Row 11
Driver: James Davison (Australia)
Start Position: 33rd
Car #: 18
Team: Dale Coyne Racing
Sponsor: Geico
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 16th (2014)
Davison finds himself in this year's Indianapolis 500 due to the injury sustained by Sebastien Bourdais during qualifying on Saturday. Davison's goal for this year's race should be to once again bring the car home in one piece. He will be driving the T car for the team, normally the team's road course car, so it should be assumed that the car will not be as fast as the primary car. Even with the engineering aspect of Craig Hampson behind him, expect Davison to be a non-factor and finish mid-pack.
Driver: Zach Veach (United States)
Start Position: 32nd
Car #: 40
Team: AJ Foyt Enterprises
Sponsor: IWIT Championship
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: Rookie
As it should be for all rookies, Veach's goal on Sunday should be to just get some laps in and finish the race. He's struggled for the past week or so. A crash on Fast Friday saw him unable to put a run in on Bump Day, and a rather nerve-wracking run on Pole Day saw him qualify as the slowest in the field. Veach has shown promise in Indy Lights, so hopefully this Mazda Road to Indy graduate will gather it up and put in a strong showing on Sunday.
Driver: Sebastian Saavedra (Colombia)
Start Position: 31st
Car #: 17
Team: Juncos Racing
Sponsor: Automatic Fire Sprinklers
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 15th (2014)
Saavedra, a veteran of several Indy 500s now, returns after an absence from the series in 2016. He is set to run this year's race with the new team Juncos Racing, a team who has found much success in the MRTI series. With a new team learning a new car, Saavedra is not expected to be too competitive this Sunday. Saavedra and Juncos just need to get some laps under their belt and finish the race on Sunday, and, hopefully, Saavedra's backing from Gary Peterson's Automatic Fire Sprinklers company can help him and Juncos go full-time next year.
Row 10
Driver: Buddy Lazier (United States)
Start Position: 30th
Car #: 44
Team: Lazier Partners Racing
Sponsor: The Factory at D1
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 1st (1996)
Buddy's small team, Lazier Partners Racing, seems to be improving year after year. If it had not been for a stuck throttle at the start, he may have been able to keep pace with the field during the race. Lazier received backing from Jeff Teague's gym, the Factory at D1, so hopefully, without any problems, Lazier can be running at the end, a result that the former champion has long deserved.
Driver: Spencer Pigot (United States)
Start Position: 29th
Car #: 11
Team: Juncos Racing
Sponsor: Oceanfront Recovery
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 25th (2016)
Pigot enters his sophomore year at the Indy 500 as the second part of the Juncos team, after his three-race trial with RLL Racing last year saw him receive the road-course drive at Ed Carpenter Racing. As with Saavedra, Juncos' status as a new team on the grid suggests that Pigot may not be in position to be competitive on Sunday, but I still expect this competitive young gun to be be fighting for every position possible. Expect Pigot to be mixing it up mid-pack on Sunday.
Driver: Pippa Mann (England)
Start Position: 28th
Car #: 63
Team: Dale Coyne Racing
Sponsor: Susan G. Komen
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 18th (2016)
Pippa is now an Indy veteran, and she has been steadily improving every year. She was running in the top 10 last year, but the fuel game beat her out and she ended up in 18th. I continue to expect to see improvements in her driving game this weekend, and Pippa could be lined up for a top 15 finish if luck falls her way on Sunday.
Row 9
Driver: Jack Harvey (England)
Start Position: 27th
Car #: 50
Team: Michael Shank Racing with Andretti Autosport
Sponsor: SiriusXM, AutoNation, Gap Guard
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: Rookie
Harvey falls into the same category as Veach for Sunday's race: he should be just looking to finish the race. He's had a turbulent month, with various issues including steering column failure and blown engines hampering the Michael Shank Racing team. He had a solid qualifying run going on Sunday when he brushed the wall. He still managed to place his Honda in the 27th starting position. It will be a hard learning day for Jack on Sunday, but the rookie has the chance to pass it with flying colors as a member of the six car Andretti juggernaut.
