The scene is defined, with 33 cars ready for 200 laps of intense competition. A glass of milk is waiting.
Who will arrive in the brick courtyard first in the 109th Sunday race of Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge (10 a.m. and, Fox, Fox Deportes, Fox Sports App, Indycar Radio Network)?
There are a lot of scenarios entering the race. What about the NTT P1 Award winner, Robert Shwartzman? The chances are stacked against him. Only 10 recruit drivers have won in more than a century. Only three of these 10 since 1967, the last Alexander Rossi in 2016. Shwartzman, Nolan Siegel and Louis Foster made their “500” debut.
What about the prosecution by Helio Castroneves of a fifth “500” or Newgarden Josef in the running to become the first pilot to win three in a row?
Castroneves starts 22nd in the Honda n ° 06 for the Meyer rod race with Curb-Agajanian and Newgarden 32nd in No. 2 Shell V-Power Nitro + Team Penske Chevrolet.
We saw 37 consecutive races where the winner came from the 19th or better here, but it is Indy, and this place chooses his winners.
Favorite
Scott McLaughlin (Pennzoil team n ° 3 Penske Chevrolet)
McLaughlin quietly becomes one of the most dangerous oval runners in the NTT Indycar series, and it could simply bring together on Sunday. Its 556 laps led on the oval in 2024 were the most in the series by a massive margin. The teammate Will Power 240 was his closest competitor. McLaughlin led a summit of 66 of the 200 turns in “500” from last year, but finished sixth. He mentioned that he had learned a lot and the experience sharpened his tools for Sunday. He also won two oval victories last season at Iowa Speedway and Milwaukee Mile.
Pato O’Ward (n ° 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)
Finally, the Arrow McLaren driver will win this race. O’Ward has experienced two finalists in the past three years, with four tops in addition to five trials. He begins third, from where the winner “500” came 14 times. Only the winner of the pole has earned more, 21 times.
Scott Dixon (n ° 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)
Dixon is late, with his last “500” victory to come in 2008. The champion of the series six times has six top-six in the last five trials and was fourth, fourth, second and second, respectively, in practice last week.
Alex Palou (n ° 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)
Yes, it is 0-for-27 on the ovals, but it would be a poetic justice for its first oval victory at the Indy 500. Palou led 35 laps but was “taken to school” by Helio Castroneves in his finalist in the 2021 Indianapolis 500. On Tour 69 and was inflicted on a driving penalty for taking the emergency service. In 2023, he started on the post, led 36 laps but was brought an unfortunate blow when the Rinus Veekay car contacted his machine on Pit Road around 94. Palou restarted 28th in the 100th round and joined the fourth. Last year, he climbed the 14th to finish fourth.
Marcus Ericsson (n ° 28 Allegra Honda)
In addition to the crash at the first blow of last year, Ericsson had two top two in the past three years, including his victory in 2022. He begins ninth with what he described as a car that will be in the running to win on Sunday.
Crosspiece
David Malukas (n ° 4 Chevrolet Technologies Golds)
The AJ Foyt Racing driver is generally in the running on the oval, and during his first season with the team, the Malukas qualified seventh.
Santino Ferrucci (houses n ° 14 for our Chevrolet troops)
In six departures from Indianapolis 500, the AJ Foyt Racing driver never finished outside the top 10. He led 11 laps in a third effort in 2023 and finished eighth last year.
Christian Rasmussen (n ° 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet)
The Danish driver was the most final recruit last season in the 12th. In last week training, Ed Carpenter’s racing driver was 11th, 10th, eighth and 14th, respectively on speed graphics.
Takuma Sato (n ° 75 Amada Honda)
How does the starter of second place land as a “sleeper”? For beginners, a part -time pilot has won this race only once since Dan Wheldon obtained the feat in 2011 – Helio Castroneves in 2021. In addition, Sato has an average of 15th in the last four years despite the departures of the 15th, 10th, eighth and 10th, respectively. However, Sato obtained his third qualification effort among the first five last week starting a second. The previous races, he did, he won. He started fourth in 2017 with Andretti Global and was victorious. He qualified third for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing during the victory in 2020. Trends reported that Sato becomes the 11th pilot in “500” history with three victories or more, joining Louis Meyer, Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Johnny Rutherford, Bobby User and Dario Franchitti with three victories each.
Conor Daly (n ° 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet)
Daly said it was the best racing car he had in the “500” since he finished 10th in 2019 with Andretti Global. He was fifth, third and eighth, respectively, last week in practice and begins 13. Daly has three consecutive top 10 in Indy 500, including 69 LED rounds.
