The 2025 iRacing Indy 500 | How to Qualify

It may be listed as just another iRacing Special Event, but the iRacing Indy 500 is even more so with its special qualifying rules for our virtual Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

This 200-lap, full length event, which utilizes the Dallara IR-18 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is held over the course of two weeks this year, with the Fixed Setup race taking place from May 6th to the 11th, and the Open Setup race from May 13th to the 18th.

Usually on iRacing, splits are determined by iRating, but for this event, qualifying is the key to placing into the highest splits. The event is open to all iRacing members with a D-class Oval license with a safety rating over 4.0, or any safety rated Oval driver C-class licensed or higher.

While it’s not mandatory to participate in qualifying to be sorted into a race, all non-qualifiers will be placed in splits below all who set a 4-Lap Average in the official qualifying sessions.

iRacing 101: The iRacing Indianapolis 500

SEPARATE QUALIFYING THE WEEK PRIOR

From May 6th to May 9th for the Fixed Setup, and from May 13th to May 16th for the Open Setup, competitors will see an unattached Qualifying session on the Series Page. If you’ve run the popular Ring Meister by Ricmotech Challenge before, it is the same concept where separate servers host a lone qualifying to determine the starting order for each separated race session.

The weather for qualifying will be static and consistent across all qualifying sessions based on the forecast, which means that qualifying in the first available session or the last does not matter. Participating Members can qualify as many times as they please, but the best 4-Lap Average will be what is counted.

FOUR LAP AVERAGE, NOT BEST OF FOUR LAPS

Unique to the Indianapolis 500 in real-world action, and also our virtual rendition is the fact that qualifying will be a 4-Lap Average. Running the fastest lap you can is still important, but it is also about running a consistently fast series of laps without losing too much speed over the course of the run. If you go too hard early, that could slow you down later, so it’s about finding the right balance to get the fastest average of four high-speed laps.

The qualifying session implements a boosted powertrain, which makes the IndyCar faster and harder to control for the four laps around the 2.5-mile rectangular oval in Speedway, Indiana. The boost also causes the tires to lose grip faster, which is why a first lap and fourth lap may feel completely different, which will mean potentially making adjustments along the way.

Even in the Fixed Setup sessions, all drivers are given the ability to adjust ARBs in the front and rear, move the Weight Jacker positively or negatively, and change the Fuel Map for the behavior of the throttle pedal.

Low fuel will also play a factor in qualifying, enabling higher speeds while also creating a light rear end that could be treacherous. Truly, as it is in the real-world, our virtual Indy 500 qualifying is not for the faint of heart, and those who put it on edge and survive will be the ones near the top of the pylon.

ONCE QUALIFYING ENDS

The first race session happens on Saturday at 01:00 GMT (Friday at 9:00 pm ET), and the final qualifying session takes place just before that. Once the final session ends, the 4-Lap Averages are sorted and become the determining factor into which split competitors are placed. 

If a member qualifies in the top-33, no matter what happens, should they register to race, they will be placed in the top-split every time they register. If a member ends up outside the top-33, they still could be placed in the top-split if enough drivers ahead of them in the qualifying results don’t register for the same race. Simply put, the top-33 times that register will be placed in the highest split, with the next 30-odd drivers going in the next. 

Once the times are all placed, then members who did not put down a qualifying time will be sorted by their iRating in the last of the qualifying times and further splits after that. Times are sorted higher than those without, and the lineups for each race will be based on times against the other drivers registered. The only way to guarantee a pole position start is to set the fastest 4-Lap Average among all participating members!

RACE DAYS AND TIMES

The racing starts on each weekend, May 9th through the 11th for the Fixed Setup competition and May 16th through the 18th for the Open Setup events. Each week will have four potential time slots. Those times are:

Saturday 01:00 GMT (Friday at 9:00 pm ET)
Saturday 13:00 GMT (Saturday at 9:00 am ET)
Saturday 17:00 GMT (Saturday at 1:00 pm ET)
Sunday 13:00 GMT (Sunday at 9:00 am ET)

Both of the third time slots on each week (Saturday at 17:00 GMT / 1:00 pm ET) will be broadcasted on the official iRacing channels.

For more information on the iRacing Indy 500, visit the iRacing Forums.
For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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