IndyCar barely gets 33 entries for its biggest race ever

Tony George took his hammer to CART and now his family's race get barely get a full field
Tony George took his hammer to CART and now his family's race can barely get a full field

Six drivers whose images are immortalized on the famed Borg-Warner Trophy for winning the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" are among those named to entries filed for the historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race Presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 29.

Thirty-three drivers have been named for the 33 entered cars at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. Honda will provide 17 entries with engines and aerodynamic bodywork kits for the race, while Chevrolet will provide 16 entries with aero kits and engines.

Former Indianapolis 500 champions entered include a pair of multiple winners in Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002 and 2009) and Juan Pablo Montoya (2000 and 2015) of Team Penske. Other past Indy 500 winners entered are: Buddy Lazier (1996) of Lazier/Burns Racing, Scott Dixon (2008) and Tony Kanaan (2013) of Chip Ganassi Racing Teams and Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014) of Andretti Autosport.

Castroneves will try to join one of the most exclusive clubs in worldwide motorsports – four-time winners of the Indianapolis 500. Castroneves is attempting to become the fourth four-time winner of the race, joining A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977), Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987) and Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991).

In all, 19 drivers entered have won at least one race in Indy car competition, including Verizon IndyCar Series points leader Simon Pagenaud, winner of Saturday's Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the IMS road course. Seven entered drivers have won Indy car season championships.

"This year's Indy 500 field contains all of the ingredients and storylines of a legendary race and sets the stage for this historic 100th running," said Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles. "I know IMS fans are looking forward to every minute of practice and qualification action as the stars of the Verizon IndyCar Series compete to drink milk on May 29."

Will foreign born driver Simon Pagenaud win the Indy 500 too
Will foreign born driver Simon Pagenaud win the Indy 500 too? George was against all those 'Furriners' CART had

Indy car season champions entered in the race include four-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion Dixon (2003, 2008, 2013 and 2015), four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais (2004-2007), Montoya (CART 1999) and Verizon IndyCar Series title winners Lazier (2000), Kanaan (2004), Hunter-Reay (2012) and Will Power (2014).

Five rookies with diverse credentials are also assigned to cars, including reigning Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires champion Spencer Pigot, former Formula One driver Alexander Rossi and Mazda Road to Indy graduates Stefan Wilson, Matt Brabham and Max Chilton.

Rookie orientation and veteran refresher programs start on-track action from noon-2 p.m. ET today, followed by practice open to all cars from 2-6 p.m. Practice continues through Friday, with qualifications to set the 33-car field scheduled for May 21-22 and another practice May 23. Miller Lite Carb Day, which includes the final one-hour practice before the race, is set for May 27. The epic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29 airs on ABC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network (11 a.m. ET).

Official Entry List

No. Car Driver Hometown Car Name Aero kit/Engine Entrant
1 2 Juan Pablo Montoya (W) Bogota, Colombia Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet Team Penske
2 3 Helio Castroneves (W) Sao Paulo, Brazil Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet Team Penske
3 4 Buddy Lazier (W) Vail, Colo. Lazier/Burns Racing Chevrolet Lazier/Burns Racing
4 5 James Hinchcliffe Toronto, Canada Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
5 6 JR Hildebrand Sausalito, Calif. Preferred Freezer Fuzzy Vodka Chevrolet Ed Carpenter Racing
6 7 Mikhail Aleshin Moscow, Russia SMP Racing Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
7 8 Max Chilton (R) Reigate, England Gallagher Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing Teams
8 9 Scott Dixon (W) Auckland, New Zealand Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing Teams
9 10 Tony Kanaan (W) Salvador, Brazil NTT Data Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing Teams
10 11 Sebastien Bourdais Le Mans, France Team Hydroxycut Chevrolet KVSH Racing
11 12 Will Power Toowoomba, Australia Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet Team Penske
12 14 Takuma Sato Tokyo, Japan ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda A.J. Foyt Enterprises
13 15 Graham Rahal New Albany, Ohio Steak 'n Shake Honda Rahal Letterman Lanigan with Theodore Racing
14 16 Spencer Pigot (R) Orlando, Fla. RLL/Mi-Jack/Manitowoc Honda Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
15 18 Conor Daly Noblesville, Ind. Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dale Coyne Racing
16 19 Gabby Chaves Bogota, Colombia Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dale Coyne Racing
17 20 Ed Carpenter Indianapolis, Ind. Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet Ed Carpenter Racing
18 21 Josef Newgarden Hendersonville, Tenn. Preferred Freezer Chevrolet Ed Carpenter Racing
19 22 Simon Pagenaud Montmorillon, France Menards Team Penske Chevrolet Team Penske
20 24 Sage Karam Nazareth, Pa. DRR-Kingdom Racing Chevrolet DRR-Kingdom Racing
21 25 Stefan Wilson (R) Sheffield, England Driven2savelives – KVRT Chevrolet KV Racing Technology
22 26 Carlos Munoz Bogota, Colombia Andretti Autosport Honda Andretti Autosport
23 27 Marco Andretti Nazareth, Pa. Snapple Honda Andretti Autosport
24 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay (W) Fort Lauderdale, Fla. DHL Honda Andretti Autosport
25 29 Townsend Bell San Luis Obispo, Calif. Andretti Autosport Honda Andretti Autosport
26 35 Alex Tagliani Lechenaie, Canada Alfe Heat Treating Special Honda A.J. Foyt Enterprises
27 41 Jack Hawksworth Bradford, England ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda A.J. Foyt Enterprises
28 42 Charlie Kimball Camarillo, Calif. Tresiba Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing Teams
29 61 Matt Brabham (R) Gold Coast, Australia PIRTEK Team Murray Chevrolet PIRTEK Team Murray
30 63 Pippa Mann Ipswich, England Susan G. Komen Honda Dale Coyne Racing
31 77 Oriol Servia Pals, Spain Lucas Oil Special Honda Schmidt Peterson with Marotti Racing
32 88 Bryan Clauson Noblesville, Ind. Cancer Treatment Centers of America Honda Dale Coyne / Jonathan Byrd's Racing
33 98 Alexander Rossi (R) Nevada City, Calif. Castrol Edge/Curb Honda Andretti Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian

Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com