A 25-year-old Israeli race car driver says, “I try to just represent my country and do my best,” as he gets ready to start Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 from the pole position.

Robert Shwartzman is the first rookie to win the pole in more than 40 years and the first Israeli to compete in the event. He came out of nowhere to become the top qualifier for the most famous auto race in the United States. His accomplishment was all the more stunning considering he’s driving for a new team with no experience at the 2.5-mile oval.  

“Honestly, it’s unbelievable,” Mr. Shwartzman said. “I still can’t believe it. It’s just a dream.”

Mr. Shwartzman was born at Tel Aviv but his family moved to Saint Petersburg, Russia, when he was young. His father had always wanted to be a race car driver and saw his son’s potential to fulfill that dream.

Mr. Shwartzman began racing go-karts when he was 4 years old. “At 6 years old, I went to Italy for my first karting race. Then, when I was 10 years old, I moved permanently to Italy,” he told the Jerusalem Post.

Mr. Shwartzman started competing in races across Europe under the Russian flag. “I always and in everything support Russia,” he told a Russian sports outlet in 2019.

His father passed away in April 2020 from Covid complications. A pinned post on Mr. Shwartzman’s X account from May 2020 shows a photo of the two together with the caption, “Miss you.” 

“He had a massive impact in my life,” Mr. Shwartzman told Indycar.com. “We always got along, to be honest, from the very beginning, and we had the same passion, same love for racing in cars and stuff.”

Mr. Shwartzman continued to hone his craft in the wake of his father’s death and his ascent in racing remained under the Russian flag. That allegiance shifted after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

International racing’s governing body ordered Russian drivers to run under a neutral flag. Instead of doing that, Mr. Shwartzman switched to his native Israel.

“It came as, let’s say, news to a lot of people. Some people didn’t really understand it or didn’t believe it,” Mr. Shwartzman told the Jerusalem Post. “But again, the truth is, I’m Israeli. I was born there. I have friends there. I was born in Tel Aviv, and obviously, whenever I took the Israeli flag, it was a big honor to represent Israel. I’m very happy and proud to be carrying the Israeli flag.”

The surprises continued off of the track, too. 

Mr. Shwartzman made a detour into hip-hop in 2023. He had developed a love of music from his father and was inspired to release the song “Active” under the name Shwartzy. But the foray into music didn’t keep him off of the track for very long.

Mr. Shwartzman now drives for PREMA Racing, which is competing at Indy for the first time. His No. 83 Chevrolet claimed the pole on Sunday with a four-lap average of 232.79 mph. Thirty-three cars will start the 500-mile race Sunday.

He said he was surprised by the supportive cheers after the qualifying run. 

“Here, I feel really good with the fans. In my couple years in Europe, it was a bit more tense for me, I have to admit,” Mr. Shwartzman said, according to the Associate Press. “Some fans supported me, but some were against me. There were very tough moments in my life where I didn’t do anything bad. I didn’t support anything. I generally support people from my country, but all people with respect, and some people were saying bad things just because of where I was born.”

Mr. Shwartzman made a plea for peace after he had secured the pole position. 

“I just want peace in the world,” he said. “I want people to be good, and I don’t want the separation of countries, saying, ‘This is bad country. This is good country.’ There is no bad or good. We’re all human beings.”