Driver: Conor Daly (United States)
Start Position: 26th
Car #: 4
Team: AJ Foyt Enterprises
Sponsor: ABC Supply
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 22nd (2013)
Conor enters the 2017 race with his third different team in as many years, hoping to have his first true uninhibited Indy run. The self-imposed "Bad Luck Conor" nickname sums up Daly's luck at Indy, and he's hoping to turn it around this year. The Foyt team struggled for qualifying pace, but their race pace does seem to be a little better. Still, Conor should focus on finishing the race this year, and hopefully he can sneak into the upper half of the field as attrition takes its toll.
Driver: Gabby Chaves (Colombia)
Starting Position: 25th
Car #: 88
Team: Harding Racing
Sponsor: F.E. Harding
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 16th (2015)
Chaves received a new lease on life for his IndyCar career earlier this year when he was announced as the driver for the new Harding Racing team. Not only does he get the run at Indy this year, but he also will be present at Texas and Pocono as the team ramps up to hopefully a full-time program in 2018. The new team struggled for pace in qualifying, but they have shown promising signs in practice, as the team has been in the top half of the timesheet several times. Chaves' focus for Sunday should be to finish the race once again, and increase his chemistry with his new team, who seems to be his home for the future.
Row 8
Driver: Carlos Munoz (Colombia)
Starting Position: 24th
Car #: 14
Team: AJ Foyt Enterprises
Sponsor: ABC Supply
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 2nd (2013, 2016)
Munoz may very well be the best oval racer in the series. In his four attempts at Indy, Munoz has finished 2nd, 4th, 20th, and 2nd. Unfortunately, it seems to be that Munoz does not have the winning package this year. However, this is Indy, and anything can happen. If anybody can make the Foyt package a winning combo here, it will be Munoz. Expect Munoz to be competing for a top 10 if everything goes well in his race on Sunday.
Driver: Simon Pagenaud (France)
Starting Position: 23rd
Car #: 1
Team: Team Penske
Sponsor: Menard's
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 8th (2013)
The defending champion of the Verizon IndyCar Series has had little luck this month. All month long, Pagenaud has seemed to be down on pace compared to the rest of his Penske brethren. However, any Penske car will still be in contention come race day, and Pagenaud should be no exception. He ran up front for most of 2015, so there is no doubt in his abilities. If he has the race setup down, Pagenaud can still compete for the win on Sunday.
Driver: Josef Newgarden (United States)
Starting Position: 22nd
Car #: 2
Team: Team Penske
Sponsor: hum by Verizon
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 3rd (2016)
Much like Pagenaud, Newgarden has struggled for pace this month. The future of Team Penske also faced challenges when he crashed his #2 hum by Verizon Chevrolet last week during practice. Penske never seemed to trim Josef out for qualifying, so that could explain his rather dismal starting position. Like Pagenaud, Newgarden has the talent to perform well on race day, and it can be expected he will carve his way to the front on Sunday.
Row 7
Driver: Sage Karam (United States)
Starting Position: 21st
Car #: 24
Team: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Sponsor: Mecum Auctions
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 9th (2014)
Karam may very well be the most underrated driver in the field. In 2014, he moved up from the last row to finish 9th. 2015 saw him taken out in a turn one incident, and 2016 saw him charge from the back to the front once again before lack of patience on the part of both Sage and Townsend Bell saw him end up in the Turn 2 wall. Sage has always said he has a better race car than a qualifying car, and he turned in a much better qualifying performance than last year. If he has patience and the car underneath him, Sage can contend for the win on Sunday.
Driver: Jay Howard (England)
Starting Position: 20th
Car #: 77
Team: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Sponsor: Lucas Oil, Team OneCure
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 30th (2011)
Howard returns to IndyCar for the first time since 2011, and with it he brings the Tony Stewart name back to the 500, as Stewart's foundation is part of the Team OneCure initiative backing Howard's entry. He did not finish his only start in the 500, crashing out in the 2011 race. For Howard, Sunday will be about making laps, and, hopefully, pulling the #77 into a top ten finishing position by the end.
