2019 Indianapolis 500 — Row-by-row race preview

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis 500 is auto racing’s identical to the Kentucky Derby, the Masters or the Iciness Olympics. All of us music in, even though we have not paid one little bit of consideration to horse racing, golfing, determine skating or, sure, IndyCar racing, the opposite 50-something weeks of the 12 months.

Neatly, just right information, informal Memorial Day weekend race enthusiasts. We are right here for you, happening the beginning grid with our row-by-row, easy-to-learn preview of the 33-car box, full of seven former Indy 500 winners and 6 learners. Be at liberty to memorize so you’ll provoke your family and friends along with your surprising open e book of open wheel racing wisdom.

Methods to watch
When: Sunday, midday ET
TV: NBC

Row 1

Simon Pagenaud
No. 22
Homeland: Montmorillon, France
Staff: Staff Penske
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: Actually, actually yellow
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: He appears and feels like Jean Girard, Ricky Bobby’s “Talladega Nights” archnemesis. Heck, he even lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with all of the NASCAR drivers. However he is no comic story, profitable the 2016 IndyCar championship and simply two weeks in the past the Indy Grand Prix by way of a depraved transfer at the race’s ultimate lap … and he did it within the rain.

Ed Wood worker
No. 20
Homeland: Indianapolis
Staff: Ed Wood worker Racing
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: Royal blue with silver trim
Milk selection if he wins: Complete (he needs buttermilk, the primary milk gulped in Victory Lane by means of Louis Meyer in 1936, however that isn’t a decision)
Why you will have to care about him: The liked fatherland hero is a three-time Indy 500 pole winner and closing weekend got here inside of .003 mph of a fourth. He’s Speedway, Indiana, royalty because the stepson of Tony George, who’s founding father of the Indy Racing League and a grandson of Tony Hulman, the person who stored Indianapolis Motor Speedway from destroy after International Battle II.

Spencer Pigot
No. 21
Homeland: Orlando, Florida
Staff: Ed Wood worker Racing
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: Black with orange lettering
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: His sponsor, AutoGeek, has a symbol at the facet of the automobile of mentioned blonde-headed geek, elbow out the window and cruising down the street in the back of the wheel … and it coincidentally appears precisely like Pigot.

Row 2

Ed Jones
No. 63
Homeland: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Staff: Ed Wood worker Racing
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: Crimson best part, white backside part
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: Born in Dubai, he is technically British however lives in Miami and has a spot in Indianapolis. So, regardless of the place you might be from, he is almost definitely from there, too.

Colton Herta
No. 88
Homeland: Valencia, California
Staff: Harding Steinbrenner Racing
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: White with inexperienced accents and lettering
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: Herta’s father, Bryan, used to be a racer and is now a workforce proprietor. Colton’s workforce proprietor is George Michael Steinbrenner IV, grandson of the risky past due proprietor of the New York Yankees. He additionally makes use of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s trademark slanted No. 88.

Will Energy
No. 12
Homeland: Toowoomba, Australia
Staff: Staff Penske
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: Actually, actually black
Milk selection if he wins: No choice (actually, dude?)
Why you will have to care about him: He is the protecting Indy 500 champion, finishing an extended streak of exhausting good fortune to drink the milk twelve months in the past. Plus, his identify is cool.

Row three

Sebastien Bourdais
No. 18
Homeland: Le Mans, France
Staff: Dale Coyne with Vasser-Sullivan
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Assume bumblebee, black decrease part, yellow best part, black-and-yellow checkered nostril
Milk selection if he wins: 2 %
Why you will have to care about him: Certain, he is a lifelong racer, winner, and survivor. However most significantly his nickname is “Sea Bass.”

Josef Newgarden
No. 2
Homeland: Nashville, Tennessee
Staff: Staff Penske
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: White with day-glo crimson/orange trim
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: As a result of admit it, you idea that with that identify, the 2017 IndyCar champion needed to be from some tiny village in Austria. Nope. He is from Tune Town and grew up close to Reba’s space.

