108th Indy 500: Race Day Form Guide

It’s finally here. We hope to complete 500 miles of racing before the rain intercedes, and regardless of how the weather affects the event, we have clear goals and needs for the 11 teams and 33 drivers set to compete in the 108th Indianapolis 500. Here are a few. Pre-race thoughts to consider:

AJ FOYT RACING

Last year’s 500m stars were at it again with Santino Ferrucci qualifying sixth. It would be too much to ask of the kid from Connecticut to bring Foyt back to where he last finished – a remarkable third – or better at Indy, but that’s the obvious ask from the crew of the No. 14 Chevrolet.

Foyt has done so well that one fan referred to his technical partners at Team Penske as “Foyt B Team”, which is harsh, but it’s the only team – along with Arrow McLaren – stopping them from taking the lead . Sting Ray Robb starts a good 23rd place and with his name in last place in the championship, he must keep the #41 Chevrolet out of the walls and take advantage of the other crashers to leave May with something positive in hand in the points.

ANDRETTI GLOBAL

Andretti’s last Indy 500 win was in 2017 with Takuma Sato, and before that it was Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2014. But they haven’t been close since Alexander Rossi finished second in 2019 Kyle Kirkwood was the only driver on the team to achieve this. in the Fast 12 in 11th and Colton Herta – who is becoming a true oval racer – got 13th. Newcomer Marcus Ericsson, who was expected to lead the team at Indy, had a bad experience with the team falling and being relegated to last place, 32nd, and Marco Andretti to 19th.

This team needs a good result at the Indy 500; he spends too much to achieve second-rate performances. Kirkwood is sneaky, and if he hadn’t been knocked out last year, he was on his way to a brilliant finish. Ericsson has too much work to do to be a pre-race favorite, so he should come back to Herta and Kirkwood to give Andretti a fighting chance.

McLAREN ARROW

A hectic year, a hectic month and all the pressure. Take all the notes from Andretti about spending a ton and not having the big rewards of the Indy 500, and that’s the Arrow McLaren situation. The good news is that they are the No. 2 team at Indy so far with Alexander Rossi (fourth) and Kyle Larson (fifth) and Pato O’Ward (eighth) right behind Team Penske. And now, after a tough 2022 and 2023 to build on, it’s time for the team to be more than bridesmaids.

That’s a lot to ask, and it also carries the hopes of short track and stock car fans that we’ll make history with a Larson win. But Arrow Electronics and the team’s many sponsors were waiting for a breakthrough. In racing, patience for such things is far from infinite.

CHIP GANASI COURSE

So much for the pre-event predictions. The team that virtually owned the last three Indy 500s needed to maintain its form, but that didn’t happen at any point during practice and qualifying. Alex Palou, last year’s pole winner, is the best starter at Ganassi (14th) and Scott Dixon finds himself in the worst place of his career at Indy (21st).

All of this would normally lead to dire predictions for their races, but in low-boost race settings, Honda was much more competitive in Carb Day and Dixon was fastest in the repechage. Does this mean we expect a Ganassi-Honda win, or an Andretti or other Honda riders win? No. There’s still Honda’s famous fuel economy, which is a wild card, but it will take extraordinary driving and luck from Palou and Dixon to topple a field of Penskes, McLarens and others to play for victory.

Rookies Marcus Armstrong and Kyffin Simpson are strong midfield contenders and third signing Linus Lundqvist plays out from the back – he starts 27th – after his fall in training. Of the three, keep an eye on Simpson who, until now, has been adept at flying under the radar and getting rewarded for it.

Separated from Honda, Ganassi has not been its usual self in the Indy 500. Isn’t it strange to go into the race without one or more Ganassi drivers as one of the two or three clear favorites? That said, count the mercurial Kiwi and Spanish at your own risk.

DALE COYNE RACE

It was a big month for Katherine Legge and the introduction of a major new sponsor for the elf Cosmetics series. It’s also Dale Coyne Racing’s toughest and least competitive Indy 500 in history, which is everything Legge didn’t need.

She’s been fast in the past when her car was capable and reminded us of that in 2023 when she was the fastest of the four Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers, but her talent won’t overcome the lack of performance from the only Coyne car which succeeded. in the race.

Staying out of trouble is the only realistic plan for trying to advance on lap 200.

DREYER & REINBOLD COURSE

It’s been a tale of two different events for DRR with all the elation found with Ryan Hunter-Reay and his run to the Fast 12 and constant disappointment for Conor Daly, whose month hasn’t gone as planned.

Hunter-Reay starts 12th, Daly is buried 29th, and while the 2014 Indy winner had a solid carb day and ran where he was going to start, Daly had a glimmer of hope in posting the 22nd fastest lap fast. However, it is quite a difference from his teammate, and barring a miracle, there is little chance that his car will acquire top speed. RHR is a scrappy runner; this is where the RRC will make its presence felt.

