Seven Winners Among Talented Field for 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge
May 01, 2019 | By Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Seven winners are among the field of drivers assigned to 36 cars entered for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Three-time winner Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009) and single winners Scott Dixon (2008), Tony Kanaan (2013), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Takuma Sato (2017) and Will Power (2018) are the past winners aiming for another victory this year in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
The total of 36 cars – an increase from last year – also will result in intense competition for the 33 starting spots during the exciting new qualifying format for the crown jewel of the NTT IndyCar Series.
Crown Royal Armed Forces Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19 on the 2.5-mile oval. Thirty cars will earn a spot in the starting field Saturday. The top nine starting positions and the last three available starting spots – positions 31 through 33 – will be determined Sunday during the Fast Nine Shootout and Last Row Shootout, both of which will air on NBC.
Two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso of Spain returns to the “500” this year with McLaren Racing, attempting to become just the second driver to win the “Triple Crown” of global auto racing with victories in the Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Monaco Grand Prix. Alonso electrified the racing world as an Indy 500 rookie in 2017 by leading 27 laps before retiring with 20 laps remaining due to a mechanical problem. He was named Rookie of the Year.
One of the deepest, most talented fields in recent years also will feature seven drivers competing for Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Rookie of the Year honors: Marcus Ericsson, Santino Ferrucci, Ben Hanley, 2019 NTT IndyCar Series race winner Colton Herta, Jordan King, 2018 Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires champion Patricio O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist.
The field also includes seven past Indy car champions: Sebastien Bourdais, Dixon, Hunter-Reay, Kanaan, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud and Power.
Andretti Autosport has entered five cars, more than any other team. That entry includes the No. 98 U.S. Concrete/Curb Honda fielded by Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb-Agajanian and driven by Marco Andretti, which will feature a vivid, day-glo red livery honoring the 50th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 victory by Andretti’s grandfather Mario Andretti in 1969.
Practice opens Tuesday, May 14.
Visit IMS.com to buy tickets and for more information about all Month of May activities at IMS. NBC will televise live the INDYCAR Grand Prix at 3 p.m. (ET) Saturday, May 11 and the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at 11 a.m. (ET) Sunday, May 26.
2019 ENTRY BREAKDOWN
Winners (7): Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Will Power, Alexander Rossi, Takuma Sato
Rookies (7): Marcus Ericsson, Santino Ferrucci, Ben Hanley, Colton Herta, Jordan King, Patricio O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist
American drivers (15): Marco Andretti, Ed Carpenter, Conor Daly, Santino Ferrucci, Colton Herta, JR Hildebrand, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Kyle Kaiser, Sage Karam, Charlie Kimball, Josef Newgarden, Spencer Pigot, Graham Rahal, Alexander Rossi, Zach Veach
International drivers (20): Max Chilton, Ben Hanley, Jack Harvey, Jordan King, Pippa Mann – England; Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Matheus Leist – Brazil; James Davison, Will Power – Australia; Sebastien Bourdais, Simon Pagenaud – France; Marcus Ericsson, Felix Rosenqvist – Sweden; James Hinchcliffe, Canada; Takuma Sato – Japan; Patricio O’Ward – Mexico; Fernando Alonso – Spain; Scott Dixon – New Zealand; Ed Jones – United Arab Emirates
Engines (36): Chevrolet 18, Honda 18 (all cars use Dallara chassis and Firestone tires)
View Full Entry List