Alexander Rossi
No. 27
Homeland: Nevada Town, California
Staff: Andretti Autosport
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Royal blue and gold
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: When he shocked the racing global by means of profitable the much-hyped 100th Indy 500 as a rookie, many groused that he wasn’t worthy of the fulfillment. He has used that grievance as gasoline, profitable 5 extra races and just about profitable the 2018 IndyCar name.

Row four

Marco Andretti
No. 98
Homeland: Nazareth, Pennsylvania
Staff: Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb-Agajanian
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Forged crimson
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: The month of Might has celebrated the 50th anniversary of Mario Andretti’s Indy 500 win. Since 1969, Mario’s two sons, nephew and now grandson Marco have did not convey a 2d win to the circle of relatives reunion. We are all in poor health of listening to in regards to the Andretti Curse. It would be nice to peer Marco after all finish it.

Conor Daly
No. 25
Homeland: Noblesville, Indiana
Staff: Andretti Autosport
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: U.S. Air Power grey and blue with superior shark tooth at the nostril
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: As a result of he used to be superior on Season 30 of “The Superb Race” with teammate Alexander Rossi.

Helio Castroneves
No. three
Homeland: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Staff: Staff Penske
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: Yellow. Like, large yellow. They even name it the Yellow Submarine.
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: He has been caught on 3 Indy 500 wins for a decade. If he will after all sign up for A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and mentor Rick Mears as the one four-time winners, the 44-year previous wishes to speed up. And, oh yeah, he additionally received “Dancing with The Stars.”

Row five

Marcus Ericsson
No. 7
Homeland: Kumla, Sweden
Staff: Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Black with gold pinstripes
Milk selection if he wins: Fats unfastened
Why you will have to care about him: His vehicle proprietor, Sam Schmidt, is likely one of the maximum inspirational tales in IndyCar historical past. A quadriplegic since a racing crash in 2000, he has turn into a tireless suggest for the paralyzed or even controlled to get again in the back of the wheel of custom-built race vehicle.

Takuma Sato
No. 30
Homeland: Tokyo
Staff: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: White best, combined crimson and yellow nostril and sidepods
Milk selection if he wins: 2 %
Why you will have to care about him: His exciting Indy 500 win in 2017 activate an epically insane birthday celebration all over Japan. Believe that going down once more, however now with David Letterman as his vehicle proprietor.

James Davison
No. 33
Homeland: Melbourne, Australia
Staff: Dale Coyne Racing
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Forged black with a crimson stripe down the backbone
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: His Indy 500 helmet options the insignia of the Royal Air Power to pay Memorial Day tribute to his grandfather, Tony Gaze, who received the Prominent Flying Pass thrice throughout International Battle II and went directly to turn into Australia’s first jet fighter pilot and primary F1 motive force.

Row 6

Tony Kanaan
No. 14
Homeland: Salvador, Brazil
Staff: A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: Crimson, white and blue
Milk selection if he wins: 2 %
Why you will have to care about him: If IndyCar’s most well liked present motive force wins his 2d Indy 500 whilst riding for IndyCar’s all-time most well liked motive force, A.J. Foyt, partying enthusiasts may burn Speedway, Indiana to the bottom.

Graham Rahal
No. 15
Homeland: New Albany, Ohio
Staff: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Darkish blue backbone, white nostril and facets
Milk selection if he wins: 2 %
Why you will have to care about him: When drivers have been requested this week whom they might like see win the race but even so themselves, the commonest solutions have been the closing identify legacy children: Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal, son of 1986 winner Bobby.

Scott Dixon
No. nine
Homeland: Auckland, New Zealand
Staff: Chip Ganassi Racing
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Burnt orange and blue
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: As a result of he is the best IndyCar racer of his era, most likely of all time, with 43 wins and 5 championships.

Row 7

Oriol Servia
No. 77
Homeland: Paris, Spain
Staff: MotorGator Staff Stange Racing w/Arrow
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Racing inexperienced and black
Milk selection if he wins: 2 %
Why you will have to care about him: His helmet carries the picture of Invoice Murray’s “I Need You” Uncle Sam level from the film poster for “Stripes.” Why? As a result of he thinks Murray is superior.

