General Thoughts
Going into Sunday's race, the weather forecast is calling for a scorcher. Ambient temperatures will be reaching upwards of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, so track temps are likely to be around 120 to 130 degrees. This will definitely create tire wear concerns among the teams, and with several drivers having expressed concerns about how the cars will handle in traffic in these temperatures, it may pose a sign of a relatively processional race. The threat of rain seems to be diminishing for Sunday as well. If it does rain, it very well might be like how it did on Saturday, with several short showers causing relatively minor delays. As for how the racing is going to be with the new sleek speedway aero kit, the drivers can speak for themselves. Several have stated that this kit produces a lot more turbulence at speed, especially deep in the pack. However, the swap draft effect remains in effect at the front, so it may very well remain exciting up front. Track position will be key on Sunday. Getting to the front will decide if you are competing for a win, which does not bode well for competitors like Rahal and Rossi who are starting from deep in the pack. My prediction remains that the driver in second at the white flag is in the best position to win. Will that come true? We shall see around 3:30 on Sunday.
Now we move onto driver previews. For the casual fans of this race, if you don't have a favorite driver to root for, you should after this section. Each driver will be grouped into one of three categories: Favorites, Dark Horses, and Surprises. Favorites are obviously favorites to win, dark horses are those that can win but will have a hard time doing so, and surprises would be a complete surprise to many if they won.
Driver Previews
Row 11
Driver: Conor Daly (United States)
Start Position: 33rd
Car #: 17
Team: Dale Coyne Racing dba Thom Burns Racing
Sponsor: US Air Force
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 22nd (2013)
This young man of Amazing Race fame finds himself 33rd on the grid after barely sneaking into the field on bump day, bumping out former landlord James Hinchcliffe on bump day. Daly has publicly stated that he needs to finish 5th or better to profit from this year's race, so that is obviously the goal for him. Conor remains a long shot to win on race day, but without a doubt he is one of the fan favorites of the field. If you're looking for him on race morning, he's probably partying in the Snake Pit. This fan of EDM paints his helmet with the logos of the artists playing at each year's event.
Catergory: Surprise
Driver: Alexander Rossi (United States)
Start Position: 32nd
Car #: 27
Team: Andretti Autosport
Sponsor: NAPA Auto Parts
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 1st (2016)
The winner of the 100th Indianapolis 500 might face his toughest challenge yet this year, as the young man from Nevada City, California starts from the last row after a tire was underinflated during his qualifying run. Rossi has taken the lead role for Andretti Autosport this year thanks to several dominating weekends, including an incredible weekend at Long Beach where Rossi led the charts for the entire weekend and dominated the race. However, for Rossi to win his second 500, he might need to employ some strategy; driving through the field from 32nd will probably not happen with this aero kit. He was the second half of Team IndyCar on the Amazing Race this past winter.
Category: Dark Horse
Driver: Jack Harvey (England)
Start Position: 31st
Car #: 60
Team: Meyer Shank Racing
Sponsor: SiriusXM/AutoNation
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 31st (2017)
Harvey returns for his sophomore run at the speedway with the Meyer Shank Racing team, which has long been a force in IMSA sportscar competition. Last year Harvey was caught up in Conor Daly's wreck while driving for a combined effort of Shank and Andretti. This year, he hopes to improve on that finish. Harvey was the runner-up in both the 2014 and 2015 Indy Lights seasons.
Category: Surprise
Row 10
Driver: Graham Rahal (United States)
Start Position: 30th
Car #: 15
Team: Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing
Sponsor: United Rentals
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 3rd (2011)
Another fan-favorite of the field, Graham Rahal returns to Indy once again this year for his 11th start. After struggling to make the field, Rahal will have to crawl his way up the pack to have a shot at winning this race like he did last year. Rahal was running in the top 5 before a tire puncture ruined his chances of a win. His sponsor, United Rentals, donates money to non-profit Turns for Troops with every lap Rahal completes. He is the son of 1986 500 winner Bobby Rahal, and is married to drag-racer Courtney Force.
