This Sunday, May 25, high speed action, legacy tributes and more controversy than ever returns at Indiana speedway, as the 109th running of Indy 500, the final race in the verb quickest series, with Indy car for its roads or ovals grip, known as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” returns to action after a one year hiatus due to the global coronavirus pandemic. With a packed field of 33 drivers all playing for 200 laps around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the world will be watching for the big event of IndyCar’s season.
Starters, Storms, and Sky Coverage
Casey Foyt, daughter of the late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay and wife of retired IndyCar driver A.J. Foyt IV, is this year’s honorary starter. The Speedway’s choice to go with Foyt was a loving tribute to her father, who died just days before the race. Casey, a marketing and community relations executive with the Colts, waved the green flag to what could be one of the bulkiest initiates in years.
The race will be live on Sky Sports F1 from 5:30 p.m. BST for fans in the UK and Ireland. They have the weather forecast, and it seems as though the ideal racing conditions will be near perfect, cool with a lot of cloud cover, hence keeping track temperature fast enough.
Shwartzman Takes Shock Pole; Penske Penalized
Robert Shwartzman was electrifying in an electrifying qualifying session as the 19-year-old snatched pole position for Prema and stunned the field to become the first rookie pole sitter in 42 years. Behind him sits veteran Takuma Sato, 48, looking for yet another victory in what has been a long and lucrative career. IndyCar points leader Alex Palou will share row two from sixth, while McLaren F1 reserve driver Pato O’Ward starts third.
Oh come on, there’s no Indy 500 without off track issues. Days before the race, one of the most successful Indy 500 teams in the sport’s history, Team Penske, was hit with scandal. Josef Newgarden, the defending IndyCar winner and teammate Will Power both had their cars found have been illegally modified before qualifying.As a result, they were moved to the back of the grid.
The result was immediate and intense fallout. Team owner Roger Penske, who also owns IndyCar itself, fired team president Tim Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski, and general manager Kyle Moyer. Such a large event, however, it’s one of the rare times we see such a sweeping shakeup so close to the eve.
Crashes, Comebacks, and a Field of Stories
There were harrowing moments, too, in qualifying week. Rising IndyCar star Colton Herta survived a terrifying crash, as his car flipped and nailed the wall seat first. It rattled fans and officials, but it was a sign of improvements in safety in modern IndyCar racing.
Besides Andretti, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson and Graham Rahal – all fans of |should be looking out for, who will be looking to show something after poor runs this season. All potential 2025 big winners are being forced to start at the rear of the field with rookies, veterans shuffling front row.
More Than a Race
And the Indy 500 isn’t about engines and trophies, it’s about tradition and it’s about community. It’s from the singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana,” the processional on the Greatordan Shoreline, and, ultimately, the celebratory milk bath in the winner’s circle — an enduring staple of one of the world’s most iconic global motorsports races.
Speed, pageantry, and uncertainty are its entice, and these visitors of all generations still succumb to its charms. Whatever set you’re sitting down in the stands at the Brickyard or streaming on your phone from halfway around the world, Sunday’s race will feature emotion, excitement, and there’s even a chance for redemption.
