2023 Indy 500 live blog: Pato O’Ward, Kyle Kirkwood taken out in separate, red-flag inducing incidents

The 107th Indy 500 is officially upon us.

Practices have been completed and the 33-car grid for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is set. Here’s what to know about the race:

Pre-race favorite O’Ward wrecks late

Pato O’Ward went conservative at the end of the 2022 Indy 500 and spent 365 days thinking about it.

On the restart following a crash involving Felix Rosenqvist and Kyle Kirkwood, O’Ward lost the lead just as the field crossed the start/finish line and went for a bold move going into Turn 3, which set off a chain-reaction crash that collected Agustin Canapino and Helio Castroneves.

Rosenqvist crash sends Kirkwood flying

Kyle Kirkwood walked away from a crash that saw him flip over and slide partially down the backstretch upside down.

On lap 185, Felix Rosenqvist, who was running fourth at the time, smacked the wall exiting Turn 1 which broke the steering and made Rosenqvist a passenger. His skidding car collected Kyle Kirkwood and sent him careening into the Turn 2 wall and sliding down the backstretch upside down. The crash brought out the red flag.

2023 Indy 500 TV/streaming schedule

All times Eastern

Sunday, May 28 9-11 a.m.: Pre-race show (Peacock) 11 a.m.-4 p.m.: 107th Indianapolis 500 (NBC, Universo, Peacock, SiriusXM, IndyCar Radio)

Ganassi duo tops speed charts on ‘Carb Day’

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Takuma Sato and Scott Dixon continued to show the strong pace they have for the past two weeks, topping the speed charts for Friday’s ‘Carb Day’ final practice. Sato turned 86 laps and had a top average lap speed of 227.855 mph. Dixon’s top average speed was 227.285, just .332 mph faster than Penske’s Will Power.

Legge, Rahal granted shakedown session

Katherine Legge and Graham Rahal will get an extra 15-minute practice session apart from the rest of the field to shakedown their rebuilt cars Thursday. Legge ran into Stefan Wilson during Monday’s practice session, sending both into the wall and Wilson to the hospital with a fractured vertebra that will keep him out of the race.

Rahal, after initially failing to qualify in his normal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, will drive Wilson’s backup Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet. Legge’s RLL team was able to rebuild the original chassis on her wrecked car. The track will be open from 4:30-4:45 p.m. for Legge and Rahal to exit pit lane, drive down the backstretch and come back into the pits just to ensure the cars are in working order for Friday’s “Carb Day” final practice.

Best bets for the 2023 Indy 500

Despite there being nine former winners in the field, just two, Scott Dixon and Takuma Sato, enter the weekend with better than 10-to-1 odds at victory, according to BetMGM. Three Hondas and two Chevrolets are among the top favorites to win.

Best odds to win • Alex Palou +550 • Pato O’Ward +650 • Scott Dixon +850 • Takuma Sato +1000

2023 Indy 500 starting grid

Rahal to fill in for injured Wilson

Graham Rahal will fill in for Stefan Wilson in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet after the British driver suffered a fractured vertebra in a crash during Monday’s practice session. Rahal was dramatically bumped from the field by Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate Jack Harvey in a desperate last-gasp qualifying run as the session concluded Sunday afternoon.

Legge, Wilson crash in Monday practice

The first crash of the Month of May came in the seventh practice session as Katherine Legge and Stefan Wilson tangled in Turn 1 with about 50 minutes remaining in the session. Running in a pack down the front stretch, Legge was not able to slow her car enough and ran into the back of Wilson, sending both into the wall.

Wilson gave the crowd a thumbs up as he was placed on a backboard before being transported to the infield medical center, while Legge got out of her car under her own power. Track medical personnel said Wilson was communicative and in good spirits and is being transferred to an area hospital for advanced imaging.

2023 Indy 500 practice resultsHarvey shocks Rahal in last-chance qualifying

With five minutes remaining in Sunday’s last-chance qualifying, Jack Harvey was not in the Indianapolis 500 field. At the end of what seemed like his final run, he still was not in the field of 33. But the team and Harvey made the decision to make one final, desperate run without the luxury of cooling the engine. Harvey crossed the line to make that last run with seconds remaining on the clock and bumped Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate Graham Rahal out of the field by 0.004s.

Indy 500 qualifying format

There are 34 entries vying for 33 starting spots in the 107th Indianapolis 500. Qualifying is split into two days, with the bulk of the field set during Saturday’s marathon seven-hour session. Sunday will feature sessions for the last three spots – and one elimination – the top 12 and top six shootout for pole. The drivers’ average speed over a four-lap run determines their standing.

Qualifying Day 1 – Saturday, May 20Grid spots 13-30 locked in• After each car has one opportunity at a four-lap run, they may choose one of two lanes for subsequent attempts at improving their times. Lane 1 has priority to track access, but teams must forfeit their prior qualifying speed to enter it.

Qualifying Day 2 – Sunday, May 21Grid spots 1-12 and 31-33 locked in•The first hourlong session features the top 12 cars making runs with spots 7-12 determined.• The bottom four cars get an hour to determine who will and won’t make the race with spots 31-33 locked in.• Finally, the top six cars will have a 30-minute session to determine pole position through sixth.

Marcus Ericsson celebrates his 2022 Indy 500 win with the traditional quart of milk in Victory Lane with the Borg-Warner Trophy in the background. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

107th Indianapolis 500 entry list

Josef Newgarden (2), Team Penske ChevroletScott McLaughlin (3), Team Penske ChevroletPato O’Ward (5), Arrow McLaren ChevroletHelio Castroneves (06), Meyer Shank Racing HondaFelix Rosenqvist (6), Arrow McLaren ChevroletAlexander Rossi (7), Arrow McLaren ChevroletMarcus Ericsson (8), Chip Ganassi Racing HondaScott Dixon (9), Chip Ganassi Racing HondaAlex Palou (10), Chip Ganassi Racing HondaTakuma Sato (11), Chip Ganassi Racing HondaWill Power (12), Team Penske ChevroletSantino Ferrucci (14), A.J. Foyt Racing ChevroletGraham Rahal (15), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing HondaDavid Malukas (18), Dale Coyne Racing/HMD Motorsports HondaConor Daly (20), Ed Carpenter Racing ChevroletRinus Veekay (21), Ed Carpenter Racing ChevroletRyan Hunter-Reay (23), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing ChevroletStefan Wilson (24), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing ChevroletColton Herta (26), Andretti Autosport HondaKyle Kirkwood (27), Andretti Autosport HondaRomain Grosjean (28), Andretti Autosport HondaDevlin DeFrancesco (29), Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport HondaJack Harvey (30), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing HondaEd Carpenter (33), Ed Carpenter Racing ChevroletKatherine Legge (44), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing HondaChristian Lundgaard (45), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing HondaRC Enerson (50), Abel Motorsports ChevroletSting Ray Robb (51), Dale Coyne Racing/Rick Ware Racing HondaBenjamin Pederson (55), A.J. Foyt Racing ChevroletSimon Pagenaud (60), Meyer Shank Racing HondaTony Kanaan (66), Arrow McLaren ChevroletCallum Ilott (77), Juncos Hollinger Racing ChevroletAgustin Canopino (78), Juncos Hollinger Racing ChevroletMarco Andretti (98), Andretti Autosport Honda

2023 Indy 500 weather forecast

Entering the first week of practice for the 107th Indianapolis 500, rain threatens to hinder two days of running on track – the first two sessions Tuesday, May 16 and “Fast Friday” May 19. Otherwise the forecast calls for cool temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s with scattered cloud cover. But, it being the Midwest, conditions can change at a moment’s notice.