheus Leist, A. J. Foyt Enterprises, 4
- Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing with Arrow Schmidt Peterson, 60
- Jordan King, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 42
- Ben Hanley, DragonSpeed, 81
- Zach Veach, Andretti Autosport, 26
- Felix Rosenqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing, 10
- Pippa Mann, Clauson-Marshall Racing, 39
- Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, 24
- James Hinchcliffe, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, 5
- Kyle Kaiser, Juncos Racing, 32
What channel is the Indianapolis 500 on?
The Daytona 500 will be broadcast on NBC.
What time does the Indianapolis 500 start?
The Daytona 500 starts Sunday, May 26, with the “start your engines” call planned for 12:38pm EST. Race coverage starts at 11am on NBC, and if you’re super into it, at 9am of NBCSN.
What happens if it rains at the Indianapolis 500?
There’s a good chance of rain on Sunday; 101 of the 200 laps need to be completed before the race is official. There have been six rain-shortened races in the history of the Indy 500, the last one coming in 2007. (If the racers can’t get 101 laps in, the race postpones to the next dry day.
How to watch Indianapolis 500 online for free
Each of the following services carries NBC, providing a one-week trial and therefore an easy way to watch the Indianapolis 500 for free.
1) Sling TV
- Sling TV pricing: $25-$40 per month (after a 7-day free trial)
- Sling TV devices: Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Xbox One, Google Chromecast, Oculus Go, Microsoft Edge, and iOS and Android devices
- Sling TV local channels: NBC, Fox (check your local availability here)
Sling TV provides two base channel package options, each priced at $25 per month. Sling Orange includes three ESPN channels, while Sling Blue includes sports channels like NFL Network, FS1 and FS2, NBCSN, and local channels. (Sling Blue customers in select markets get NBC, where the Indy 500 will be featured; see if yours has it here.) If you’re Team “Why Not Both,” Sling Orange + Blue combines the two for just $40 per month. To get additional motor sports (and soccer), you can add beIN SPORTS with either Sports Extra: Sling Orange ($5 per month) or Sports Extra: Sling Blue ($10 per month). (The latter also includes NFL RedZone.)
Spanish-speaking viewers have quite a few options. For bilingual families, you might consider the Español: Best of Spanish TV package for either Sling Orange or Sling Blue for 24/7 specialty channel LaLiga TV and beIN SPORTS Connect: Channels 4-9, which features matches from LaLiga, Ligue 1 and Copa del Rey, among others. Both packages cost $5 per month after your free trial. Sling TV Latino is another Spanish-language package for $10 per month, including NBC Universo, History en Español, and four beIN SPORTS channels. (And choosing Sling TV Latino + Sling Orange for $30 per month gives you access to ESPN Deportes.) For more information, check out our guide to Sling TV channels and our Sling TV review.
2) Hulu with Live TV
- Cost: $44.99 per month (after a 7-day free trial)
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
- Hulu local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the CW (check your local availability here)
Hulu with Live TV includes sports programming among its broad spectrum of offerings, and as a subscriber to the service, you’ll get free access to Hulu’s sizable on-demand library. (Check out the full list of Hulu Live TV channels.)
3) PlayStation Vue
- Cost: $44.99-$79.99 per month (after a 7-day free trial)
- PlayStation Vue devices: PlayStation 3 and 4, Roku, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Kodi, iOS and Android devices
- PlayStation Vue local channels: NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
PlayStation Vue is a fantastic option for soccer fans who already own a PlayStation console, but this streaming platform is available on a variety of devices. NBC and NBCSN (which between them will cover all the Indy 500 coverage) are part of a basic package of channels that offer soccer and other sports programming, and the options increase at the Core, Elite, and Ultra levels.
4) FuboTV
- Cost: $44.99 for the first month, $54.99 per month thereafter (after a 7-day free trial)
- FuboTV devices: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Android TV, iOS and Android devices
- FuboTV local channels: Fox, NBC, CBS (check local availability here)
FuboTV is a solid TV streaming service option, whether your tastes run to entertainment (AMC, Syfy, FX), news (MSNBC, CNN), or sports (NBA TV, NFL Network). If you’re a motor sports fan, it will appear tailor-made for you, with 10 beIN SPORTS channels, as well as NBC, NBCSN, FS1, FS2, UniMás, and TNT all on tap. If you can’t watch a match live, FuboTV offers a three-day replay for each match and 30 hours of cloud DVR. (Check out the complete FuboTV channels list.)
FuboTV also has bilingual families in mind; each subscription comes with UniMás, Galavisión, NBC Universo, beIN SPORTS, Univision, and Fox Deportes. An extra $7.99 per month will bring you Latino Plus, which includes CNN en Español and TyC Sports among its offerings.
5) YouTube TV
- Cost: $50 per month (after a 7-day free trial)
- YouTube TV devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
- YouTube TV local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
YouTube TV is a great option for sports fans; including NBC and NBCSN for Indy 500 coverage. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.)
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