Pay attention to the drivers in the first two rows. Indy 500 winners have started in spots 1-6 61% of the time. The winner has come out of the front row 45 times, including 2018-20. Twenty times the win started from row two, including defending champion Marcus Ericsson. In five of the past six Indy 500s, the winner has started from the first two rows.
Alex Palou is the polesitter and looks to be the 22nd winner from pole. The last driver to win from the pole was Simon Pagenaud in 2019.
It's very, very difficult to win from the back of the field, which is from the captain obvious department. No driver has ever won from the last row. Winning from rows 8-10? That hasn't happened since the 1930s. Johnny Rutherford is a bit of a standout, finding victory from row 9 back in 1974.
No driver has ever won the Indy 500 starting from positions 18, 23, 24, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33. So, best of luck to Ryan Hunter-Reay, David Malukas, Marco Andretti, Agustin Canapino, Katherine Legge, Christian Lundgaard, Sting Ray Robb, Jack Harvey and Graham Rahal as they try to make history. Marco and Lundgaard started in these non-winning positions last year, too.
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| Me with Katherine Legge in 2006. |
Through five races so far this IndyCar season, there have been no repeat winners. Should Marcus Ericsson, Josef Newgarden, Kyle Kirkwood, Scott McLaughlin or Alex Palou win this Sunday, he would be the first multi-winner of the 2023 season.
Row 1
Alex Palou - No. 10 The American Legion car
Team: Chip Ganassi Racing
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 234.217mph
The Spaniard started second last year but finished ninth after a runner-up finish in the 2021 Indy 500 following a late pass from Helio Castroneves. Palou is the series points leader this season, having won the Indy Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course earlier this month. He'll attempt to sweep the month with the pole/wins at both Indy races.
Rinus VeeKay - No. 21 Bitnile.com car
Team: Ed Carpenter Racing
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 234.211 mph
VeeKay starts in a familiar spot, the middle of the front row where he took the green flag last year. It's a regular occurrence for him, with three consecutive front-row starts at the Indy 500. He's started fourth, third, second and now second again in this race but hasn't finished higher than eighth place (2021).
He'll most likely do better this year after coming in last place with contact 38 laps in.
Felix Rosenqvist - No. 6 Arrow McLaren car
Team: Arrow McLaren
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 234.114 mph
He went to the top of the leaderboard on the first day of qualifying to lead the Fast 12 group. Rosenqvist will look to make it back-to-back Indy 500 wins for Swedish-born drivers should he make it to victory lane.
Row 2
Santino Ferrucci - No. 14 Homes For Our Troops car
Team: A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 233.661 mph
This is Ferrucci's best starting spot in his fifth Indy 500 race; before this year he started no better than 15th. Despite that, he's turned in four top-10 finishes for the big race. Ferrucci finished 10th last year, sixth in 2021, fourth in 2020 and seventh for Rookie of the Year honors in 2019.
Pato O'Ward - No. 5 Arrow McLaren car
Team: Arrow McLaren
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 233.158 mph
He finished second to Ericsson last year at Indy, though second place at Indy isn't much to celebrate for drivers. There's no podium; it's all about the Indy 500 champion. Pato doesn't have a win or pole to his name yet this season, but he's second in points, only six behind Palou, with a consistent run so far.
The 2020 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year finished sixth, followed by his fourth and second-place finishes. Qualifying in row two, O'Ward has put himself in a great position once again to race for the win.
Scott Dixon - No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing
Team: Chip Ganassi Racing
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 233.151 mph
Indy 500 wins: 2008
The six-time IndyCar Series champion won his fifth Indy 500 pole last year and ran a great race. It looked like he was going to finally win that elusive second Indy 500. But he was caught for a speed violation coming into pit lane which shuffled him back in the field and effectively ended his chances at victory.
He's led 665 laps in his 20 Indy 500 starts, the most of any driver in the race's history.
Row 3
Alexander Rossi - No. 7 Arrow McLaren car
Team: Arrow McLaren
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 233.110 mph
Indy 500 wins: 2016
It's a fresh start for Rossi this season with his new team, Arrow McLaren, which has been one of the fastest teams this month. Rossi would love to turn that page with his second Indy 500 victory. He famously won the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016.
