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What time is the 2021 Indy 500 and how long will the race last?

If you’re wondering when the 2021 Indy 500 will start or how long it will last, we’ve got you covered.

By David Fucillo
The Borg Warner Trophy is on display during qualifications for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 23, 2021 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It’s Memorial Day weekend and that means the Indianapolis 500 is back in our lives! A year ago it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year it is back in its traditional slot. The green flag drops at 12:45 p.m. ET for the 105th running of the Indy 500. The race will air on NBC.

The festivities get started earlier with drivers introduced at 11:47 a.m. and then the command to start engines at 12:38. The race will then start at 12:45 and like run somewhere in the three hour range barring any kind of weather delay. Last year, Takuma Sato won the Indy 500 with a time of 3 hours, 10 minutes and 5 seconds. The previous two years went under three hours, running 2:50:39 in 2019 and 2:59:42 in 2018.

The Indy 500 is 200 laps making up 500 miles on the 2.5 mile course. Dating back to 1998 and the beginning of the INDYCAR sanctioning era, the fastest Indy 500 was 2:40:03 in 2013 and the slowest was 3:31:54 in 2001.

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