Indy 500: How to watch the practices and qualifying rounds

The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 — or the Indy 500, to its fans — may not be until May 26, but there’s plenty of Indy 500 action to get your engine revved up ahead of the big event between now and then. This weekend, you can stream practices, the Full Field Qualifying and the Fast Six Qualifying rounds on Peacock. NASCAR star Kyle Larson will be looking to qualify for his IndyCar debut this Saturday. If the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion qualifies, he’ll be racing in Sunday afternoon’s Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 later that evening. Josef Newgarden, the current defending Indy 500 champ, will also be looking to qualify, along with Penske’s leading driver, Will Power, and Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou.

Are you ready to watch all the big race preparations? Here’s what you need to know about how to watch the Indy 500 practice and qualifying rounds.

How to watch Indy 500 practice and qualifying rounds:

Date: Tuesday, May 14 – Friday, May 24

Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

TV channel: NBC

Streaming: Peacock

When is the Indy 500?

The Indy 500 isn’t until next Sunday, May 26. However, the action on the track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is already underway, with televised practices and qualifying rounds scheduled for this weekend.

What channel are Indy 500 practices on?

NBC is the network home for the 2024 Indy 500, with Peacock streaming all the action in the practice, warm-up and qualifying rounds.

How to watch Indy 500 practice and qualifying:

(Peacock)

All the practice rounds and qualifying for the Indy 500 will stream on Peacock. For $5.99/month, an ad-supported Peacock subscription lets you stream live sports and events airing on NBC, plus, you’ll get access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as Parks and Recreation and The Office, every Bravo show and Hallmark movie, and movies like Five Nights at Freddy’s and the Super Mario movie. 

For $12 monthly you can also upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.

And if you’re a student looking to catch the big race, Big 10 basketball games and more, you can take advantage of Peacock’s student discount and get an ad-supported subscription for just $1.99/month for 12 months. 

$5.99/month at Peacock

Indy 500 practice schedule:

Friday, May 17

Indy 500 Practice: 12-6 p.m. (Peacock)

Saturday, May 18

Indy 500 Practice: 8:30–9:30 a.m. (Peacock)

Indy 500 Full Field Qualifying: 11 a.m.-5:50 p.m. (Peacock)

Sunday, May 19

Indy 500 Top 12 and Last Chance Practice: 12-2 p.m. (Peacock)

Indy 500 Top 12, Last Chance, Fast Six Qualifying: 3-6 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)

Monday, May 20

Indy 500 Practice: 1-3 p.m. (Peacock)

Friday, May 24

Indy 500 Final Practice on Carb Day: 11 a.m.-1 p.m (Peacock)

Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge: 2:30-4 p.m.

Will Kyle Larson race in the Indy 500?

2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson is looking to make his IndyCar debut as the fourth Arrow McLaren entry. Pending he qualifies (in the Full Field Qualifying on Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. ET), Larson will race in Sunday afternoon’s Indy 500 before flying to Charlotte for NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 Sunday evening. Larson would be the first driver to run both races since Kurt Busch last did it in 2014.

Indy 500 weekend schedule:

All times Eastern

Saturday, May 25

Indy 500 Parade: 12-2 p.m. (Peacock)

Sunday, May 26

Indy 500 Pre-Race: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (NBC, Peacock, Universo)

108th Running of the Indy 500: 12:30-4 p.m. (NBC, Peacock, Universo)

Monday, May 27

Indy 500 Victory Celebration: 8:30-11 p.m. (Peacock)