Takuma Sato - No. 11 Deloitte car
Team: Chip Ganassi Racing
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 233.098 mph
Indy 500 wins: 2017, 2020
Of the nine past Indy 500 champions in this field, Sato is one of two who has won the race multiple times. He's turned in fast practice times, and qualifying times, the past couple of weeks. If you believe in number patterns, perhaps this is his year to win again, three years in between wins. He's only racing the ovals this season and is no longer a full-time driver in the series.
Tony Kanaan - No. 66 Arrow McLaren car
Team: Arrow McLaren
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 233.076 mph
Indy 500 wins: 2012
One of the biggest fan favorites in the field, this year especially. The 48-year-old will strap in for his final Indy 500 and his final auto race this Sunday. He's started 21 Indy 500 races, with plenty of heartbreak before finally getting his emotional win in 2012. He's qualified well enough to be in the mix for his swan song.
Row 4
Marcus Ericsson - No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz car
Team: Chip Ganassi Racing
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 232.889 mph
Indy 500 wins: 2022
Ericsson put himself down in racing history last year when he became an Indy 500 champion, representing his home country of Sweden. He started fifth last year, so he'll have to work his way up a bit more than last year. He already has a win under his belt this season, taking the season-opener in St. Pete.
He'll look to be the sixth driver, and first since Castroneves in 2001-02, to win back-to-back Indy 500s.
Benjamin Pedersen - No. 55 AJ FOYT RACING/SEXTON PROPERTIES car
Team: A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 232.671 mph
One of four rookies in the field, Pedersen got people to notice when he qualified into the Fast 12 with a chance to vie for the pole. He's part of the legendary A.J. Foyt team and is the highest-starting rookie.
Will Power - No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car
Team: Team Penske
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 232.635 mph
Indy 500 wins: 2018
Power was the only Penske car to make the Fast 12 in qualifying, as some of the team's struggles for the big races over the past few years continue.
Row 5
Ed Carpenter - No. 33 Bitnile.com car
Team: Ed Carpenter Racing
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 232.689 mph
A true hometown boy, Carpenter mostly focuses on running his race team. But the Indy 500 bug still bites him to run the oval each year. He started fourth the past couple of years, and has been a polesitter in the past. He finished 19th last year.
Scott McLaughlin - No. 3 - Pennzoil Team Penske car
Team: Team Penske
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 232.677 mph
The 2021 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year followed that up with three race victories in a solid 2022 season. But in last year's Indy 500, he crashed in turn four in the latter stages of the race for a disappointing 29th-place finish.
McLaughlin is fifth in points this season with a race win under his belt.
Kyle Kirkwood - No. 27 AutoNation car
Team: Andretti Autosport
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 232.662 mph
As a rookie last year, he started 28th but finished 17th racing with A.J. Foyt's team. He already won with his new team this year, taking the checkered flag first on the street course in Long Beach.
Row 6
Conor Daly - No. 20 Bitnile.com car
Team: Ed Carpenter Racing
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 232.433 mph
The Noblesville, Ind. native is a local favorite in the race. He led a race-high 40 laps in 2021 when he finished 13th, to the delight of the crowd.
Josef Newgarden - No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske car
Team: Team Penske
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 232.402 mph
Newgarden has a race win this year as he looks for that elusive Indy 500 victory he's seen other Penske teammates celebrate. He's a two-time IndyCar Series champion with 26 victories to his name and 16 poles.
Ryan Hunter-Reay - No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car
Team: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 232.133 mph
Indy 500 wins: 2014
It's good to see the veteran back in IndyCar even though he doesn't have a full-time ride in the series. He starts in 18th, and when he won in 2014, he started in 19th.
If you believe in Florida karma, his favorite hockey team is the Florida Panthers, which are on an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Row 7
Romain Grosjean - No. 28 DHL car
Team: Andretti Autosport
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 231.997 mph
The F1 veteran is back and doing alright in the IndyCar Series for his second season. He crashed in turn two a little more than 100 laps into the race last year, ending his day early. He ranks fourth in series points this year with two poles already, two top-five finishes and two top-10s.
Helio Castroneves - No. 06 AutoNation SiriusXM car
Team: Meyer Shank Racing
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 231.954 mph
Indy 500 wins: 2001, 2002, 2009, 2021
The four-time winner in the field with his second shot at a "drive for five." He finished seventh last year after starting near the back of the field. He's a veteran in the field in terms or races, Indy 500 wins and age (48). No driver has won five Indy 500s. A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears have all won four of them.
