Indianapolis 500 Preview
The 99th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 is set to take place this Sunday. Here is a look at the contenders for the race along with their odds to win.
2010 Indianapolis 500 Contenders (Odds):
Helio Castroneves (5/2)
Castroneves is quite at home at Indy, having won three Indy 500 titles, including the 2009 race. Add to that that he will be starting up front and it is easy to see why Castroneves is the pre-race favorite. Aside from his wins he has placed in the top five of this race six times in nine years. At 5/2, Castroneves still will get you a nice payday for a win.
Scott Dixon (7/2)
Dixon won this 2008 Indy 500 and finished in sixth place a year ago and has two other top six finishes since 2006. Dixon will start sixth in Sunday’s race and he has 22 wins in his IRL career along with 36 top 10’s. Dixon is always among the favorites in an IRL race and he should be near the front as the race draws to an end.
Ryan Briscoe (4/1)
Briscoe’s best finish in the Indy 500 was fifth in 2007. Briscoe ran in the race five times and has finished 10th or worse in the other four races. Briscoe has six wins in his career in six seasons with the IRL along with 35 top-10 finishes. Briscoe will start fourth in Sunday’s race.
Dario Franchitti (4/1)
Franchitti won the rain-shortened 2007 Indianapolis 500. Aside from that win, Franchitti has finished in the top 10 three other times. His best starting spot has been third, which is where he will again start this year. In his seven-year career, Franchitti has won 13 events and 29 top 10’s.
Will Power (6/1)
Power has drive in two Indianapolis 500 events, finishing fifth a year ago and 13th in 2008. Power currently leads the IRL standings, as he has two wins on the season and four top 5’s in five total races. For his IRL career, Power has four wins and 16 top 10’s. Power will start second in this year’s race.
Alex Tagliani (20/1)
Tagliani has had a limited IRL career and appeared in just one Indianapolis 500, as he finished 11th last year after starting 33rd. Tagliani has never won an IRL race in his short career and only has one top-5 finish in 15 career events. Tagliani will start fifth in Sunday’s race.
Marco Andretti (20/1)
Andretti has competed in four Indy 500’s with his best finish coming in 2006, when he placed second. Andretti also finished third in 2008. In 66 career races for the IRL, Andretti has just one win, which game in 2006. Andretti does have 24 top-10’s in his career, but his best finish in 2010 was fifth. Andretti will start 16th in Sunday’s race.
Dan Wheldon 25/1
Wheldon has driven in seven Indianapolis 500 events and he actually won the race in 2005. He also finished second a year ago and third in 2004. In 113 career races in the IRL, Wheldon has 15 wins and 43 top 10’s. Wheldon is currently winless since 2008, but with 25/1 odds, Wheldon could be a good dark horse for Sunday. He will start 18th on Sunday.
Tony Kanaan 25/1
Kanaan has driven in eight previous Indy 500 events and his best finish was second in 2004. He has finished in the top five in four of his eight races, but never won. This year, he will start 32nd. Kanaan has won 13 events in 113 career races with 42 top 10’s. Kanaan has a lot of ground to make up, but as a veteran with success at this track, 25/1 isn’t a bad bet for Kanaan.
Danica Patrick 30/1
Danica Patrick has raced in five different Indy 500s and her top finished came last year, when she took third. Patrick has finished in the top 8 in four of the five races she has competed in. In 86 career IRL races, Patrick has just one win with 41 top 10’s. Patrick will start 23rd on Sunday.
2010 Indianapolis 500 Information
Race Date: Sunday, May 30
Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, Indiana
Pre-Race: 12:00PM ET
Green Flag: 1:11PM ET
TV Coverage: ABC
Radio Coverage: IMS
Track Type: Oval (200 laps)
Previous Winners and winning times:
2009: Helio Castroneves 3:19:34.6
2008: Scott Dixon 3:28:57.7
2007: Dario Franchitti 2:44:03.6
2006: Sam Hornish Jr. 3:10:58.8
2005: Dan Wheldon 3:10:21.1
2004: Buddy Rice 3:14:55.2
2003: Gil de Ferran 3:11:56.9
2002: Helio Castroneves 3:00:10.9
2001: Helio Castroneves 3:31:54.2
2000: Juan Pablo Montoya 2:58:59.4
Push-to-pass could give Indy 500 different look
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Helio Castroneves has everything he needs to win another Indianapolis 500.
