A look at the 33 drivers — in starting order — who will take the green flag in Sunday’s 105th running of the Indianapolis 500.
INDIANAPOLIS — Whenever the big, traditional sporting events pop up on the living room TV, from the Kentucky Derby to the Masters to those midweek midafternoon “WTH are they doing?” Olympic events, everyone loves that one guy in the room who is suddenly the expert on that sport, even though no one in the room has watched that event since the last time it was on, one or four years earlier. Like, when Uncle Earl, who has never left his hometown, is suddenly throwing out gems like, “Well, I knew that guy from Belarus wasn’t going to make it into the 10-meter springboard finals because his splash was too big.” OK, let’s be honest. Everyone kind of hates that guy. Unless they are that guy. So, as we do every May (or last year in August), here’s our Casual Memorial Day Weekend Indy 500 Fan’s Row-by-Row Guide to Sounding Like You Know What You’re Talking About for the 105th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, aka the Indianapolis 500. How to watch When: Sunday, noon ET TV: NBC Scott Dixon 2008 Indy 500 winner No.9 Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand Team: Chip Ganassi Racing Engine: Honda Car color: Burnt orange and blue Milk choice if he wins: Whole Why you should care about him: Because he’s the greatest IndyCar racer of his generation and has a growing argument for greatest ever, with 51 wins and six championships. In fact, you should read this really great story written about him by a really handsome ESPN senior writer. Colton Herta No.26 Hometown: Valencia, California Team: Andretti Autosport Engine: Honda Car color: Black and gold with blur trim Milk choice if he wins: Whole Why you should care about him: Missed beating Dixon for the pole position by a scant.030 mph, which over a 2½-mile racetrack translates to less than 7 feet. In 2019 he became the youngest-ever IndyCar winner and had added three more victories since, including the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 25. Rinus Veekay No.21 Hometown: Hoofddorp, Netherlands Team: Ed Carpenter Racing Engine: Chevy Car color: Black with orange polka dots Milk choice if he wins: Whole Why you should care about him: He won the Indy GP on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course just two weeks ago. His actual last name is Van Kalmthout, but even his family shortens that to “VK,” so to make life easier on American audiences, he goes with Veekay. Ed Carpenter No.20 Hometown: Indianapolis Team: Ed Carpenter Racing Engine: Chevy Car color: Red top half, white sidepods Milk choice if he wins: Whole, but he has long said that he wants buttermilk, a tribute to the first milk gulped in Victory Lane by Louis Meyer in 1936. American Dairy Association Indiana Inc. has said that if he would be willing to try some options prior to the race, it would be open to the idea. Why you should care about him: No one is more beloved among the people of Speedway, Indiana, as Carpenter, who was literally raised at the racetrack. He’s the stepson of Tony George, who oversaw IMS and IndyCar for years, and is the step-grandson of Tony Hulman, the man who saved Indianapolis Motor Speedway from ruin after World War II. Tony Kanaan 2013 Indy 500 winner No.48 Hometown: Salvador, Brazil Team: Chip Ganassi Racing Engine: Honda Car color: Red, white and blue with American Legion sponsorship for Memorial Day Milk choice if he wins: 2% Why you should care about him: He is supposed to be retired, but when Chip Ganassi asked TK to share this ride with NASCAR-turned-IndyCar racer Jimmie Johnson this season as the oval specialist, the 46-year-old jumped at the chance. Alex Palou No.10 Hometown: Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Spain Team: Chip Ganassi Racing Engine: Honda Car color: White with light blue nose and wing Milk choice if he wins: Whole Why you should care about him: He won his very first race with Chip Ganassi Racing, shocking the field at the Birmingham GP on April 18. 1. Scott Dixon,231.685 mph 2. Colton Herta,231.655 3. Rinus VeeKay,231.511 4. Ed Carpenter,231.504 5. Tony Kanaan,231.032 6. Alex Palou,230.616 7. Ryan Hunter-Reay,230.499 8. Helio Castroneves,230.355 9. Marcus Ericsson,230.318 10. Alexander Rossi,231.046 11. Ed Jones,231.044 12. Pato O’Ward,230.864 13. Pietro Fittipaldi,230.846 14. Felix Rosenqvist,230.744 15. Takuma Sato,230.708 16. James Hinchcliffe,230.563 17. Scott McLaughlin,230.557 18. Graham Rahal,230.521 19. Conor Daly,230.427 20. Jack Harvey,230.191 21. Josef Newgarden,230.071 22. JR Hildebrand,229.980 23. Santino Ferrucci,229.949 24. Juan Pablo Montoya,229.891 25. Marco Andretti,229.872 26. Simon Pagenaud,229.778 27. Sebastien Bourdais,229.744 28. Stefan Wilson,229.714 29. Max Chilton,229.417 30. Dalton Kellett,228.323 31. Sage Karam,229.156 32. Will Power,228.876 33. Simona de Silvestro,228.353 Ryan Hunter-Reay 2012 Indy 500 winner No.28 Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida Team: Andretti Autosport Engine: Honda Car color: Dark yellow with red trim Milk choice if he wins: 2% Why you should care about him: In 2012, he won the Indy 500 and the IndyCar title but has struggled to repeat either since. He is married to the sister of former IndyCar and NASCAR racer Robby Gordon. Helio Castroneves 2001,2002,2009 Indy 500 winner No.06 Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil Team: Meyer Shank Racing Engine: Honda Car color: Black top, dark pink (or is it dark purple?) sidepods Milk choice if he wins: 2% Why you should care about him: With three wins in nine years, it once seemed inevitable that he would join Indy’s most exclusive club of four-time winners. But he has been stuck one win behind the big three of A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears for 12 years now. This is his 21st Indy 500 start but first with a team other than Roger Penske’s.
