By Noah Poser, Staff Writer
Alex Palou will start the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 from the pole. He’s the defending race winner. He’s also the three-time defending series champion and appears well on his way to a fourth straight INDYCAR title – and fifth overall – after winning three of the first six races this season.
For all intents and purposes, he looks unstoppable.
But there’s that old physics paradox: What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?
On Sunday, we might find out.
Because while starting from the pole at the Indy 500 may seem like a blessing for Palou, it has often been a curse over the past decade. Just ask six-time series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon.
He’s won three poles in the past 10 runnings of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” His finishes in those years? 21st, 17th and 32nd.
Across the last 10 Indy 500 pole sitters, the cumulative line reads: 1 win, 3 top five finishes, 5 Top 10s and 2 DNFs. In other words, the odds of finishing outside the Top 10 are just as strong as finishing inside it, and the chances of a DNF are nearly as good as scoring a top five.
All of which underscores the essence of the Indy 500 in that it is a test of skill and will, but ultimately one defined by its unpredictability. Like Palou, many of the drivers listed below entered race day as the favorite, only to leave scratching their heads.
Without further ado, here are the last 10 pole sitters and how they fared when the checkered flag waved:
2025- Robert Shwartzman
Finished: 26th
2024- Scott McLaughlin
Finished: 6th
2023- Alex Palou
Finished: 4th
2022- Scott Dixon
Finished: 21st
2021- Scott Dixon
Finished: 17th
2020- Marco Andretti
Finished: 13th
2019- Simon Pagenaud
Finished: 1st
2018- Ed Carpenter
Finished: 2nd
2017- Scott Dixon
Finished: 32nd
2016- James Hinchcliffe
Finished: 7th
