The Race at the Brickyard

It's the last Sunday in May, which only means one thing.  Yes, it's Memorial Day Weekend.  But it's also the greatest day in racing.  The Monte Carlo Grand Prix in the morning, the Indy 500 in the afternoon, and the Coca-Cola 600 starting in the evening and running well into the night.  A full day of watching cars go around in circles (at least in Indianapolis and Charlotte).  A day that includes the Greatest Spectacle In Racing.

This year's Indy 500 marks the end of an era.  Tony Kanaan will retire after the race.  This is his 22nd consecutive (and last) Indianapolis 500.  He led the race in each of his first seven trips to the Brickyard and finally won in 2013.  More significantly, he's an all-around good guy and my favorite Indy Car driver.  And now he's retiring.  Yet another sign that I'm getting old.

TK is one of nine former champions in the field.  That's nearly a third of the starting grid.  And six of them are starting along the first four rows.  So, it's very possible that we'll somebody become a multi-time Indy 500 champion, joining two-time winner Takuma Sato and Helio Castroneves, with his record-tying four victories at the Brickyard.

The entire front row, however, is guys who've never won at Indy before.  In fact, none of the first five starters has won the race.  And, frankly, pole-sitter Alex Palou has looked very strong all month!  He's gotta be the favorite heading into the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500.  Palou has finished in the top five in four of the five races this season, is coming off a win on the Indy road course, and set the record for qualifying speed.  So, yeah, he's the one to beat.

However, the pole sitter hasn't won since Simon Pagenaud in 2019.  And Palou knows that a great lead-up means absolutely nothing if you don't cross the yard of bricks first after 200 laps.  Just last year, in fact, he started second before falling back to ninth at the finish.  He also placed second after a back-and-forth battle with Helio Castroneves in 2021, so he's handled himself on this stage before.  Which is why I'm still saying he's the favorite.

There are plenty of others capable of winning, though.  Starting with Santino Ferrucci.  Ferrucci challenged Palou's speed throughout the Fast Six qualifying, ultimately ending up fourth on the grid.  He's finished in the top 10 at each of his previous Indy 500 starts, which, combined with his fast car, gives me reason to be high on Ferrucci's chances to be there at the end.

Another potential first-time winner I like is Felix Rosenqvist.  He finished fourth last year and is starting third this year.  The other front-row starter is Rinus VeeKay, who, incredibly, has never started lower than fourth in his four trips to the Brickyard.  He only has one top-10 finish, though, and last year he was last!  I'm not sure what it is about race day.  He obviously has a fast enough car, but, as I was saying about Palou, what difference does that make if you don't put it together when it matters?

Then there's Pato O'Ward and Josef Newgarden.  O'Ward does seem to be on a path that will see him sipping milk in Victory Lane eventually.  In his three previous Indy 500 starts, he was sixth, fourth and second, and he nearly caught Marcus Ericsson at the line in last year's race.  Newgarden, meanwhile, has been a consistent performer throughout his Indy career.  I'm not saying he'll be there at the end.  I wouldn't be surprised if he is, though.

I'm also curious to see how Graham Rahal does.  There were 34 entries in this year's race.  Rahal was the one who got bumped out with literally seconds to go in qualifying.  However, Stefan Wilson suffered an injury in practice and can't run.  Enter Graham Rahal!  Rahal will ride as Wilson's replacement, extending his streak to 16 consecutive Indy 500 starts.  His car obviously wasn't good enough to get him in, but how will he do with his second chance?  In somebody else's car?

Rahal isn't the only one with an impressive streak of Indy 500 starts.  Will Power's also at 16.  Marco Andretti will be in his 17th straight.  Indy's own Ed Carpenter is making his 20th consecutive start.  This is Kanaan's 21st and last.  It's also No. 21 for Scott Dixon.  And, of course, Helio Castroneves has raced here every year since 2001, when he won as a rookie (and again in 2002...the first two of his four sips of milk).

On the opposite end of the spectrum are four rookies looking to do what was last achieved by Alexander Rossi in 2016...winning the Indianapolis 500 in their debut.  Three of them are starting in the back--Agustin Canapino, R.C. Enerson and the amazingly-named Sting Ray Robb.  Then there's Benjamin Pedersen, who made the Fast 12 qualifying and will be starting 11th.  So, he's probably a safe bet for Rookie of the Year.

Speaking of Rookie of the Year, shouldn't it just go to the highest-placing rookie?  I always thought it did until Jimmie Johnson won it last year.  The NASCAR legend was having a good run until an accident on lap 193 knocked him out of the race and he finished 28th.  Four other rookies completed all 200 laps, led by David Malukas in 16th place.  Johnson was Rookie of the Year anyway, I'm guessing mostly because of his name recognition.

Johnson had always said he wanted to race the Indy 500 at least once in his career.  "At least once" clearly means "once."  Because he'll be racing on Sunday.  In Charlotte at the Colca-Cola 600, after making a part-time return to NASCAR after a short-lived retirement (which led to his moonlighting as an Indy Car driver).

As for who'll win at the Brickyard, I keep coming back to one name.  Alex Palou.  He's starting first, which is where he'll also finish.  Palou wins from the pole.