This year's Indy 500 is certainly going to be different than it was last year. Jim Nabors is sick, so "Back Home Again In Indiana" won't be sung live. It'll be on tape instead. No Danica either. She's busy trying to make it in NASCAR. Sadly, there's no defending champion either. Dan Wheldon's tragic fatal accident in last season's finale at Las Vegas devastated the sport. On so many levels. His absence has certainly been felt all month at the Brickyard. It's the first time since 1947 that the Indy 500 champion died before getting a chance to defend his title. (Although 2007 winner Dario Franchitti missed the 2008 race during his Danica-like one-year failed attempt at NASCAR.)
Bump Day was also incredibly unexciting this year. Only 33 cars entered the race. Thus, everybody qualified. For a while, there were worries that they wouldn't even get to a full field, so at least that problem was averted. Even if the entire back row was incredibly slow in qualifying, we've at least got the full 33 cars. That's the Indy tradition. (Although, here's a thought: If they'd had only 32, it would've been really cool to say the final starting spot belonged to Dan Wheldon. They even could've started without anybody on the pole, symbolically leaving it for the defending champ.)
Nevertheless, the Greatest Spectacle In Racing is upon us, and there's no shortage of storylines. J.R. Hildebrand had the race won last year before he crashed on the final turn of the final lap, giving Wheldon the win. Then there's Ryan Hunter-Reay, who got bumped out of the field last year, only to strike a deal to replace another driver. This year, he's starting in the front row. Teammates James Hinchcliffe and Marco Andretti are starting second and fourth, making up for Andretti Autosport's terrible May in 2011. This year's Andretti Autosport is Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Target teammates Scott Dixon and Franchitti, both former champions, are starting in the middle of the field. Franchitti did have the fastest speed during the final practice on Friday, though.
Dixon and Franchitti are two of the three former champions in the race. The third is three-time winner Helio Castroneves, who's got a great chance at No. 4. Helio's starting sixth, right next to Penske teammate Will Power. There's another Penske driver on the pole, Ryan Briscoe, who beat Hinchcliffe by a mere .003 mph in qualifying. Whoever starts on the pole always has to be viewed as a contender for the Borg-Warner Trophy, and this year is no exception. There are plenty of other contenders, though.
It might finally be Tony Kanaan's year. My favorite driver on the series, he's never won the Indy 500 despite leading the race seven consecutive years (2002-08), setting a record. He started 22nd last year and ended up fourth. This year Kanaan starts eighth, right in the middle of the action. If he can keep near the front, stay out of trouble and get a little luck, Tony Kanaan could end up sipping the milk in Victory Lane. (Although, I also fear he might be destined never to win the Indy 500. It's long been a part of Indy folklore that the track picks who wins. Just ask J.R. Hildebrand.)
There are also eight rookies in the field. Who will have a debut like Hildebrand? Or Helio for that matter? (Castroneves won his first two Indy 500 starts.) The smart money's on either Josef Newgarden or Rubens Barrichello. Newgarden had a great qualifying run. He'll start on the inside of Row 3. Barrichello just missed making that Top 9 shootout for the pole. He's starting 10th. Although, I think I like Barrichello's chances in the actual race a little better. Newgarden is the only driver representing Sarah Fisher's team, while Barrichello has two teammates--Kanaan and E.J. Viso. In fact, the three of them are starting eighth, ninth and 10th, giving them the chance to work as a team. If they're running near the front at the end, that could help Kanaan finally get that long overdue victory.
Without Danica, the chances of seeing a woman near the front decreased greatly. However, we do have three women in the field, led by veteran Ana Beatriz. Beatriz has a very good starting position (Inside Row 5), and could definitely be a player. I don't think she has a chance to win, but a Top 10 finish would be a very solid showing. At the very least, she'll probably do better than 21st, which was her showing in each of the last two years. The other women are Simona de Silvestro, who's also making her third Indy start, and rookie Katherine Legge. The fourth woman in last year's race, Pippa Mann (the second coolest Pippa from Great Britain), came to Indy, but didn't attempt to qualify.
As for my pick, I'm going with Kanaan. I don't know why, but I just have a feeling. Yes, he's my favorite IndyCar driver, but that's not the only reason. I also really like Will Power's chances, and Briscoe's looked too good to be counted out. It looks like the two Ganassi cars have figured out their problems, so I'm counting both Franchitti and Dixon as potential sleepers.
I just hope the 96th Indianapolis 500 is another classic. Just like last year's race. And regardless of who wins, they'll become a legend. That's what winning the biggest, most prestigious race in all of motor sports does for you.
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