A fast car, an experienced team, the pole position and a crew who seem to win the pit contest every year.
This year, Castroneves might need another ingredient for a record-tying fourth victory - good chess moves to outmaneuver the other 32 Indy drivers in Sunday's push-to-pass game.
The push-to-pass button is making its Indy debut this week. On Sunday, drivers will get 15 chances to use the new feature, which provides 18 seconds of extra horsepower. Drivers then must wait 10 seconds before hitting the button again.
I think it makes the game a little more complicated,'' said Gil de Ferran, the 2003 Indy champ and a former teammate of Castroneves. You're adding a degree of difficulty to this race. Typically you spend 450 miles trying to get yourself in position to win, and the last 50 miles you drive with bare knuckles.
The bare knuckles part won't change Sunday, and the button could make that final stretch even tougher.
The trickiest part is no one really knows how it will influence race strategy.
Drivers have not tested the button at Indy and will get their first chance during Friday's final practice. IndyCar officials added the push-to-pass button last season to increase passing. It debuted last August and has been used in all 11 IndyCar races since, proving most effective on the road courses.
This is such a high-speed place anyway and now with the different rules, I think you'll probably run a little closer, so I think it will affect the race, Castroneves said. Normally, you have 20 that last about 20 seconds, and that's half a lap here. So it's going to give you extra power, no question.
Ed Carpenter, making his first start of the season, knows exactly what he wants to do.
The only way I'm using it on defense is if I'm leading the race, he said.
Of course, he'll need to make sure he hasn't used up his 15 shots.
The combination of an extra boost of horsepower, more drafting and tighter racing means Indy's already fast speeds could get even quicker.
It really adds a lot to our racing,'' said Brian Barnhart, IndyCar Series president of competition and racing operations. It's been interesting to watch how that plays on the road courses, but we don't run 200 laps on those like we do here.
Nor do they run on straightaways as long as those on Indy's 2.5-mile oval.
Rick Mears, one of three four-time Indy winners, has an idea of what might happen.
When he was driving in the '70s, '80s and '90s, some cars had unlimited use of a turbocharged booster knob.
The exception is they're regulated by the number of times they can push it, whereas we could do it any number of times but we were regulated by fuel mileage, Mears said.
Come Sunday, there's only one rule - 15 shots at that extra horsepower. As for how drivers will incorporate the button into their race-day strategy is the topic of conversation in Gasoline Alley.
If there's a whole bunch of restarts late in the race, do you use them to protect your position? What do you do? said de Ferran, who co-owns de Ferran Dragon Racing with Roger Penske's son, Jay. I think it's going to make for a very interesting race.
Stay tuned.
Indy 500 Notebook
By Brobury Sports
Repeat winner at Indy 500?
It doesn’t get much bigger than this for racing fans. The famed Indianapolis 500 will take place from Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 1 pm ET on Sunday.
Throw in NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night, and this is one of racing’s biggest weekends of the year!
Here are the favorites for the Indy 500 at BroburySports.com. We also have props like head-to-head matchups and more.
Helio Castroneves (5/2)
The Brazilian Castroneves is the defending Indianapolis 500 champion and three-time winner (2001, 2002 and 2009). He just captured his fourth pole, tying him for second on the all-time list. These odds provide good value even as the solid favorite.
Scott Dixon (7/2)
Dixon is from New Zealand and was the 7/2 favorite to win last year after an Indy victory in 2008. He led for the most laps last year (73) and has been putting up some very fast recent practice times.
Dario Franchitti (4/1)
Franchitti was the 2007 winner. Last year, he led for the third-most laps (50) and had a shot at winning if not for a bad pit stop. The same can be said for Dixon. Both Franchitti and Dixon are good value at these odds.
Ryan Briscoe (4/1)
Briscoe is a big threat from Penske Racing, as is fellow Australian Will Power (6/1). They’re both world class road racers who are adapting to ovals. Briscoe finished 15th at Indy last year, while Power was 5th. The odds for both of these guys do seem a bit overvalued.
