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The most famous motor race in the world takes the green flag for the one hundredth and first time – the Indianapolis 500. Join The Roar for a live blog from 2am AEST.
What a month it’s been at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We’ve seen the fastest qualifying speeds in more than twenty years, the continuing resurgence of the Honda program after years of being dominated by Chevrolet, the debut at IMS of the two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso, and now we await the field of thirty-three crossing the yard of bricks to take the green flag.
Five hundred miles around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a long way, and plenty can happen. Will the Team Penske brigade deliver team owner Roger Penske his seventeenth Indy 500 crown? Can Alonso win on his first attempt? Will JR Hildebrand exorcise the demons of 2011? Will the fabled Andretti Curse finally be broken by Marco? There are storylines galore.
Picking a winner in what is a famously unpredictable race isn’t an easy proposition, despite qualifying and practice speed, but I’ve narrowed down group of six drivers who I think can easily win on Sunday:
Scott Dixon
The Queensland-born New Zealander was the story of the Pole Day qualifying, turning the fastest four-lap set since Arie Luyendyk back in 1996. It seems hard to believe that Dixon’s only tasted Indy 500 victory once in a glittering career, given how often he’s been at the pointy end at IMS. I have a feeling that the Ice Man, driving for the powerhouse Chip Ganassi Racing, is going to be very tough to beat on Sunday.
Helio Castroneves
The three-time Indianapolis 500 champion appeared to discover speed on Carb Day that the Team Penske squad mostly hadn’t displayed all month. The fence-climbing Brazilian was the fastest on a busy and fairly chaotic Carb Day final practice, sending a message to the rest of the field. Helio would join a special club of four-time winners if he can triumph on Sunday.
Ryan Hunter-Reay
The Floridian driving for Andretti Autosport missed the Fast Nine group last weekend in qualifying, but came out on Sunday and set the fourth fastest time, which would’ve slotted him into the fourth starting spot if he’d been a part of the Fast Nine shootout. Instead, RHR will start from tenth, and if he can find that qualifying pace in the race, watch out.
Ed Carpenter
A local product and two-time Indianapolis 500 pole winner, Carpenter is the lone owner/driver in the IndyCar Series, and will start from the middle of the first row. His Chevrolet hasn’t shown the same speed as the Hondas have this month, but Ed is as savvy as they come, and it’d be hard to find a more popular winner than him.
Juan Pablo Montoya
A two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, JPM has something to prove after being removed from his fulltime Team Penske ride to make way for Josef Newgarden. Not sure that there’s a more dangerous chip-on-his-shoulder driver than Montoya. He’ll have the bit between his teeth on Sunday, and in Penske equipment, is going to be there or thereabouts.
Fernando Alonso
Make no mistake, the two-time Formula One World Champion can absolutely win the Indianapolis 500 on debut. It has been a remarkable effort from the Spaniard to adapt to the tricky art of oval racing – which isn’t an easy thing to pick up, no matter what anyone says – and then to be in the Fast Nine and qualify on the second row. He’s going to be a force on Sunday.
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Six other drivers to watch out for
Tony Kanaan: the track would just about erupt if the enormously-popular Brazilian could go to victory lane for the second time.
2Marco Andretti: breaking the fabled Andretti Curse would be an incredible story, after years of futility for Mario and his father Michael after Mario Andretti won in 1969.
JR Hildebrand: lost the race after crashing on turn four of the final lap in 2011, so Indy owes him one.
Will Power: for Australia, it would be a huge moment. For Power, it would confirm what most of us already know, that he’s one of the best IndyCar drivers in history.
Josef Newgarden: the brightest American star to come in many years. An Indianapolis 500 victory would be huge for the Tennessean.
Simon Pagenaud: the defending IndyCar Series champion got his first oval win two races ago at Phoenix.
How will the great race play out? It’s anyone’s guess – all we know is that it’ll be exciting and dramatic, as it always is. Join us Monday morning from 2am AEST to find out!
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