Speed kills
May 24. 12:45 ET.
33 cars go head-to-head at the Brickyard for the 110th Indianapolis 500.
These guys hit 235 mph in race trim.
Qualifying speeds creep over 240.
The average pace holds near 200 mph for all five hundred miles.
Nine past champions are back in the field.
You know the names.
Takuma Sato, winner twice.
Josef Newgarden, two times.
And then there’s Hélio Castroneves with four wins.
It is a crowded room of legends.
The rookies
Four new faces this year.
Jacob Abel, Caio Collet,ennis Hauger, Mick Schumacher.
Abel tried to qualify last year. Failed. Technically still a rookie status wise.
Schumacher draws the highest rookie start. 27th spot.
Hauger takes 29th. Abel slides into 30th.
Collet? Penalized to 32nd.
He qualified 10th. Impressive speed, but unapproved changes got him kicked down the grid.
Funny how fast karma—or race directors—strikes.
Who matters?
Picking who to watch in a 33-car field is tricky.
Or impossible, if you are honest.
We narrowed it down. Nine drivers.
Some have a real shot at their face being carved onto the Borg-Warner Trophy.
Others just have a story compelling enough to make you care.
Even if their odds are long.
Who won’t blink when the checkered flag drops?
In a race this deep, conviction outweighs statistics sometimes.