Category: Dark Horse
Driver: Ed Jones (England)
Start Position: 29th
Car #: 10
Team: Chip Ganassi Racing
Sponsor: NTT Data
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 3rd (2017)
Some would say that this young Englishman deserved the rookie of the year honors last year as a daring run to 3rd place in a damaged car was one of the many great stories from last year's race. That race was one of the performances that impressed Chip Ganassi enough to hire him for the 2018 season. However, Jones has struggled this month so far, and it may very well be as much of a surprise as last year if he ends up in the front.
Category: Surprise
Driver: Jay Howard (England)
Start Position: 28th
Car #: 7
Team: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Sponsor: CSU One Cure
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 30th (2011)
Howard drew the scrutiny of many, including Chip Ganassi, after triggering a wreck that catapulted veteran Scott Dixon out of last year's 500, and is looking to make up for that this year with a solid run. He returns with SPM and his sponsor One Cure to this year's 500, and has a relatively quiet month so far. There was rampant speculation that Howard would be replaced by full-time driver James Hinchcliffe for the race after Hinch failed to qualify, but at the time of writing, it is not expected. In his spare time, Howard runs a development team for karting and lower formulas such as Formula 4.
Category: Surprise
Row 9
Driver: J.R. Hildebrand (United States)
Start Position: 27th
Car #: 66
Team: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Sponsor: Salesforce
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 2nd (2011)
Hildebrand returns to Indy on a one-off only ride once again this year after two full seasons with Ed Carpenter Racing. He drives the second car for 500-only stalwart Dennis Reinbold. Hildebrand should've won the race in 2011, but hit the wall trying to pass Charlie Kimball in the final corner. He brings sponsorship from Salesforce, an IT company whose name adorns the tallest building in Indianapolis. Hildebrand lectures at Stanford when he is not racing.
Category: Surprise
Driver: Oriol Servia (Spain)
Start Position: 26th
Car #: 64
Team: Scuderia Corsa w/Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing
Sponsor: Manitowoc
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 4th (2012)
The veteran Servia returns to Indy this year with the Scuderia Corsa team, also a veteran of sportscar racing. Servia was the test driver for the Honda-engined aero kit test car during the testing program last fall. He bumped out Pippa Mann late in the going during qualifying after struggling with his car for the first two runs of the day. Servia is a huge fan of Salvador Dali, and has Dali's image painted on his helmet.
Category: Surprise
Driver: Zach Veach (United States)
Starting Position: 25th
Car #: 26
Team: Andretti Autosport
Sponsor: Relay Rewards
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 26th (2017)
Veach returns for his second shot at Indy in the first of a three-year deal with Andretti Autosport and his sponsor, the Group One Thousand One and their brands. He is one of the shortest drivers in the paddock, and his youthful appearance often catches fans off guard. Veach has done everything from radio broadcasting to racing in his run up the ladder to IndyCar, and is looking to make a good showing Sunday. After all, any driver in an Andretti car is a dark horse.
Category: Dark Horse
Row 8
Driver: Sage Karam (United States)
Starting Position: 24th
Car #: 24
Team: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Sponsor: WIX Filters
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 9th (2014)
The aggressive young driver from Nazareth, PA enters his fifth 500 looking for something more than what he's had over the previous four. He skipped his high school prom and graduation to finish 9th in 2014, was taken out in 2015, wrecked in 2016, and had an alternator fail in 2017. Karam is fast, confident, and a dark horse to win, if he can keep his patience about him.
Category: Dark Horse
Driver: Stefan Wilson (England)
Starting Position: 23rd
Car #: 25
Team: Andretti Autosport
Sponsor: Driven2SaveLives.com
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 28th (2016)
The younger brother of the late Justin Wilson will make just his third IndyCar start on Sunday. He is by far the tallest driver in the paddock (taking after his brother), and sat out last year's race so that Fernando Alonso could take part in 2017. He was rewarded with a ride with Andretti this year, and looks to make an impact with that team this year.
