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Part tho of The Roar’s car-by-car preview of the 100th Indianapolis 500 continues, with rows seven through three taking us towards the sharp end of the field of thirty-three.
Row 7
Starting 21st: Gabby Chaves (Dale Coyne Racing – Honda)
Coyne has a good stable of drivers this year, led by Chaves, who has shown speed at times during his IndyCar career. I’d personally love to see Dale Coyne, a real battler of IndyCar racing who has survived an enormous amount, have a huge run at Indy, and Chaves isn’t without a chance at a top five if things get wild.
Starting 20th: Ed Carpenter (Ed Carpenter Racing – Chevrolet)
A two-time Indianapolis 500 pole winner, the Indiana native is always a threat on ovals, and although a lacklustre qualifying run – at least by Ed’s lofty standards – means the job of getting to the front will be a little tougher than he’d been hoping for. Regardless, if he can avoid any mishaps and be there at the end, don’t count Carpenter out. He’s a proven oval-track winner in IndyCar racing, and we all know he can jet around IMS.
Starting 19th: Sebastien Bourdais (KV Racing – Chevrolet)
There are few things the now-wizened Frenchman hasn’t won or had a podium finish in world motorsport, but big success at Indianapolis has so far escaped Bourdais, who dominated the Champ Car World Series in the early 2000s. Driving for Jimmy Vasser’s squad who gave Tony Kanaan a winning car two years ago at Indy, Bourdais is a guy to look out for on Sunday. I’d personally love to see him win.
Row 6
Starting 18th: Tony Kanaan (Chip Ganassi Racing – Chevrolet)
After so many years of disappointment, TK’s triumph in 2013 was one of the more memorable victories in recent years. The Ganassi squad were humbled by Penske, Andretti and Schmidt Peterson in qualifying and will look to bounce back in the race. Kanaan knows how to get it done and Indy, and barring mishap, you’d have to expect him to be at or near the pointy end of the field with twenty to go. That’s when he’s dangerous.
Starting 17th: Juan Pablo Montoya (Team Penske – Chevrolet)
The Colombian is the two-time and defending winner of the Indianapolis 500, winning first in 2000 in absolutely dominating fashion before narrowly beating out Australia’s Will Power one year ago in a duel for the ages. Montoya is as wily as veterans come, and given that he’s in Penske equipment, he can’t be discounted anywhere, but especially at Indy. The deep starting position won’t faze JMP at all. He’ll be a contender.
Starting 16th: Charlie Kimball (Chip Ganassi Racing – Chevrolet)
The young American who races with diabetes has shown glimpses of speed in his career, but has lacked consistency – the jury’s out, for mine. Assuming Ganassi gets their qualifying woes turned around for the race, and Kimball keeps his nose clean, he should be in the running for a top five finish at the end of the day. As an American, a big finish at Indy will help IndyCar’s popularity.
Row 5
Starting 15th: JR Hildebrand (Ed Carpenter Racing – Chevrolet)
Hildebrand, on a one-off ride with ECR this May, had the 2011 race won, but crashed in the last corner of the last lap, allowing Dan Wheldon to slide past Hildebrand’s wrecked car for an unlikely victory.
Since then, his career trajectory has plummeted. Surely, that final corner haunts JR to this day, and he will look to put that disaster behind him driving for a team that’s shown plenty of pace at Indy over the last few years. Realistically, a top 15 run would be big for Hildebrand.
Starting 14th: Marco Andretti (Andretti Autosport – Honda)
Lots of folks bemoan Marco’s lack of consistency and suggest that he only has a ride after many winless seasons because he drives for his father. That may well be true, but one thing about the third-generation Andretti is that he always seems to be in contention at Indianapolis.
Andretti Autosport has been a force through practice and qualifying, and a win in the 100th running of a race that’s tormented his family for decades would be an absolutely amazing fairy tale moment. I doubt anyone would begrudge Marco a victory.
Starting 13th: Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing – Chevrolet)
Running the famous Target lightning bolt livery that had so much success in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Queensland-born Kiwi Dixon sat through an engine change before qualifying – one that was completed with just thirty seconds to spare – so perhaps his thirteenth starting spot isn’t quite representative of what he can do. The Ice Man, looking for a second Indianapolis 500 win, will be a big force on Sunday.
Row 4
Starting 12th: Takuma Sato (AJ Foyt Enterprises – Honda)
The speedy Japanese native came oh-so-close to an Indianapolis 500 win a few years back before a turn one crash handed the win to Dario Franchitti. His partnership with A.J. Foyt is one of the more unlikely on pit road, but it seems to work. Sato is always fast, but the real question is whether he can avoid the wall and other cars. If so, starting fourth, he might make some noise.
Starting 11th: Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport – Honda)
Continuing the theme of Andretti Autosport doing well is Rossi, the American rookie who had a taste of Formula One before returning to America. He’s picked up backing from NAPA Auto Parts and the bright yellow machine will be one of the more distinctive in the field of thirty-three.
Let’s see if Rossi can convert an impressive qualifying session into a good run in his first Indianapolis start.
Starting 10th: Oriol Servia (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports – Honda)
The veteran Spaniard impressed everyone in qualifying, securing himself a nice spot on row four. Not bad for a guy who is running just the Grand Prix and 500 at Indianapolis this weekend. Servia’s experienced has obviously helped SPM and with the speed this team has shown, there’s a chance of something special happening on Sunday.
Row 3
Starting ninth: Helio Castroneves (Team Penske – Chevrolet)
A three-time winner of the 500, the popular Brazilian is looking for his fourth victory at Indianapolis, which would elevate him to legend status at IMS. Age doesn’t seem to weary Helio, who has long been a front-runner at Indy. As with Montoya, you count discount a guy who knows what it takes to win at Indy, and who is driving for Roger Penske. Castroneves will be among it, a definite contender.
Starting eighth: Simon Pagenaud (Team Penske – Chevrolet)
If momentum means anything, then Pagenaud must be odds-on favourite for Sunday’s race. The winner of the past three IndyCar Series races has dominated in a fashion we haven’t seen in many years, and it seems incomprehensible to think that we won’t see the bright yellow car in contention. Pagenaud is riding a wave of incredible confidence right now, and it may well end in victory lane at Indianapolis.
Starting seventh: Mikhail Aleshin (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports – Honda)
Not sure what to make of the Russian. He’s certainly fearless, and has shown pace at times, but occasionally makes some ill-advised moves, too. Qualifying was a major success for Aleshin, whose Russian sponsorship saw him sit out 2015, racing instead in Europe, and if the SPM Honda engines are as good in race trim as they were in qualifying, Mikhail might be able to surprise. If he can keep it off the wall, of course.
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