Driver: Helio Castroneves (Brazil)
Starting Position: 19th
Car #: 3
Team: Team Penske
Sponsor: Shell Fuel Rewards
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 1st (2001, 2002, 2009)
Helio remains in search of his fourth Indy win to join that exclusive club of Foyt, Unser, and Mears, but it will be challenging if he wants to complete it this year. Helio has been affected by Chevy's lack of speed, and he will have to come from the back on Sunday to win. However, you can never count Roger Penske and Helio out. If he has the typical Penske perfect setup, Helio will be competitive in the top 10 on Sunday.
Row 6
Driver: Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia)
Starting Position: 18th
Car #: 22
Team: Team Penske
Sponsor: Fitzgerald Glider Kits
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 1st (2000, 2015)
This two-time winner has been relegated to Indy-only duty as part of Penske's team for now, but Montoya will still be competitive as ever on Sunday. As the second-highest qualifier of Penske's team, Montoya still has a good shot of victory on race day. In addition, he has little else to care for, as he has no championship to think about, and that may be just the thing Montoya needs to tap into his inner beast. Expect Montoya to be at the front on Sunday, and he will take risks others won't to do so.
Driver: James Hinchcliffe (Canada)
Starting Position: 17th
Car #: 5
Team: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Sponsor: Arrow Electronics
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 6th (2012)
Last's year's pole winner has seemed to struggle for pace this month, but you can never count out the Mayor of Hinchtown in the Indy 500. He bounced back impressively after his horror crash in practice in 2015 last year, and it can be expected that a similar performance should come from Hinch on Sunday if he has the car under him. In addition, Hinch may have the bonus points for best looking car in the field. That may be worth an extra mph or two, right? Look for Hinch to charge to the front from the middle of the sixth row on Sunday.
Driver: Charlie Kimball (United States)
Starting Position: 16th
Car #: 83
Team: Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing
Sponsor: Tresiba
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 3rd (2015)
Kimball is labeled by some as the most controversial driver in the field due to his questionable driving tactics (see incidents with Power at Watkins Glen last year and Long Beach earlier this year) and "pay driver" status, but Charlie's performance at Indianapolis is still impressive nonetheless. Kimball made a mad charge at the end of the 2015 race, and was looking very good to possibly win that race. He was the slowest of the four CGR cars in qualifying, but Kimball still will have the capability to be up front on Sunday.
Row 5
Driver: Max Chilton (England)
Starting Position: 15th
Car #: 8
Team: Gallagher Chip Ganassi Racing
Sponsor: Arthur J. Gallagher
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 15th (2016)
The former Formula One driver for Marussia says he still feels like a rookie at Indianapolis, and that could be understood very easily by a race fan. Nonetheless, Chilton has looked stronger this year than last year, and with a Honda engine behind him and a Ganassi crew in the pit lane, Chilton could be a surprise contender on race day. Expect to see him in the top half of the field on race day.
Driver: Graham Rahal (United States)
Starting Position: 14th
Car #: 15
Team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Sponsor: Steak 'n Shake
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 3rd (2011)
Graham has fought valiantly over the past few years as a single car team in a series dominated by multi-car teams. However, that has set him back on the superspeedways, as Graham has struggled mightily at Indianapolis. The RLL Racing team has worked hard to improve their setups on the superspeedways, but even as a Rahal fan myself, I don't know if Rahal and Servia will have it on Sunday. The son of 1986 champion Bobby has the talent to win, it's just a matter of if he has the car to win.