Category: Dark Horse
Driver: Gabby Chaves (Colombia)
Starting Position: 22nd
Car #: 88
Team: Harding Racing
Sponsor: Harding Group
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 9th (2017)
Chaves returns to Indy with the Harding Racing team that he took to 9th place last year in their first ever race. He hopes to repeat that fact on Sunday with a team stacked with talented advisors such as Larry Curry and Al Unser, Jr. However, the team has not looked as strong this year.
Category: Surprise
Row 7
Driver: Carlos Munoz (Colombia)
Starting Position: 21st
Car #: 29
Team: Andretti Autosport
Sponsor: Ruoff Home Mortgage
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 2nd (2013, 2016)
This talented Colombian returns to try for the crown that has eluded him narrowly twice before. Munoz is among the fastest drivers to have competed at Indy, and his ride with Andretti Autosport makes him that much more of a threat to win.
Category: Dark Horse
Driver: Max Chilton (England)
Starting Position: 20th
Car #: 59
Team: Carlin Racing
Sponsor: Arthur J. Gallagher
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 4th (2017)
Chilton led the most laps in last year's race, but that was when he was driving for Chip Ganassi. This year he drives for new team Carlin Racing, and might have trouble competing as strongly as he did last year. The former F1 driver was initially not very appreciative of Indy-style racing, but after his experience at Indy last year, this young Englishman very much knows what Indy means now.
Category: Surprise
Driver: James Davison (Australia)
Starting Position: 19th
Car #: 33
Team: AJ Foyt Enterprises with Byrd/Belardi/Hollinger
Sponsor: Jonathan Byrd's
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 16th (2014)
The Aussie put this small-hometown effort into the 500 after a crash in practice on Fast Friday. The team worked through the night to have the car repaired at 2am and in the tech line at 4:45am. He was on the bubble late in the session, but survived to qualify for this year's race. Davison gave the #18 car for Dale Coyne a good ride last year, but hopes to finish out the job this year.
Category: Surprise
Row 6
Driver: Robert Wickens (Canada)
Starting Position: 18th
Car #: 6
Team: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Sponsor: Lucas Oil
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: Rookie
The surprise of 2018 has been Robert Wickens. The rookie took his first pole in the first race of the year at St. Petersburg, and has been fast everywhere else. He was among the first to console his good friend Hinchcliffe after James failed to qualify on Saturday. Robert has spent the last couple years in DTM, a league at least as competitive as IndyCar. Wickens represents the best hope for SPM in Sunday's race.
Category: Dark Horse
Driver: Kyle Kaiser (United States)
Starting Position: 17th
Car #: 32
Team: Juncos Racing
Sponsor: NFP
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: Rookie
Kaiser rolls into this year's 500 after what has been an impressive start to his rookie campaign. He qualified much better than expected for Juncos Racing, who is just now entering their second year of IndyCar competition. Kaiser was last year's Indy Lights champion.
Category: Surprise
Driver: Takuma Sato (Japan)
Starting Position: 16th
Car #: 30
Team: Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing
Sponsor: Mi-Jack/Panasonic
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 1st (2017)
The defending champion of last year's race looks to repeat his crown after moving to RLL Racing over the winter. Sato has been the quickest of the Rahal cars all month long and represents their best shot to win. However, his midpack starting position poses issues for Sato being at the front on race day. For that reason, Taku remains a dark horse to win on Sunday.
Category: Dark Horse
Row 5
Driver: Charlie Kimball (United States)
Starting Position: 15th
Car #: 23
Team: Carlin Racing
Sponsor: Fiasp
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 3rd (2015)
Kimball returns to Indy this year as the second part of the Carlin racing duo, while sporting yet another Novo Nordisk product on his sidepods, Fiasp. Kimball ran up front in 2015 and was vying for the win with the Penskes that year. He was the driver that J.R. Hildebrand tried to pass in the final corner of the 2011 race, producing infamous results.