Indy 500 Odds
Helio Castroneves (5/2)
Scott Dixon (7/2)
Dario Franchitti (4/1)
Ryan Briscoe (4/1)
Will Power (6/1)
Alex Tagliani (20/1)
Marco Andretti (20/1)
Dan Wheldon (25/1)
Tony Kanaan (25/1)
Danica Patrick (30/1)
Hideki Mutoh (30/1)
Ryan Hunter-Reay (30/1)
Vitor Meira (40/1)
Ed Carpenter (50/1)
Raphael Matos (25/1)
Justin Wilson (100/1)
Mike Conway (100/1)
Takuma Sato (100/1)
Bet on the Indianapolis 500 at BroburySports.com!
Big teams hope extra miles pay off at Indy
May 28, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Finally, the FAZZT race team can focus on the Indianapolis 500.
Friday's Carb Day offers smaller one- or two-car teams their best, and in some cases, only chance, to focus on their race setup. After spending weeks pushing the cars to achieve maximum speed, now it's time to plot how to survive a long day at IndyCar's biggest race.
Last week FAZZT got both of its cars through qualification and into the race. In fact, the team didn't allow Bruno Junqueira to drive FAZZT's second car until Alex Tagliani, who has more sponsorship, qualified.
Tagliani qualified fifth on Saturday. The same team that worked on his car then switched to Junqueira's late that night. On Sunday, Junqueira posted a qualifying time that would have been among the best the previous day.
FAZZT general manager Rob Edwards said his team took special pride in hanging with the big teams.
Having Alex run with Penske and Ganassi as a first-year team, with the resources we've got was a great achievement,'' he said. And then for the guys we've got, the same engineers, to reproduce it on another car - it's a fantastic achievement for all 15 guys.
After all, larger teams benefit from more collective brainpower, data, options and chances to reach the top.
Andretti Autosport had the most cars qualify for Sunday's race, with five, and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing was next, with four. Neither, however, has a car in the top 10.
Fielding a large number of cars was especially important this year because the practice schedule was reduced by a week, putting a premium on maximizing time on the track. Extra miles translates into more information for race setup that can make all the difference.
Let's say we targeted running 100 miles a day, with four cars, Dreyer & Reinbold general manager Larry Curry said. That's 400 miles of information. That means over seven days of the track being opened, that's 2,800 miles. A one-car team would be able to get 700 miles in the same amount of time.
Sarah Fisher got just one of her two cars in when teammate Jay Howard fell short. Fisher said Howard's presence was important because the data his car and team produced could be usable on race day.
It's just people and having ideas, Fisher said. I don't know what their (bigger teams) engineering staff is like, but we have one engineering guy and one data guy per car, and so we were so excited to have a second car because we have two engineering guys and two data guys.
KV Racing Technology qualified three of its four cars. When Paul Tracy failed to qualify, the team took his car apart to provide backup parts for Mario Moraes, E.J. Viso and Takuma Sato.
The most important thing is that if something happens on Carb Day, we've got parts, KV chief mechanic Eric Haverson said. It certainly is not ideal because we wanted to have all of them in the race, but it does make available a good amount of resources.
Indianapolis 500 Driver Profiles
Profiles of the 33 drivers in Sunday's Indianapolis 500, in starting order with car number in parentheses, age, hometown, chassis, race team, four-lap qualification average and biographical information (w-former winner; r-rookie; all chassis Dallara, all engines Honda):
ROW 1
1. (3) w-Helio Castroneves, 35, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Team Penske; 227.970 mph. Defending champion is looking to become the fourth driver to win Indy four times, joining A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears. Third in the points standings. Won earlier this year during the inaugural race at Barber Motorsports Park. Has won at least one race each season since joining the IRL in 2001. Could become the first driver to post back-to-back Indy wins twice. He was the last to go back-to-back by winning in 2001 and 2002. Won TV's ``Dancing with the Stars'' in 2007.
2. (12) Will Power, 29, Toowoomba, Australia; Verizon Team Penske; 227.578. Making his third Indy 500 start. Finished fifth last season. Currently atop the point standings after opening the season with wins in Brazil and St. Petersburg. Former ChampCar driver broke four bones in his back after crashing in practice in California last summer. Joined Penske in 2009 as a substitute for Helio Castroneves before eventually catching on full-time.
3. (10) w-Dario Franchitti, 37, Edinburgh, Scotland; Target Chip Ganassi Racing, 226.990. Won Indy in 2007 in a rain-shortened race while driving for Andretti Green Racing. Defending points champion, captured the title on the final race of the season, edging teammate Scott Dixon by 11 points. Currently fifth in points through five races. Finished in top 10 in each of last four Indy starts. Married to actress Ashley Judd.
