To say that Scott Dixon has put 32 issues behind him is a technique to have a look at ranging from the pole place for the Indianapolis 500. It is a good place to be in because it means you begin accountable for the race and clear air in entrance of you, when you can maintain off the opposite two automobiles beginning on the entrance row with you.

Nevertheless, the Indy 500 is not only about pure velocity. It is an endurance race, with ever-changing methods and circumstances, that exams the drivers and their groups at each likelihood it may possibly. It’s a race the place a mistake may be made and you’ll nonetheless by some means find yourself in Victory Lane, or by no means get well from and surprise what may have been.

Within the earlier 105 occasions held, solely 21 instances has the motive force who began first additionally completed first, together with Dixon in 2008, his solely Indy 500 victory. The final driver to do it was Simon Pagenaud in 2019.

Methods to watch the 106th Indianapolis 500

• Date: Might 29
• Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway — Indianapolis, Ind.
• Time: 12 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC
• Stream: fuboTV (attempt totally free)

Who to observe for

The plain driver to favor is Dixon. Not solely has he gained from the pole, his teammates at Chip Ganassi Racing have all confirmed to be persistently quick all through the run as much as the Indy 500. Alex Palou, defending sequence champion, will begin subsequent to Dixon in second, Marcus Ericsson begins fifth, 2013 winner Tony Kanaan sixth and Jimmie Johnson is on the fourth row on the grid in twelfth.

Johnson may very well be the shock right here. He has been fast since his automotive rolled off the transporter, and was third quickest on the Monday following qualifying, when the groups moved the automobiles from qualifying trim to race setup. Additionally it is fascinating to notice that Palou set the quickest tempo adopted by Dixon, giving Ganassi Racing the highest three spots. Johnson had his finest end within the sequence on the Texas oval again in March, working sixth.

The sentimental favourite is Helio Castroneves, who’s the defending champion and goes for a record-breaking fifth win on the Brickyard. He has the guile to get it executed, however is ranging from deep within the discipline within the twenty seventh spot. Whereas luck is a consider each winner of the Indy 500, it might be that Castroneves would merely want an excessive amount of of it for the race to fall into his lap.

That being mentioned, the motive force beginning twenty sixth — Workforce Penske’s Scott McLaughlin — has definitely confirmed himself to be racy on ovals this season, too, so who is aware of? As for Colton Herta, who would have been beginning on the identical row, from the twenty fifth spot, a tough crash on Friday’s Carb Day has set again his fortunes, and his beginning place. And whereas something can occur over the course of 500 miles on the Brickyard, Herta’s hill to climb simply received a bit of steeper. 

Ed Carpenter Racing is all the time fast at their hometown observe, and with Rinus VeeKay beginning third and Carpenter himself fourth they’re proper within the combine because the highest-qualifying Chevrolet-powered workforce. GM’s bowtie division was thought to have an influence benefit heading into the five hundred, however Honda appears to have discovered a bit of one thing additional for the month of Might. Nonetheless, do not low cost Ed Carpenter Racing, or for that matter the McLaren Arrow SP automobiles pushed by Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist. A McLaren hasn’t ended up within the winner’s circle at Indy since 1976 however each of these drivers can change that.

It has been a tough season up to now for powerhouse Andretti Autosport, however Romain Grosjean has been a vivid spot in his first expertise on the Brickyard. The Frenchman, who has raised an eyebrow or two along with his tough driving type, rolls off ninth and can have two-time winner Takuma Sato (who has tussled with Grosjean this season) and 2018 race winner Will Energy within the row with him.

Grosjean’s teammate, 2016 winner Alexander Rossi, and Energy’s Workforce Penske stablemate Josef Newgarden  — who has 22 wins and two season championships in eight seasons however has come up brief on the 500 — are two extra drivers greater than succesful sufficient to seize this race.

There are 33 storylines on the Indianapolis 500. Just one finishes with a giant bottle of milk and fortunately ever after on the finish.