Category: Surprise
Driver: Ryan Hunter-Reay (United States)
Starting Position: 14th
Car #: 28
Team: Andretti Autosport
Sponsor: DHL Supply
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 1st (2014)
Hunter-Reay has won at Indy before, and looks to do it again this year. His thrilling finish with Castroneves in 2014 was among the best racing ever seen at IMS. With Andretti engineering behind him, RHR remains a favorite to win on race day.
Category: Favorite
Driver: Zachary Claman de Melo (Canada)
Starting Position: 13th
Car #: 19
Team: Dale Coyne Racing
Sponsor: Paysafe
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: Rookie
Better known as ZCD, Claman de Melo ends up in this year's 500 field after scheduled driver Pietro Fittipaldi suffered a bone-breaking crash during qualifying for the 6 Hours of Spa World Endurance Challenge race. He impressed with a solid run during qualifying on pole day, and is looking to gain rookie of the year honors in his first race at the Brickyard. Claman de Melo's lucky number is 13, so he is very happy about his starting position.
Category: Surprise
Row 4
Driver: Marco Andretti (United States)
Starting Position: 12th
Car #: 98
Team: Andretti-Herta Autosport
Sponsor: US Concrete
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 2nd (2006)
Marco is now a grizzly Indy veteran, and is looking to make his mark on the family legacy still. Everyone remembers how he almost beat Sam Hornish, Jr. to the flag in 2006, but he has yet to repeat that since. Everything from flips to misplaced tires have cost Marco a shot at victory at Indy, and it remains to be seen if everything will blow his way on race day.
Category: Dark Horse
Driver: Matheus Leist (Brazil)
Starting Position: 11th
Car #: 4
Team: AJ Foyt Enterprises
Sponsor: ABC Supply
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: Rookie
The winner of last year's Freedom 100 takes to the track for his first 500 on Sunday, and he's had a good month already. Fast in practice, fast in qualifying, and make AJ smile himself. Matheus has done all of that this month, in addition to being the target of a chia pet joke between reporter Dave Furst and his mentor and teammate, Tony Kanaan. Leist remains a surprise to win on Sunday, but he does have a great deal of potential.
Category: Surprise
Driver: Tony Kanaan (Brazil)
Starting Position: 10th
Car #: 14
Team: AJ Foyt Enterprises
Sponsor: ABC Supply
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 1st (2013)
I can still remember the day Tony won his Indy 500 - it was the coldest race I've been to! It won't be a repeat of the temperature on Sunday, but TK hopes he can double his wins after 500 miles. He has been fast and relaxed all month, so do not be surprised if TK joins the two-timer club on Sunday.
Category: Favorite
Row 3
Driver: Scott Dixon (New Zealand)
Starting Position: 9th
Car #: 9
Team: Chip Ganassi Racing
Sponsor: PNC Bank
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 1st (2008)
It's been a long time since Scott found victory lane at Indy, but he hasn't let that stop him. The Iceman has been consistently fast at Indy for several years, but luck has never fallen his way. He survived a horrific incident during last year's race when he flew in the air for hundreds of feet, but his robbing at gun-point along with Dario Franchitti at a local Taco Bell last year might beat that out. Scott has not shown great pace during the Month of May, but you can never count him and strategist Mike Hull out of the race.
Category: Dark Horse
Driver: Helio Castroneves (Brazil)
Starting Position: 8th
Car #: 3
Team: Team Penske
Sponsor: Pennzoil
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 1st (2001, 2002, and 2009)
Helio is the winning-est driver in Sunday's field, and has a great shot at adding his name to the four-timers list along with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, and Rick Mears. Helio now drives mainly sportscars for Penske, so there is a great similarity between him and Unser. Unser's fourth win came while driving part-time for Penske, and so might Helio's.
Category: Favorite
Driver: Danica Patrick (United States)
Starting Position: 7th
Car #: 13
Team: Ed Carpenter Racing
Sponsor: GoDaddy
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 3rd (2009)
Danica returns to Indy for her final career race with Ed Carpenter Racing. She hasn't driven here in 7 years, but that's not stopping her. She's been well known for bringing the car home in one piece at Indy, and it's very possible that she does that again. The young lady from Roscoe, Illinois wowed the crowd during my first race in 2005, and she hopes she can do that again during her last in 2018.