Driver: Mikhail Aleshin (Russia)
Starting Position: 13th
Car #: 7
Team: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Sponsor: Lucas Oil, SMP Racing
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 21st (2014)
The Mad Russian has taken to ovals extremely well in his two seasons in IndyCar, and he by far is the bravest of the 33 drivers that will take to the track on Sunday. Visions of Aleshin's bare-knuckled qualifying runs last year still dance in my head to this day. Additionally, his performance at Pocono last season showed what he can do when his car is running right. If the Schmidt team gives him a good setup on race day, the other drivers should watch out because Mikhail will be going to the front.
Row 4
Driver: Oriol Servia (Spain)
Starting Position: 12th
Car #: 16
Team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Sponsor: Manitowac
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 4th (2012)
The veteran IndyCar ace Servia is no longer the most famous Spaniard in the field, thanks to the onset of Fernando Alonso. Servia still can make his mark however, as he has proved several times in his career, finishing fourth in 2012 with an underfunded Panther DRR Racing team and sixth in 2011 with the dying Newman/Haas Racing team. Servia is set for his first of three races this year with the RLL Racing team on Sunday, and, like I stated with Rahal, if the RLL Racing team has found the keys to the setup for Sunday, he can be competitive.
Name: Ed Jones (United Arab Emirates/England)
Starting Position: 11th
Car #: 19
Team: Dale Coyne Racing
Sponsor: Boy Scouts of America
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: Rookie
Jones may very well be the biggest surprise of this Month of May. The young rookie has been so impressive in his acclimation to the 2.5 mile oval. Even his veteran engineer, Michael Cannon, has been impressed by his skill. Jones has been strong in both qualifying pace and race pace, and I truly do think Jones can be a top 5 finisher on Sunday. Can Jones beat out Alonso for Rookie of the Year honors? It will be tough, but I certainly believe he can.
Driver: Ryan Hunter-Reay (United States)
Starting Position: 10th
Car #: 28
Team: Andretti Autosport
Sponsor: DHL
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 1st (2014)
The former champion of this race always has strong races here, and this year should be no exception. After a dismal effort in Saturday qualifying, Hunter-Reay roared back to be the quickest non-Fast Nine car on Sunday. Last year, many believed that Hunter-Reay had the best car in the field, and was only thwarted from his second Indy win by pit lane contact with teammate Townsend Bell. Come Sunday, expect RHR to be on a charge to the front, and expect him to be in contention for the win in the final ten laps.
Row 3
Driver: Will Power (Australia)
Starting Position: 9th
Car #: 12
Team: Team Penske
Sponsor: Verizon Wireless
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 2nd (2015)
The closest thing IndyCar has right now to a "bad boy" may very well be Team Penske's best shot to win the race on Sunday. Power had a thrilling duel with Montoya at the end of the 2015 race, and he should be hard to beat if he finds himself in the same position again. He is the lone Chevy in a sea of Hondas, but if those Hondas just so happen to vaporize on Race Day, Power may very well be unbeatable.
Driver: Marco Andretti (United States)
Starting Position: 8th
Car #: 27
Team: Andretti Autosport
Sponsor: United Fiber & Data
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 2nd (2006)
The third step along the Andretti line has had so many struggles in his years at the Brickyard. Last year, the tires were put on the wrong sides, and Andretti had to deal with thirty laps of an evil car which ruined any chance of victory for him. If the curse does not rear its ugly head again on Sunday, Andretti may be in contention for the win on Sunday.
Driver: Tony Kanaan (Brazil)
Starting Position: 7th
Car #: 10
Team: NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing
Sponsor: NTT Data
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 1st (2013)
The fan favorite at Indy is with no doubt entering his final few runs at the Speedway, and that may be the most dangerous thing for any other drivers in the field. Kanaan has been strong every year in the recent past, and it has been various issues such as stripped starter gears or mishandled adjustments that have taken him out of contention. I fully expect TK to be competitive once again on Sunday, and he possibly could take his second win at this famed event.