ROW 2
4. (6) Ryan Briscoe, 28, Sydney, Australia; Team Penske, 226.554. Making fifth Indy 500 start. Qualified second but finished 15th a year ago due to grip issues. Has just one Top 5 finish at the Brickyard. Finished third in points a year ago but is off to a slow start in 2009. He's seventh in the standings through five races, with his best finish third-place at St. Petersburg. Says winning the 500 is just as important as capturing the points title. Married ESPN NASCAR reporter Nicole Manske in the offseason.
5. (77) Alex Tagliani, 37, Lachenaie, Quebec; FAZZT Race Team, 226.390. Making second Indy 500 start. Was the top rookie last year, finishing 11th while driving for Conquest Racing after replacing Bruno Junqueira. In his first year as a full-time rider for FAZZT Race Team. Currently 12th in points, his best finish was sixth in St. Petersburg. ChampCar veteran with one career win in that series at Road America. Drove a partial schedule last season with a best finish of ninth in Toronto, where he led 21 laps.
6. (9) w-Scott Dixon, 29, Auckland, New Zealand; Target Chip Ganassi, 226.233. Won from the pole at Indy two years ago, when he led 115 of 200 laps. Led 73 laps last year but was passed by Castroneves on lap 142 and faded to sixth. Narrowly missed collecting his third season points title when poor fuel strategy cost him in the season finale at Homestead, allowing Franchitti to take the title. Second in points this year, coming off a win in Kansas on May 1. Parents Ron and Glenys were both dirt track racers. CART rookie of the year in 2001, when victory at Nazareth, Pa., made him at 20 the youngest winner in major open-wheel racing.
ROW 3
7. (30) Graham Rahal, 21, Columbus, Ohio; Rahal Letterman Racing, 225.519. Making third Indy start. Failed to finish the race in both 2008 and 2009. Son of 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal. Spent the last two seasons racing for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. Raced in St. Petersburg, Long Beach and Barber for Sarah Fisher Racing. This is his first race driving for his father.
8. (20) Ed Carpenter, 29, Indianapolis, Ind.; Panther Racing, 224.507. Making his sixth Indy 500 start and his 100th career start in the series. Best finish at the Brickyard was fifth in 2008, when he led three laps. Finished 12th in points last year and narrowly missed picking up his first victory at Kentucky, where he was edged by Ryan Briscoe. Looking for a full-time ride after Vision Racing, owned by his stepfather and IRL co-founder Tony George, suspended operations. Started in midget and sprint cars, finished third in IRL's developmental Indy Lights in 2002 and 2003, including win at Indianapolis in 2003.
9. (06) Hideki Mutoh, 27, Tokyo, Japan; Newman/Haas Racing, 223.487. Making third Indy start. Finished seventh in 2008 while driving for Andretti Green Racing. Struggled this season, comes into the race 17th in points after finishing 11th last year for AGR. Named the 2008 Rookie of the Year after finishing 10th in points. Graduate of the Honda driver development program. Best career finish is second at Iowa in 2008.
ROW 4
10. (99) Townsend Bell, 35, San Francisco, Calif., Chip Ganassi Racing Sam Schmidt Motorsports, 225.097. Came out of nowhere to finish fourth at Indy last year. Hopped from series to series during his nomadic career, including stints in IndyCar in 2004-05 and 2008. Making fourth Indy 500 start. Runs a ``sponsorship coaching'' program when he's not racing, which teaches aspiring drivers how to sell themselves to potential investors.
11. (22) Justin Wilson, 31, Sheffield, England, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, 225.050. Making third Indy 500 start. Has yet to reach the checkered flag in the race. Crashed in both 2008 and 2009. Former ChampCar driver finished ninth in points last season while driving for Dale Coyne Racing. Currently sixth in points, with top 3 finishes at both St. Petersburg and Long Beach. Has also spent time in Formula One. A At 6-foot-3 he's the tallest driver on the IndyCar Series.
12. (2) Raphael Matos, 28, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, de Ferran Dragon Racing; 225.028 mph. In his second IndyCar season after winning series championships in the Formula Dodge, Star Mazda Pro, Champ Car Atlantic and Indy Lights developmental programs. Tied for 10th in points with season-best finish fourth in season-opener at Brazil. Led 3 laps at St. Petersburg. First championship was 2001 Brazilian Chevrolet Formula Junior series.
