The iRacing Indy 500 is one of the biggest races of the year, and one of the easiest ways to completely wreck your week if you don’t take it seriously. It’s 200 laps of full-focus racing, at 220+ mph, with fuel strategy, traffic management, and pit execution all fighting for your brain’s attention. If you’re signing up, you better come prepared. Here’s your quick and dirty guide to the 2025 edition.

📅 Event Schedule

• Qualifying: May 9–10 (ends Friday night at 23:59 GMT)
• Race Days: May 11–12 (Saturday & Sunday)

This is a time-trial style qualifying. Your 4-lap average locks in your split. It doesn’t matter if you’re a 1k or 7k iRating driver. If you nail your qualy, you’ll be racing with people who ran similar pace.

🏎 Car, Track and Setup

• Car: Dallara IR-18 (IndyCar)
• Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Oval config)
• Setup: Open and Fixed

Qualifying for the fixed setup races will take place between May 6th-9th, with races on the 10th/11th. For the open setup, it's May 13-16th for qualifying, with races on the 17th/18th.

📏 Race Format

• Distance: 200 laps (yep, the full 500 miles)
• Cautions: Full-course yellows ON
• Restarts: Single file
• Stewarding: iRacing-controlled sessions

This isn’t your weekly sprint. Expect long green flag runs, surprise cautions, and absolute chaos in the last 20 laps. Tire wear is low, fuel strategy is key, and traffic will test your patience. Survival, just like any endurance-style event, is going to be the critical factor in finishing well.

🧠 Raceful Pro Tips

• Practice your pit entry. Do it 10 times. Then do it 10 more.
• If your setup can’t run in dirty air, change it. You’ll be in traffic a lot.
• Learn how to adjust the ARBs and weight jacker to your advantage.
• Don’t lead early unless you like burning fuel for no reason.
• Have a plan for yellows. That means fuel math, not vibes.

🎥 Broadcasts & Split Watching

Top splits usually get streamed on iRacing's official Twitch and YouTube. If you’re in a lower split, still consider hitting record. This is the one race where a clean run or wild save can make for great content. And hey, even if you crash out, at least it was on camera.

Fixed Setup top split broadcast: Saturday, May 10th 2025 at 1pm ET

Open Setup top split broadcast: Saturday, May 17th 2025 at 1pm ET

🏆 Why This Race Matters

The iRacing Indy 500 is more than just a sim event. It’s a test of skill, discipline, and endurance. This race brings out everyone :diehards, oval fans, roadies trying to prove something. You’ll see custom liveries, pro drivers, team spotters, the works. There’s something special about The Brickyard that makes people show up focused.

💬 Final Thoughts

If this is your first iRacing Indy 500: good luck, keep it clean, and don’t panic when the field checks up at the green. If you’re a returning driver, you already know the deal. Qualify strong, race smart, and finish proud. See you on track.