ED CARPENTER COURSE

If it hadn’t been for a Hail Mary to get Rinus VeeKay into the Fast 12 in the final hour of qualifying on the opening day of the time trials, all three ECR cars would have been found outside of where VeeKay and team owner/driver Ed Carpenter normally lives.

VeeKay starts seventh, which is encouraging, but Carpenter was again a non-factor throughout the month and starts 17th between Ganassi rookies Armstrong and Simpson. Christian Rasmussen has been all over the map this month and starts 24th.

We know VeeKay has some Sato-style grit, which makes him a pleasure to follow throughout the 500. Carpenter is hoping something happens in the race so he can get back where he belongs, and for Rasmussen, who tore up a ton of equipment during his rookie campaign, he can’t afford to make more mistakes. In a growing theme, it’s up to the reigning Indy NXT champion to show ECR that he can get through a tough race without ripping the fenders or wheels off his car. The talent is there. So far, the possibility of organizing complete races that end in a significant final position is not.

JUNCOS HOLLINGER COURSE

The team that entered Indy without a major sponsor or significant associate signed five companies to adorn the cars of Romain Grosjean (26th) and Agustin Canapino (22nd), which is encouraging after its drivers were more than correct in qualifying. Canapino, in fact, was on the verge of breaking the Fast 12 until his Chevrolet engine suffered the brand’s umpteenth plenum fire and ruined what would have been his greatest achievement in IndyCar.

The Argentine is capable of racing with much bigger teams and more experienced drivers, so if he can execute a smooth afternoon of racing, he has a chance of becoming one of the big players and big stories in the 500 from his second participation. If you like wild cards, Grosjean never disappoints. He will go like hell, attempt daring passes and put on some sort of spectacle. Will this coincide with the end of the race? It hasn’t happened yet in two tries, so while he probably doesn’t want to hear it from his team, focusing on the checkered flag first and foremost is a valid approach to take.

MEYER ROD STROKE

The 2021 Indy 500 winners are having their best May yet with Felix Rosenqvist leading all Honda racers in qualifying. Helio Castroneves (20th) is also doing well, and rookie Tom Blomqvist (25th) was intelligent and measured.

MSR hasn’t really come close to scoring another IndyCar victory since his breakthrough victory with Castroneves, and it seems a stretch to suggest that will happen this year. But, and this is a big caveat, Rosenqvist and MSR have defied the odds in their first four races together – the Swede sits fifth in the championship – and if there is a dark horse in this race, it’s definitely FRO and MSR.

RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACE

If it weren’t for Takuma Sato starting 10th, RLL would embark on the “Indy Recovery Plan 2.0” due to the poor performances of its other three drivers who start between 28th and 33rd. Everyone on the team maintains that they have made progress with their Indy 500 cars since last year’s disastrous outing, and that’s a definite position to take. The only problem is that Indy’s early recovery plan narrowed the gap to the top cars in the field, but the margin was so large that its full-time trio is still buried at the back of the field.

This could see RLL embark on alternative strategies from the start in order to advance Christian Lundgaard, Pietro Fittipaldi and Graham Rahal. Rahal is among the best drivers in the series, so if his car has the capabilities, he will start racing alone. Fittipaldi was feeling positive about his car and his chances after Carb Day, and within RLL he’s the one who really needs to show the team something after a largely forgotten start to the season. Lundgaard is the intriguing one. He is the newest to oval racing, has needed time to understand the intricacies and could be one to watch as he leads his trailing group from 28th place.

But Sato is the real ball of fun to follow. This may be his last Indy 500, and we know without a doubt that the two-time winner will go like hell all the time. Few drivers in this year’s race fall into the “nothing to lose” category, but Sato is at the top of the list. RLL’s hopes rest on his shoulders.

TEAM PENSKE

Don’t fumble with the ball. This is everything Team Penske needs to avoid to win this game. Team Chevrolet brought almighty power to the intense qualifying weekend and its top team dominated with a 1-2-3 finish. Josef Newgarden’s pit crew demolished everyone during the pit stop competition. Pole sitter Scott McLaughlin has his own personal Yoda in Simon Pagenaud who shows him the way. Will Power is eager to win another Indy 500 and has put himself on track to win his third IndyCar championship. And Newgarden, the defending race winner, could easily go back to back.

It’s a tough situation, but if a Penske driver doesn’t emerge victorious later today in the IndyCar Super Bowl, he’ll look a lot like the New England Patriots who beat everyone in 2007 – with one score from 16-0 – only to lose it. all to the New York Giants in the real Super Bowl.