Row 2
Driver: J.R. Hildebrand (United States)
Starting Position: 6th
Car #: 21
Team: Ed Carpenter Racing
Sponsor: Preferred Freezer Services
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 2nd (2011)
The man who always gets introduced as the one "who came oh so close to winning it in 2011" every year during driver intros is back as a full-timer this year, and he may have his best shot yet to win this race. He and teammate Ed Carpenter were incredibly fast during qualifying using a very odd downforce configuration: they were running almost race-level downforce. If that was the case, the ECR cars could very possibly have incredible pace on Sunday. If J.R. can overcome his relative inexperience in IndyCar racing over the past few years, he may be able to pull it off on Race Day.
Driver: Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Starting Position: 5th
Car #: 29
Team: McLaren-Honda-Andretti
Sponsor: McLaren
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: Rookie
Without Alonso, this month would not have been the month that it has been. His surprise skipping of the Grand Prix of Monaco to come race the 500 is the biggest thing to happen to IndyCar in years, maybe even decades. Even more impressively, Alonso has taken to oval racing like a duck to water, and he ran extremely well in qualifying this past weekend. I fully expect Alonso to be a force on Sunday, and he will be extremely aggressive in his attempt to achieve the second leg of racing's universal triple crown.
Driver: Takuma Sato (Japan)
Starting Position: 4th
Car #: 26
Team: Andretti Autosport
Sponsor: Ruoff Home Mortgage, Panasonic
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 13th (2013, 2015)
Sato has been viewed by some as the most aggressive driver in the series, and his daring moves in 2012 definitely showed that. This year he has access to the best equipment he has had in his IndyCar career, and he proved that with a great qualifying effort. Sato's car will look a little different on race day, as he has picked up sponsorship from Ruoff Home Mortgage for Sunday. If he can keep his aggression in check, look for Sato to be battling for the lead throughout the race.
Row 1
Driver: Alexander Rossi (United States)
Starting Position: 3rd
Car #: 98
Team: Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian
Sponsor: NAPA Auto Parts
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 1st (2016)
The defending champion has proven this month that his win last year was no fluke. His run to knock Alonso off pole on Sunday was electrifying, and with Andretti equipment beneath him, one can expect Rossi to be fighting for the win again on Sunday. However, he loses the expertise of Bryan Herta on his timing stand this year, so that will be a major hurdle for him to overcome. Look for Rossi to be fighting for the lead throughout the race.
Driver: Ed Carpenter (United States)
Starting Position: 2nd
Car #: 20
Team: Ed Carpenter Racing
Sponsor: Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 5th (2008)
The hometown favorite has struggled at the Speedway in recent years, but Ed is hoping to turn that around this year at the Brickyard. Just like teammate J.R., Ed ran an extremely impressive qualifying run with a rather odd downforce level on Sunday, and it may suggest he and his team have a trick up their sleeve for Sunday. Look for Ed to fight hard for the lead throughout the race on Sunday. It can be assured with his background that he wants this race as much as anyone in the field.
Driver: Scott Dixon (New Zealand)
Starting Position: 1st
Car #: 9
Team: Camping World Chip Ganassi Racing
Sponsor: Camping World
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 1st (2008)
This former champion of the 500 is hoping to add his second Indy win to his portfolio on Sunday. Dixie had the fastest qualifying run at Indy since 1996 to put himself on the pole, and you can bet that he will be just as fast come Sunday. Dixie's 2008 win came in a very different type of race, but I still believe the Iceman will be the man to beat on Sunday. If nothing goes wrong for Scott, it is very hard not to think that he would be the favorite to take the victory on Sunday.
In overview, this year's Indy field is very competitive. As you might have noticed, I pretty much said that a driver could be in victory lane at the end, or that they need to focus on just making laps and finishing. Another thing to factor in is the reliability of the Honda motors. Honda officials have yet to determine what is causing the rash of engine failures this season, and going 500 miles could be a concern for these teams. However, between the 10-12 competitive Hondas in the field, I believe at least one will make it through and fight with the Chevys to win on Sunday.
For those of you attending the race on Sunday, enjoy yourselves, be safe, and be proud to be taking part in an American tradition dating back to 1911.
All images courtesy of indycar.com
