Indianapolis 500 Starting Grid - 1990
| Position | Car Num. | Driver | Car Name/Entrant* | Make/Model | Qual Speed |
| 1 | 1 | Emerson Fittipaldi (W) | Marlboro | Penske/Chevrolet Indy | 225.300 |
| 2 | 2 | Rick Mears (W) | Pennzoil Z-7 | Penske/Chevrolet Indy | 224.210 |
| 3 | 30 | Arie Luyendyk | Domino's Pizza | Lola/Chevrolet Indy | 223.304 |
| 4 | 18 | Bobby Rahal (W) | STP/Kraco | Lola/Chevrolet Indy | 222.690 |
| 5 | 3 | Michael Andretti | Kmart/Havoline | Lola/Chevrolet Indy | 222.055 |
| 6 | 6 | Mario Andretti (W) | Kmart/Havoline | Lola/Chevrolet Indy | 222.020 |
| 7 | 5 | Al Unser Jr. | Team Valvoline | Lola/Chevrolet Indy | 220.920 |
| 8 | 14 | A.J. Foyt (W) | Copenhagen | Lola/Chevrolet Indy | 220.420 |
| 9 | 7 | Danny Sullivan (W) | Marlboro | Penske/Chevrolet Indy | 220.310 |
| 10 | 41 | John Andretti | Foster's/Quaker State | March/Porsche | 219.480 |
| 11 | 86 | Dominic Dobson | Texaco Havoline Star | Lola/Cosworth DFS | 219.230 |
| 12 | 12 | Randy Lewis | AMP/Oracle | Penske/Buick | 218.410 |
| 13 | 16 | Tony Bettenhausen Jr. | AMAX | Lola/Buick | 218.360 |
| 14 | 25 | Eddie Cheever Jr. (R) | Target Stores | Penske/Chevrolet Indy | 217.926 |
| 15 | 11 | Kevin Cogan | Tuneup Masters | Penske/Buick | 217.730 |
| 16 | 23 | Tero Palmroth | Hoechst/Celanese/Neste | Lola/Cosworth DFS | 217.420 |
| 17 | 19 | Raul Boesel | Budweiser | Lola/Judd | 217.381 |
| 18 | 51 | Gary Bettenhausen | Glidden Paints | Lola/Buick | 217.260 |
| 19 | 21 | Geoff Brabham | Mac Tools Distributors | Lola/Judd | 216.580 |
| 20 | 70 | Didier Theys | Tuneup Masters | Penske/Buick | 214.030 |
| 21 | 28 | Scott Goodyear (R) | Mackenzie/O'Donnell | Lola/Judd | 213.620 |
| 22 | 29 | Pancho Carter | Hardee's/Machinists | Lola/Cosworth DFS | 213.000 |
| 23 | 4 | Teo Fabi | Foster's/Quaker State | March/Porsche | 220.020 |
| 24 | 39 | Dean Hall (R) | Insight | Lola/Cosworth DFS | 216.970 |
| 25 | 9 | Tom Sneva (W) | RCA | Penske/Buick | 216.140 |
| 26 | 22 | Scott Brayton | Amway/Speedway | Lola/Cosworth DFS | 215.020 |
| 27 | 97 | Stan Fox | Miyano/CNC Systems | Lola/Buick | 213.810 |
| 28 | 20 | Roberto Guerrero | Miller Genuine Draft | March/Alfa Romeo | 212.650 |
| 29 | 15 | Jim Crawford | Glidden Paints | Lola/Buick | 212.200 |
| 30 | 40 | Al Unser (W) | Miller High Life | March/Alfa Romeo | 212.080 |
| 31 | 81 | Bill Vukovich III | Hemelgarn | Lola/Buick | 211.000 |
| 32 | 93 | John Paul Jr. | ATEC Environmental | Lola/Buick | 214.410 |
| 33 | 56 | Rocky Moran | Glidden Paints | Lola/Buick | 211.070 |
