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Now that the field of 33 starters for the 101st Indianapolis 500 is set, let’s take a close look through what is unquestionably one of the most star-studded line-ups we’ve ever seen for the May classic.
Part one is cars in starting positions 33 to 15; join us tomorrow for a preview of the top half of the grid.
33. James Davison (Dale Coyne Racing – Honda)
The second Australian in the field slots in by virtue of injuries sustained by Sebastien Bourdais during Saturday qualifying. With the Frenchman out for the foreseeable future, Dale Coyne has turned his lead car over to Davison, who didn’t post a qualifying time and will therefore start as a tail-end Charlie on Sunday. A clean day and a top-15 finish would feel like a win for this beleaguered squad.
32. Zach Veach (AJ Foyt Enterprises – Chevrolet)
A graduate of the Road to Indy program, Indianapolis 500 debutant Veach is in the third car for the legendary AJ Foyt. The entire month has been a learning process for the Ohioan, and he will look to stay out of trouble on Sunday.
31. Sebastien Saavedra (Juncos Racing – Chevrolet)
The series veteran is on the grid with Juncos Racing, one of the new teams making their first Indianapolis 500 start. The team obviously lacks the experience of the Andretti, Penske and Ganassi squads, but this race is a stepping stone for Ricardo Juncos and his team on the road to a full-time IndyCar program.
30. Buddy Lazier (Lazier Partners Racing – Chevrolet)
The 1996 winner returns as a last-minute entry to the field, as he has customarily done over the last decade. The team is run by his father and is mostly made up of volunteer crewman working on a shoestring budget. Realistically the best this group can hope for is a top-20 finish.
29. Spencer Pigot (Juncos Racing – Chevrolet)
Another Road to Indy graduate, Pigot is one of the brightest stars to emerge in IndyCar for years, and at Indianapolis he will trade in his day job as a road course driver for Ed Carpenter Racing to slot into the second car for Ricardo Juncos. Remember the name.
28. Pippa Mann (Dale Coyne Racing – Honda)
The lone female racer in the field, England’s Pippa Mann is a regular Indianapolis 500 starter with backing from the Susan G. Komen cancer foundation. A top-20 finish would be a huge accomplishment for this once-a-year team.
27. Jack Harvey (Michael Shank Racing – Honda)
Driving for long time sports car team owner Michael Shank and with technical support from Andretti Autosport, Harvey will help the affable Shank realise a long-time dream of racing in the Indianapolis 500. This is another team starting small and hoping to parlay this foot in the door with a full-time program sooner rather than later.
26. Connor Daly (AJ Foyt Enterprises – Chevrolet)
Daly, a local favourite and the son of Formula One driver Derek, is another rising star in the IndyCar world, but he hasn’t had the season to date that he would’ve hoped for. The Foyt squad isn’t anywhere near where we thought it might be, and their switch from Honda to Chevrolet was ill-timed. Still, Daly knows how to get around Indianapolis and may surprise on race day.
25. Gabby Chaves (Harding Racing – Chevrolet)
Another solid if unspectacular veteran, Chaves helps bring Harding Racing to the grid for their first Indianapolis 500 start, and the team will run two more races later this season before a potential full-season effort in 2018.
24. Carlos Muñoz (AJ Foyt Enterprises – Chevrolet)
Twice a runner-up in the Indianapolis 500 with Andretti Autosport – and a serious threat to win on both occasions – Muñoz is with the under-performing Foyt squad this year, and despite their poor qualifying effort, he could potentially challenge for a top-15 finish or better on Sunday.
23. Simon Pagenaud (Team Penske – Chevrolet)
It is genuinely shocking to see the defending IndyCar champion starting this far back. It hasn’t been a good month for Team Penske, and the big question here is whether Roger Penske’s squad has worked out the kinks ahead of race day. Watching the Frenchman slice through the field on race day in his dayglow yellow car might be one of the real highlights.
22. Josef Newgarden (Team Penske – Chevrolet)
Everything I said about Pagenaud above goes for Tennessean Newgarden, whose victory this year at Barber Motorsports Park was his first with Team Penske. The next great American hope for IndyCar will have his work cut out for him on Sunday. Mid-pack can be a treacherous place.
21. Sage Karam (Dreyer & Reinbold Racing – Chevrolet)
Sage is one of the guys IndyCar would love to see in the series all season long. Karam has prodigious speed, but the knock on him has been his often reckless driving, and that’s cost him a full-time ride in recent seasons. If he can keep it off the walls and avoid contact with other cars, the American can open some eyes.
20. Jay Howard (Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports – Honda)
Another Englishman in the field, Howard returns after a long sabbatical in a team that is partially owned by NASCAR star Tony Stewart. Howard has the benefit of good teammates like James Hinchcliffe for data sharing, but we don’t know a whole lot about how he’s going to go on race day. He could surprise but could also circulate near the back of the pack.
19. Helio Castroneves (Team Penske – Chevrolet)
The affable three-time winner starts further back than anyone expected. If Penske finds the pace they’ve been lacking throughout practice and qualifying, Helio is going to be a threat. He always is at Indianapolis and could join an incredibly exclusive club on Sunday with a fourth win. Keep an eye out for that Shell-sponsored machine.
18. Juan Pablo Montoya (Team Penske – Chevrolet)
Making his second IndyCar start for the season, Montoya has something to prove after being pushed out of a full-time Team Penske ride by the arrival of Josef Newgarden. Like Castroneves, if the speed that hasn’t been there all month returns for race day, JPM is going to figure in the final result. He has a chance to win his third Indianapolis 500.
17. James Hinchcliffe (Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports – Honda)
One of the most popular drivers in the field, the Canadian nearly died in a practice incident at Indianapolis two years ago and last year sat on the pole for the 100th running. He has shown reasonable speed throughout the month and could be a sleeper on Sunday for an extremely popular win.
16. Charlie Kimball (Chip Ganassi Racing – Honda)
Kimball has been at or near the top of the timesheets most of the month, and clearly with the Ganassi-Honda package, he has speed. An American driver who’s shown flashes of talent throughout his career, but hasn’t quite broken through. A win Sunday would achieve that.
15. Max Chilton (Chip Ganassi Racing – Honda)
Heading into his second Indianapolis 500 start, the Englishman, a Formula One driver in another life, led the time sheets on the final day of practice, and considering that he’s driving a Ganassi-Honda package, we really shouldn’t count him out. Still, Chilton winning ahead of the rest of his more fancied teammates would be a huge shock.
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