This will be Helio's 23rd start in the race.
Colton Herta - No. 26 Gainbridge car
Team: Andretti Autosport w/Curb-Agajanian
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 231.951 mph
Row 8
Simon Pagenaud - No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM car
Team: Meyer Shank Racing
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 231.878 mph
Indy 500 wins: 2019
Pagneaud is in his second season with Meyer Shank following a successful run with Team Penske. He's won 15 IndyCar races, plus a series championship, but he's yet to win with Meyer Shank. His last race win came at Iowa in 2020.
He'll start his 12th Indy 500 hoping for a repeat of 2019's result.
David Malukas - No. 18 HMD Trucking car
Team: Dale Coyne Racing with HMD
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 231.769 mph
He finished 16th as the youngest driver in the field last year at 20 years old.
Marco Andretti - No. 98 KULR/Curb car
Team: Andretti Herta w/Marco & Curb-Agajanian
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 231.682 mph
For the third season, Marco isn't in the series full-time and comes back to run the Indy 500 as a one-off opportunity, in hopes of driving a car to victory in the race for only the second time in his storied family's history. His grandfather, Mario Andretti, won once in 1969. Marco's father and Andretti Autosport team owner, Michael, never won the race despite several close calls. Marco nearly had the victory as a rookie in 2006 before Sam Hornish Jr. beat him out at the line.
He didn't hide his disappointment in TV interviews on qualifying day as his team just didn't have the speed. He used the word "embarrassing."
No driver has ever won from the 24th position.
Row 9
Devlin DeFrancesco - No. 29 Sodexo car
Team: Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 231.353 mph
He started 20th and finished 24th in last year's race as a rookie.
Agustin Canapino - No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing car
Team: Juncos Holinger Racing
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 231.320 mph
He's a rookie to IndyCar and the Indy 500, but he's won 15 national championships in Argentina in various series.
Callum Ilott - No. 77 Juncos Holinger Racing car
Team: Juncos Holinger Racing
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 231.182 mph
A rookie last year, he was out of the race early with contact. He's also starting a couple of rows back this year.
Row 10
RC Enerson - No. 50 Abel Motorsports car
Team: Abel Motorsports
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 231.129 mph
Another rookie in the field, Enerson is one of three Floridians in the race (along with Kirkwood and Hunter-Reay).
Katherine Legge - No. 44 Hendrickson car
Team: Rahl Letterman Lanigan Racing
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 231.070 mph
Legge is back in the race for the first time since 2013 and the lone female driver in the race. With her qualifying run, she's the fastest woman to ever drive at Indy Motor Speedway. Only nine women have raced in the Indy 500.
Christian Lundgaard - No. 45 Hy-Vee car
Team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 229.649 mph
From Denmark, he's 21 and would be one of the youngest Indy 500 winners in the history of the race. He ranks ninth in season points with one pole, one top-five finish and three top-10s this season.
Row 11
Sting Ray Robb - No. 51 biohaven car
Team: Dale Coyne Racing with RWR
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 229.549 mph
The rookie who's furthest back in the field will make some lists of unique names in the history of Indy 500 drivers. The 21-year-old would be one of the youngest Indy 500 winners should he succeed.
Jack Harvey - No. 30 PeopleReady car
Team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Engine: Honda
Qualifying speed: 229.166 mph
Harvey is still looking for his first IndyCar victory, and he'll make a lot of history if he does it here.
Graham Rahal - No. 24 DRR Cusick CareKeepers car
Team: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Engine: Chevrolet
Qualifying speed: 231.648 mph
It was heartbreak for Rahal when his teammate Jack Harvey bumped him from the field with one final qualifying run. Thirty years after his father (and now team owner), Bobby Rahal, was bumped from the race, Graham ended the day with his head in his hands thinking he wouldn't be in the race.
But a practice crash between Legge and Stefan Wilson earlier this week left Wilson with a back injury and out of the race. Relationships between Graham and Wilson, plus the team, are tight, and Graham was selected to drive in Wilson's place. Wilson qualified the No. 24 car in row 9, but the driver change puts Graham at the back.
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