It’s quite possible the winner of the Indianapolis 500 could be a one-off entry and not one of the IZOD IndyCar Series’ regular drivers.
After all, the late, great Dan Wheldon won the race in a one-off entry for Bryan Herta Autosport two years ago.
Programming alert: Coverage of the Indianapolis 500 begins Sunday at 10 a.m. on Sportsnet.| TV schedule
Eight additional drivers will compete in Sunday’s race and two of them start within the top five.
Let’s take a look at these eight drivers and whether or not they have a legitimate shot at winning the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Carlos Munoz
Car Number: 26
Team: Andretti Autosport
Starting Position: 2nd
Best Indy 500 Finish: N/A
After Ed Carpenter took pole position, there was no bigger surprise than seeing rookie Carlos Munoz qualify second. The current Firestone Indy Lights points leader will make his “major league debut” in the Indy 500 front and centre. Munoz was consistently fast during practice sessions and based on his car alone, he should be a contender.
Munoz got some extra track time competing in the Firestone Freedom 100 on Friday. He held the lead on the final lap but came in fourth after a thrilling four-wide battle at the line saw the closest finish in Indianapolis history.
A.J. Allmendinger
Car Number: 2
Team: Team Penske
Starting Position: 5th
Best Indy 500 Finish: N/A
A.J. Allmendinger has a leg up on the competition having raced at Alabama and Long Beach this season as a tune-up for Indianapolis. The former Champ Car star last drove at Indy in NASCAR but the Brickyard track is a much different experience in an IndyCar. Although Allmendinger didn’t impress in his two previous outings this season, he should be familiar with his car by now and factor in the mix when the green flag drops.
Townsend Bell
Car Number: 60
Team: Panther Racing
Starting Position: 22nd
Best Indy 500 Finish: 4th (2009)
This will be Townsend Bell’s seventh attempt at winning the Indianapolis 500. The NBC Sports Network analyst tied his career-best with a fourth-place finish at Indy in 2009 and he took ninth last year in a one-off entry for Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports. He struggled in qualifying but he could quietly find a way through the field again.
Ryan Briscoe
Car Number: 8
Team: NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing
Starting Position: 23rd
Best Indy 500 Finish: 5th (2007, 2012)
Ryan Briscoe earned pole position at last year’s Indianapolis 500 beating Canadian James Hinchcliffe for the premier grid spot by just 0.003 m.p.h. The 31-year-old Australian driver didn’t land a full-time ride for the 2013 season but is back at Indianapolis with the team he made his IndyCar Series debut with in 2005. Briscoe is capable of performing better than his 23rd-place starting position suggests as he finished 10th after starting 24th for Ganassi in 2005.
Pippa Mann
Car Number: 63
Team: Dale Coyne Racing
Starting Position: 30th
Best Indy 500 Finish: 20th (2011)
Pippa Mann made history two years ago when she became the first British woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. She started 32nd and finished 20th in that race and if all goes well she could wind up in a similar position on Sunday.
Conor Daly
Car Number: 41
Team: A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Starting Position: 31st
Best Indy 500 Finish: N/A
Conor Daly is the other hot prospect in the field and has drawn attention on both sides of the pond. Conor is the son of Formula One/CART driver Derek Daly and the 21-year-old has tested for F1 team Force India and competed in the GP3 and GP2 feeder series. Daly wrecked his IndyCar during practice but if he avoids another incident like that on race day, he could make some noise.
Buddy Lazier
Car Number: 91
Team: Lazier Partners Racing, Inc.
Starting Position: 32nd
Best Indy 500 Finish: 1st (1996)
Buddy Lazier is the only driver among these eight that has already won the Indy 500 and the 2000 IndyCar Series champion is also the oldest driver in the field at 45 years old. He finished 17th in his last run at Indianapolis in 2008 after, coincidentally, starting 32nd. You can’t fault him for wanting to win again.
Katherine Legge
Car Number: 81
Team: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Starting Position: 33rd
Best Indy 500 Finish: 22nd (2012)
Katherine Legge was a last-minute addition for qualifying and grabbed the final grid spot for the race on Bump Day. She hasn’t had as much practice time as everyone else but she was eighth overall during Friday’s Carb Day. Legge will definitely not stay at the back of the pack for long in Sunday’s race.
Track Info
With four corners banked at nine degrees, 12 minutes, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway drives more like a road course than an oval. Adding to the road-like feel of the the course, each of the corners is different, featuring different bumps and different wind. The ever-famous Turn 1 has its own mystique — a leap of flat-out faith at 225 mph, 440 yards of difficulty. The straightaways are 5/8ths of a mile long — time to catch your breath and dive into the next corner.