ROW 5
13. (32) Mario Moraes, 21, Sao Paulo, Brazil; KV Racing Technology-Curb/Agajanian; 224.888 mph. Former karting star, finished second in South American F3 series in 2006 and 14th in the British F3 International Series in 2007. Joined IndyCar Series in 2008. Finished 2009 with four straight top-10 finishes, including IndyCar best of third at Chicago. Was 22nd last year at Indy after placing 18th in 2008. Season-best finish was sixth at Long Beach and is tied for 13th in points.
14. (21) Davey Hamilton, 47, Nampa, Idaho; de Ferran Dragon Racing; 224.852 mph. Making only fourth start, all at Indianapolis, since he was seriously injured in a crash at Texas in 2001 and underwent 21 operations on feet and legs. At the time, he was the only driver to compete in every IndyCar race since league began in 1996. Finished ninth, 14th and 29th at Indy last three years. Best finish in eight races at Indy was fourth in 1998. IndyCar Series runner-up in 1997 and 1998.
15. (24) Mike Conway, 26, Bromley, England, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing; 224.583 mph. British Formula 3 Renault champion in 2004 and British Formula 3 International champion in 2006. Drove two seasons in GP2 Series before joining IndyCar Series last season at St. Petersburg. Best finish in IndyCars was third at Infineon in 2009. Had season-best eighth at Brazil in season opener. Ranks 15th in points.
ROW 6
16. (26) Marco Andretti, 23, Nazareth, Pa.; Andretti Autosport; 224.575 mph. Indy runner-up and rookie of the year in 2006, when he was passed by Sam Hornish Jr. just before the checkered flag. Crashed and finished 24th at Indy in 2007, third in 2008 and 30th last year (handling problems). Had season-best fifth at Alabama after leading 58 laps. Is tied for 13th in points. Only IndyCar win in 70 career starts came at Infineon in 2006. Son of car owner Michael Andretti, grandson of 1969 Indy winner Mario Andretti.
17. (37) Ryan Hunter-Reay, 29, Boca Raton, Fla.; Andretti Autosport; 224.547 mph. IndyCar series rookie of the year in 2007 and Indy 500 rookie of the year in 2008 after finishing sixth. Completed only 19 laps and finished 32nd at Indy in 2009 with Vision Racing. Led 64 of 85 laps at Long Beach to become only driver from team than Penske or Ganassi to win this year. Finished 2nd at Brazil. Fourth in points behind Power, Dixon and Castroneves. Current sponsorship deal only goes for two more races - Indy and Texas. Won three Grand National karting championships in the 1990s.
18. (4) w-Dan Wheldon, 31, Emberton, England; Panther Racing; 224.464 mph. The Indy 500 winner and IndyCar champion in 2005 has not won since Iowa in 2008, a span of 31 races. Was last year's runner-up at Indy, finishing 1.9819 seconds behind Castroneves. Has not led a lap this season despite finishing fifth at Brazil and ninth at Long Beach. Tied for 10th in points with Matos. Former rookie of year in U.S. F2000, Toyota Atlantic, Indy Lights and IndyCar series.
ROW 7
19. (8T) E.J. Viso, 25, Caracas, Venezuela; KV Racing Technology; 224.380 mph. A test driver in Formula One in 2006, he also competed in the European GP 2 Series, winning twice. No wins in 37 IndyCar starts with best finish being fourth at St. Petersburg in 2008. Only top-10 finish in 2009 was seventh at Watkins Glen. Led one lap at St. Petersburg this season, where he finished season-best 12th. Completed 139 laps in first two Indy starts, going out both times with mechanical problems. Indy finishes: 26th in 2008 and 24th last year.
20. (23) Tomas Scheckter, 29, Cape Town, South Africa; Dreyer & Reinbold Racing; 224.261 mph. Making season-debut at Indy. Son of 1979 F1 champion Jody Scheckter. Runner-up in the British Formula 3 championship in 2000 and in Formula Nissan series in 2001. Led 85 laps and was co-rookie of year at Indianapolis in 2002 and finished fourth in 2003. Hasn't led lap at Indy since 2003. Only other top-10 at Indy was seventh in 2007. Only IndyCar wins came at Michigan in 2002 and Texas in 2005.