Category: Dark Horse
Row 2
Driver: Spencer Pigot (United States)
Starting Position: 6th
Car #: 21
Team: Ed Carpenter Racing
Sponsor: Preferred Freezer Services
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 18th (2017)
The future of Ed Carpenter Racing lies in this man, Spencer Pigot, who was a star in the MRTI ladder system coming up to IndyCar. The 2015 Indy Lights champ has had two shots at Indy, one for RLL and one for Juncos, but this year with Ed Carpenter brings him into the Dark Horse potential realm. Spencer's never had a car this good at Indy, so Sunday will show what he can do with it.
Category: Dark Horse
Driver: Sebastien Bourdais (France)
Starting Position: 5th
Car #: 18
Team: Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan
Sponsor: SealMaster
Engine: Honda
Previous Best: 7th (2014)
One of the all-time greats of IndyCar finally gets his shot at Indy with Craig Hampson engineering his car. The Hampson-Bourdais combo is among the best engineer-driver pairings ever, producing four Champ Car championships, numerous wins, and what should've been a race-winning car for last year's race, until Bourdais hit the turn two wall head-on in a disastrous incident. After rehabbing from his injuries, Bourdais is back, and is leading the Hondas in Sundays race.
Category: Favorite
Driver: Josef Newgarden (United States)
Starting Position: 4th
Car #: 1
Team: Team Penske
Sponsor: Verizon
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 3rd (2016)
Last year's IndyCar champion looks to complete the second half of the Team Penske expectations this year: win his first Indy 500. Newgarden has always been quick at Indy but never has had quite enough. Sunday might be the day that all changes though. Can this fan of the Nashville Predators win his biggest race yet? That remains to be determined.
Category: Favorite
Row 1
Driver: Will Power (Australia)
Starting Position: 3rd
Car #: 12
Team: Team Penske
Sponsor: Verizon
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 2nd (2015)
Much like Josef, Will has always been fast at IMS, but has yet to pull through. He finished 2nd here in 2015 after a late battle with Juan Pablo Montoya saw Will's tires wear too much. He was caught up in a multi-car pile-up late in the race last year. Power is my pick to win this year's race.
Category: Favorite
Driver: Simon Pagenaud (France)
Starting Position: 2nd
Car #: 22
Team: Team Penske
Sponsor: Menard's
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 8th (2013)
Simon also remains one of the bridesmaids of Indy. He led much of the 2015 event until a broken front wing ended his shot at victory. Numerous other issues have also kept him from victory lane, but that won't stop the 2016 IndyCar champion. Simon was recently declared the winner of the autograph battle feud that he and Josef Newgarden had after Simon had Josef pulled over for an "illegal u-turn."
Category: Favorite
Driver: Ed Carpenter (United States)
Starting Position: 1st
Car #: 20
Team: Ed Carpenter Racing
Sponsor: Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka
Engine: Chevrolet
Previous Best: 5th (2008)
Ed starts the 500 from the pole for the third time, and boy does this count as one of the best shots he's had to win to date. With an aero kit that plays into track position, Ed already starts out on the right foot. If they can hit the race day setup right, and Ed can keep his cool, he should be in the mix at the end. A tortoise representing Ed won the "Indy 500" race at the Indianapolis Zoo on Wednesday, so that should definitely show that this is Ed's year.
Category: Favorite
There you have it, the 33 cars and drivers for the Indy 500. If you're looking to make some fun out of the 500, pick one driver from each category and root for them on Sunday. If you're in a group, separate each group into hats and draw randomly! The race is always better when you're rooting for someone. If you're attending the race, enjoy this grand celebration of tradition, patriotism, and speed. It really is something special. For those of you not attending, you can catch the race live on ABC at 11am Eastern time on Sunday. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!
All images courtesy of IndyCar.com
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