Robert Shwartzman made history Sunday at Indianapolis Speedway becoming the first rookie in more than 40 years to win the pole for the Indy 500. Shwartzman posted the fastest four-lap average in the Indy 500 Fast Six on the final day of qualifying for the 2025 Indianapolis 500, outdueling a two-time Indy 500 winner, the reigning IndyCar champion and one of the best drivers in series history in the process. Driving for Prema Racing, which is in its first year of IndyCar Series racing, Shwartzman averaged 232.790 mph in his No. 83 Chevrolet over his four qualifying laps to become the first rookie to qualify for the pole position since Teo Fabi in 1983. ROOKIE ROBERT SHWARTZMAN WINS THE POLE FOR THE 2025 INDY 500!pic.twitter.com/rI9t0MA9et — INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX)May 18, 2025 "Honestly, it feels like I'm dreaming," the 25-year-old Israeli native said after his history-making performance sunk in. "The car felt amazing, so fast." Takuma Sato, who won the Indy 500 in 2017, posted the second-fastest time and two-time runner-up Pato O'Ward took third to join Shwartzman on the front row for next Sunday's race. Six-time series champion Scott Dixon, whose 58 IndyCar wins rank second in history, will start fourth. He will be joined on the second row by Felix Rosenqvist, who finished fifth, and two-tine reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou, who finished sixth. Six drivers get one attempt each. The fastest earns pole position for the 2025 Indy 500. Takuma Sato went first and Felix Rosenqvist last. (83) Robert Shwartzman, Prema, Chevrolet, 232.790 (75) Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Honda, 232.478 (5) Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet, 232.098 (9) Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 232.052 (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank, Honda, 231.987 (10) Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 231.378 Contributing: The Indianapolis Star The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Indy 500 pole: Rookie Robert Shwartzman tops Indianapolis qualifying
