35 drivers entered for Indy 500

Past winner Takuma Sato

Six past winners of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing are among the 35 drivers and car combinations entered for the 102nd Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil.

Three-time champion Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009) and single winners Scott Dixon (2008), Tony Kanaan (2013), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016) and Takuma Sato (2017) are all aiming for another victory this year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with Castroneves looking to become the fourth four-time Indy 500 winner.

With a total of 35 drivers entered for 33 starting spots, bumping will return for the first time since 2011, in a sign of continued growth for the 500 and the Verizon IndyCar Series.

Crown Royal Armed Forces Qualifying Weekend is scheduled for May 19-20 on the 2.5-mile oval. Thirty-three cars will earn a spot in the starting field on Bump Day on Saturday, with their starting positions determined Sunday on Pole Day, including the thrilling Fast Nine Shootout that determines the first three rows of the starting grid.

Danica Patrick will attempt to make her eighth and final start in the 500 and her first since 2011, driving the No. 13 GoDaddy Dallara-Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing.

Patrick, the top-finishing female driver in the history of the race, is retiring as a driver after this event.

Defending race winners Andretti Autosport have the most entries for this year’s race, with five in-house cars and a sixth fielded in partnership with Bryan Herta Autosport. Team Penske, the most successful team in 500 history with 16 victories, has entered four cars.

Four drivers are scheduled to compete for Sunoco Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors: Pietro Fittipaldi, 2017 Indy Lights champion Kyle Kaiser, 2017 Freedom 100 winner Matheus Leist and Canadian Robert Wickens.

Fittipaldi is the grandson of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi and is one of two third-generation drivers, alongside Marco Andretti, on this year’s entry list.

The young Brazilian’s entry for the Indy 500 is in question, however, after an incident during qualifying for the 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps in Belgium. Fittipaldi was lapping in the No. 10 DragonSpeed prototype when he crashed heavily at Eau Rouge.

A statement from the FIA said that Fittipaldi’s condition is not life-threatening, but that he has been hospitalized with suspected fractures to both legs.

Practice for the 102nd Indianapolis 500 opens Tuesday, May 15.

2018 Indy 500 Entry List

All cars use the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series car with Chevrolet or Honda engines and Firestone tires.

(R) – Denotes Indy 500 Rookie of the Year candidate; (W) – Denotes Indianapolis 500 winner