21. (25) r-Ana Beatriz, 25, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Dreyer & Reinbold Racing; 224.243 mph. Made IndyCar debut in season-opener at Brazil, starting 22nd and finishing 13th. Has not started last four IndyCar races. Spent 2008 and 2009 competing on Indy Lights circuit, becoming first woman to win in series - at Nashville in 2008. Won Indy Lights Rising Star Award in 2008. Finished fifth in South American Formula 3 points in 2006 and won three times in Brazilian Formula Renault Series from 2003-05.
ROW 8
22. (78) r-Simona de Silvestro, 21, Thun, Switzerland; HVM Racing; 224.228 mph. Led 4 laps in IndyCar debut at Brazil before finishing 16th. Was 16th again at St. Petersburg, matching season-best. Finished 21st in first oval race at Kansas and is 20th in points (65). Won four times and finished third in points in Team Stargate Worlds last season. Became second woman to win an Atlantics race, and five career wins make her winningest woman in Atlantics history. Had two third-place finishes in U.S. Grand Prix support races at Indy before joining IndyCar series this season.
23. (7) Danica Patrick, 28, Roscoe, Ill. Andretti Autosport; 224.217 mph. Finished third at Indianapolis last year. Was fifth in point standings last year but has only one top 10 finish this year. First woman to win major open-wheel race with victory in Japan in 2008. Indy and IRL rookie of the year in 2005, when she won three poles and started and finished fourth at Indianapolis. Is only woman to lead the race (2005).
24. (36) r-Bertrand Baguette, 24, Verviers, Belgium. Conquest Racing; 224.189 mph. Is fourth driver from Belgium to qualify for the Indy 500. World Series by Renault 3.5 Series champion in 2009 with five wins. Has driven in three IndyCar races this year.
ROW 9
25. (33) Bruno Junqueira, 33, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. FAZZT Race Team; 225.662 mph. Finished fifth in Indy 500 in both 2001 and 2004. Has not raced in IndyCar this season. Did not drive his car until Bump Day. Won the Indy 500 pole in 2002 and led 32 laps before leaving the race with a gearbox failure.
26. (19) Alex Lloyd, 25, Manchester, England. Dale Coyne Racing; 224.783 mph. Qualified 11th and finished 13th at last year's Indy 500. Has earned 12 points in all five IndyCar races this year. Finished eighth at Homestead-Miami Speedway last year. Won Indy Lights series championship in 2007. Won the developmental series' Liberty Challenge in 2006 and Freedom 100 in 2007, making him the only driver to win on both the oval and road courses at Indy.
27. (34) r-Mario Romancini, 22, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Conquest Racing; 224.641 mph. Won at Milwaukee and Homestead-Miami and was third at Indianapolis in the Firestone Indy Lights series in 2009. Has started all five IndyCar races this season.
ROW 10
28. (43) John Andretti, 47, Indianapolis. Richard Petty/Andretti Autosport; 224.518 mph. Nephew of Mario Andretti and cousin of Michael and Marco Andretti. Finished 19th in last year's Indy 500. Placed ninth at Kansas this year in his only IndyCar race. Best finish in nine Indy 500s was fifth in 1991; only IndyCar win also in 1991 in Australia.
29. (67) Sarah Fisher, 29, Commercial Point, Ohio. Sarah Fisher Racing; 224.434 mph. Became third woman to race at Indianapolis in 2000. Best finish was second at Homestead in 2001. Became first woman to start from pole in a major U.S. race at Kentucky in 2002. Best finish at Indy is 17th last year. Formed her own race team in 2008 and added Jay Howard as a driver this year.
30. (14) Vitor Meira, 33, Brasilia, Brazil. A.J. Foyt Enterprises, 224.388 mph. Holds IndyCar record with 102 career starts without a win. Finished second at Indianapolis in 2005 and 2008 and has been runner-up six other times in his career. Finished third at Sao Paulo this season. Broke his back at Indianapolis last year and missed the rest of the season.
ROW 11
31. (5) r-Takuma Sato, 33, Tokyo. KV Racing Technology, 224.178 mph. Made 91 Formula One starts. Placed third in the U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis in 2008. Finished eighth in the 2004 Formula One World Championship. Is 22nd in point standings heading into Indy.
