Foster qualifies for 109th Indy 500

Louis Foster made it into the Indianapolis 500 at his first try and will take part in the world’s biggest single-day sporting event next Sunday.

For the 109th running of the Indy 500, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver had a strong practice where Foster and his team worked to get him comfortable in the car and improve the set-up over three days of practice before qualifying last Saturday.

Kathi Lauterbach, Vice President of Communications at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, selected Foster’s qualifying spot as part of a random draw, which meant he would be 26th to start. That was a disappointing number to receive because qualifying earlier in the day is more advantageous because of cooler conditions.

However, Foster, driving the #45 Desnuda Tequila RLL Honda, was an impressive 19th after the first runs were complete, and after improvements from other drivers, he also went back out and improved his time to 2m35.8049s, or 231.058mph, over a four-lap (10 miles) qualifying run, to finish with the 22nd fastest time out of 34 cars. Following post qualification penalties Foster has been promoted up the grid and will start his first Indy 500 from P20.

“It was a good day overall,” said Foster, who is backed by Copart, a global leader in online auto auctions.

“After our second attempt we were placed 22nd which is pretty strong I think. 

“We had been struggling a little bit on the #45 Desnuda Honda with a little bit of straight line speed the last few days so definitely big props to my team-mates since all of us are locked in to the race.

"I want to thank all of my team-mates, friends, family and supporters for being part of this special event with me and for supporting my career. It's been so important."

Foster’s time ensured he is the second fastest rookie in this year’s Indy 500. This week he will take part in a host of events including rookie specific ones like milking a cow in line with the tradition that winner of the race famously drinks milk.

“I think obviously it's pretty surreal to be here,” Foster said. 

“Still trying to take it all in and not only do as good of a job as I can, but enjoy the experience at the same time. You only get one first time.”

Foster has unveiled a new helmet design for this race, which includes the names of many people who have been pivotal in his career so far. They will ride with him for what is the NTT IndyCar Series' biggest event.

Foster’s car is also in new colours this week because of the addition of new sponsor, Desnuda.

“At Desnuda, we are fully committed to crafting the highest-quality organic tequila - clean, pure, and full of integrity - and we see that same spirit in Louis and RLL,” said Brandon Korthuis, President of Desnuda Organic Tequila. 

“We’re thrilled to cheer him on at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Foster added: “The Desnuda Tequila Honda looks amazing. I look forward to representing them and helping gain exposure for the brand. 

“Even more than that, I look forward to celebrating a competitive run in the Indy 500 with Desnuda Tequila and will have probably become very popular with my fellow drivers come Sunday night after the race.”

You can watch Louis race in the 2025 Indy 500 on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday, May 25, with the programme starting at 1730 UK. The race starts 15 minutes after that. In the USA the race is live on FOX from 1200 ET.