Charlie Kimball
No. 23
Homeland: Camarillo, California
Staff: Carlin
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: Yellow nostril with a blue stripe up the center and white sidepods
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: He is a Kind 1 diabetic who makes use of his racing to turn fellow diabetics they mustn’t let their situation be an excuse to sit down at the sidelines.

JR Hildebrand
No. 48
Homeland: Sausalito, California
Staff: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: Darkish blue with sky blue highlights
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: He may just after all erase reminiscences of probably the most heartbreaking loss in Indy 500 historical past, hitting the wall within the ultimate nook of the overall lap and handing the would-be win over to Dan Wheldon in 2011.

Row eight

Ryan Hunter-Reay
No. 28
Homeland: Citadel Lauderdale, Florida
Staff: Andretti Autosport
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Darkish yellow with crimson trim
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: In 2012, he received the Indy 500 and the IndyCar name however has struggled to copy both since.

Santino Ferrucci
No. 19
Homeland: Woodbury, Connecticut
Staff: Dale Coyne Racing
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Forged white with a black backbone
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: If you happen to like sports activities dangerous boys, then that is your man. Whilst racing in Europe he used to be fined for, amongst different issues, texting whilst riding … his race vehicle.

Matheus Leist
No. four
Homeland: Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
Staff: A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: Crimson, white and blue
Milk selection if he wins: 2 %
Why you will have to care about him: Leist, 20, likes to agitate teammate Kanaan, 44, and boss Foyt, 84, about their age. He not too long ago requested Kanaan what it used to be like racing within the inaugural Indy 500 in 1911.

Row nine

Jack Harvey
No. 60
Homeland: Bassingham, England
Staff: Meyer Shank Racing
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Sizzling purple with black sidepods
Milk selection if he wins: 2 %
Why you will have to care about him: He is a large Celebrity Wars fan who likes to game a T-shirt with a Stormtrooper’s face painted over with the Union Jack within the taste of The Who.

Jordan King
No. 42
Homeland: Warwick, England
Staff: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Black decrease part, white best part
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: He is in his 3rd other race vehicle this month, riding an staying power game vehicle in France, F2 in Spain and now IndyCar in Indiana.

Ben Hanley
No. 81
Homeland: Manchester, England
Staff: DragonSpeed
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: General Evel Knievel, white with starry blue stripes
Milk selection if he wins: 2 %
Why you will have to care about him: If you happen to like underdogs, DragonSpeed are your dudes. That is their first oval race access, and when the France-based workforce left for Indy previous this month, a lot of the workforce used to be grounded access because of visa problems. So, they employed a number of native mechanics upon arrival to Indy.

Row 10

Zach Veach
No. 26
Homeland: Stockdale, Ohio
Staff: Andretti Autosport
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: Black with royal blue and yellow trim
Milk selection if he wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about him: In 2011, at age 17, he wrote a e book “99 Issues Teenagers Want They Knew Earlier than Turning 16.”

Felix Rosenqvist
No. 10
Homeland: Vamamo, Sweden
Staff: Chip Ganassi Racing
Engine: Honda
Automobile colour: White with blue backbone and sidepods
Milk selection if he wins: 2 %
Why you will have to care about him: He had the IndyCar tweet of 2019 when the sequence posted video of a super-frightening close-call near-crash within the St. Petersburg, Florida, season opener, replying, “Needed to pit for brand spanking new lingerie.”

Pippa Mann
No. 39
Homeland: Ipswich, England
Staff: Clauson-Marshall Racing
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: A crisscross cover of blue, inexperienced, silver and orange
Milk selection if she wins: Complete
Why you will have to care about her: She’s the one girl within the 2019 Indy 500, the closing ultimate feminine from the record-setting days previous this decade when 4 ladies made the sector 3 other instances.

Row 11

Sage Karam
No. 24
Homeland: Nazareth, Pennsylvania
Staff: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Engine: Chevy
Automobile colour: Black and darkish yellow
Milk selection if he wins: 2 %
Why you will have to care about him: If this steel-jawed blonde appears acquainted, it is because you could have almost definitely noticed his modeling paintings for the likes of Categorical for Males and Saks fifth Street.