Indy 500 qualifying 2018: Time, TV schedule, live stream info for Saturday

America’s most recognizable auto race doesn’t take place until Memorial Day weekend, but that doesn’t mean the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will sit idle in the coming weeks. The track will host the qualifying races that set the stage for the 500-mile jewel in the crown of the IndyCar schedule.

Day 1 of qualifying for the 2018 Indianapolis 500 begins May 19, wrapping up four days of practice with Bump Day, the time trials that whittle the starting grid down to 33 drivers. It also separates the elite cars from the pack with the Fast Nine — a group of the top qualifiers who will return Sunday for a four-lap shootout to determine pole position for next week’s race.

This year’s entry list contains 35 drivers, including a smattering of former winners who have had their visages chiseled onto the Borg-Warner Trophy. Takuma Sato, the 2017 champion, will attempt to capitalize on last year’s breakthrough — a race that was only the second IndyCar title of his eight-year career. He’ll be joined by Speedway staples like Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, and Scott Dixon as well as rising star and 2016 winner Alexander Rossi.

But no one may draw more attention than Danica Patrick, who will take what may be her final shot at capturing the checkered flag at the Brickyard. Patrick, the only woman to win an IndyCar Series race, announced she would step away from full-time racing after the 2017 season but finish her career with starts in NASCAR’s Daytona 500 as well as this year’s Indianapolis 500. If she can land in the top 33 this weekend, she’ll be set for her first 500 since 2011.

Qualifying will also give local favorite Ed Carpenter a familiar place to shine. The Indiana native posted the fastest single-lap time to kick off last year’s Bump Day before falling off the pole in the Fast Nine Shootout Sunday. Carpenter also qualified first in 2014, though he’s never finished better than eighth at the race. He’ll be flanked by Patrick, who is making her first appearance as a member of Carpenter’s racing team in what’s expected to be her final appearance at the 500.

The road to IndyCar’s most prestigious race begins Saturday, and the top qualifiers will be one step closer to lifting a bottle of milk atop the winner’s podium May 27. Here’s everything you need to watch this weekend’s qualifying for the 2018 Indianapolis 500.

Date: Saturday, May 19
Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Track Open: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
TV Time: 4 p.m.
TV Channel: ABC
Online Streaming: WatchESPN (from 11 a.m.), ABC, fuboTV