Freedom 250 Grand Prix: How does IndyCar qualifying work?
Freedom 250 Grand Prix Preview Coverage
Watch FOX 5 DC's Chad Ricardo and Julie Donaldson cover the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON - High-speed racing has taken over the National Mall this weekend. And while the Freedom 250 Grand Prix isn't until Sunday, Saturday's racing will have a big impact on tomorrow's race.
Saturday is qualifying day. The 25 cars will determine how they'll line up at the start of the Grand Prix.
Here's everything you need to know about IndyCar qualifying.
How does qualifying work?
Timeline:
Qualifying, in essence, is simple. The drivers with faster times will be closer to the front of the pack at the beginning of the Grand Prix (called the grid).
But, IndyCar has different qualifying procedures for the different types of tracks they race on.
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Fans travel to DC as Freedom 250 Grand Prix takes over the National Mall
High speeds are coming to the nation's capital this weekend as the Freedom 250 Grand Prix gets underway.
Since the Freedom 250 Grand Prix is taking place in the streets of Washington, D.C., the qualifying session is broken up into three segments.
Segment 1
In the first segment, the drivers are separated into two groups. Those groups are determined by the driver with the fastest qualifying time at the previous race.
In this case, that's Louis Foster, who drives for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
An IndyCar rides on the track during a practice session in Washington, DC, on August 22, 2026, on the eve of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)
Each of those groups get 10 minutes to drive their fastest lap. The top six cars in each group move onto the next round.
The cars that are knocked out make up the back of the starting field on Sunday (Positions 13 through 25).
Segment 2
Segment Two is the same as segment one, just with one group this time, and the times from segment one don't matter.
The 12 cars vie for the fastest lap in another 10-minute session. The six slowest cars are eliminated. They make up spots seven through 12 on the grid.
Segment 3
Segment Three is an all-out sprint.
On street tracks, the drivers go one at a time, and get one warm up lap and one flying lap.
The driver with the fastest time in segment two gets first choice of when they'll run their lap.
Then, the car with the fastest time secures pole position, the inside lane of the front row. The other five drivers get spots two through five based on their lap times.
What time is Freedom 250 qualifying?
What's next:
Qualifying rounds start at 5 p.m. on Saturday. You can watch the sessions on FS2.
The Source: Information in this story is from the NTT IndyCar Series Official Rulebook.