32. (29) r-Sebastian Saavedra, 19, Bogota, Colombia. Bryan Herta Autosport, 223.634. Is driving in Firestone Indy Lights Series, where he won two races and finished third in points last season. Crashed on last day of Indy 500 qualifying this past Sunday and backed into the field. Found out he qualified while in the hospital. Has been cleared to drive.
33. (11) Tony Kanaan, 35, Salvador, Brazil. Andretti Autosport, 224.072 mph. Finished second in the Indy 500 in 2004 and third in 2003. Was pole winner in 2005. Won points championship in 2004. Crashed and finished 27th in last year's Indy 500. Crashed on both qualifying days this year and barely made it into the field. Is the only driver to lead in each of his first seven starts at Indianapolis.
Indianapolis 500 Betting Preview and Picks
By Greg Engle
The Indianapolis 500 may not have the center stage it once did, but making it to victory lane by winning the Indy 500 is still the greatest triumph an open-wheel racer in America can achieve in their career.
Favorites
Helio Castroneves (+250)
He’s the defending champion of the Indy 500 with last year’s win marking his third victory. Castroneves also has six Top-5 and eight Top-10 finishes at Indy. The Penske Racing driver has looked strong already this season with one victory and, in fact, he has not finished outside the Top 10. He will also start on the pole Sunday - his third at Indy. Helio is not only a favorite, he’s the favorite.
Scott Dixon (+350)
Dixon is another driver who has already visited victory lane in 2010, that coming in the IndyCar Series last stop at Kansas. Other then St. Petersburg, Dixon has finished in single digits in every race this season and is on a roll after Kansas. He started on the pole and went to victory at Indy in 2008 and the Target-Chip-Ganassi Racing driver could very well stage a repeat performance Sunday.
Will Power (+600)
The young Australian is on top of the world. He leads the series with two wins this season and leads the points standings. The Penske Racing driver has made two appearances at Indy. He finished 13th in his first outing and fifth last season. He starts second Sunday. With his progressive finishes the last two years combined with this season’s success to date, Power has to be considered in great shape to win it all Sunday.
Others to watch
Dario Franchitti (+400)
The 2007 Indy 500 winner also has one Top-5 and four Top-10 finishes at Indy. Franchitti started the season slowly but has been showing some improvement lately, finishing second at Kansas. The Target-Chip Ganassi Racing driver is a threat everywhere the series travels and Indy is no exception.
Marco Andretti (+2000)
No doubt having the name Andretti when coming to Indy puts a bit more pressure on Marco, who’s had an up and down record in the 500. In his four starts, he’s finished second, 24th, fifth and 30th last season. In his previous four starts, he’s never started outside the Top 10. He starts 13th Sunday. If he can use that for motivation and draw on his past success the Andretti Autosport driver could just be a contender.
Tony Kanaan (+2500)
TK has never started lower than sixth at Indy and in fact won the pole in 2005. But he’s never won. Sunday he will start 33rd, after barely making the field on bump day. So far this season, Kanaan has not finished outside the Top 10 and he’s come home in the Top 5 in the last two races. If he can avoid trouble and find the speed he was missing leading up to the race, Kanaan might just find that starting outside the Top 6 is the way to go.
Head to head
Simona De Silvestro vs. Danica Patrick
De Silvestro would seem to be easy prey for Patrick who has outrun the Swiss rookie all season. However, Patrick has been less than happy with her car so far this month and has struggled. Despite having poorer finishes, De Silvestro has shown flashes of brilliance this season. She starts ahead of Patrick Sunday and if she avoids trouble she should finish ahead of Patrick as well.
Ryan Hunter-Reay vs. Alex Tagliani
Hunter-Reay has one Top 10 at Indy (a sixth in 2008), while Tagliani has an 11th place finish in his only appearance. Hunter-Reay has a win this season and three Top 5s. Tagliani has three Top 10s so far this season. All signs point to Hunter-Reay winning this battle.
Dan Wheldon vs. Justin Wilson
Wheldon has one Top 5 and two Top 10s. He also won at Indy in 2005 and has three Top-5 finishes in addition. Wilson has two Top 5s and three Top 10s so far this year. In his two appearances at Indy, Wilson crashed out both times. But while one may think Wheldon may have the edge, Wilson starts ahead of Wheldon Sunday. And after his last two disastrous Indy outings, Wilson may have the extra motivation to finish and could surprise Wheldon by finishing ahead of him.