A large crowd streamed through the gates at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with fans sporting everything from American flag overalls to checkered flag mini-skirts, and some even going shirtless. Nearly five hours before the start of the Indianapolis 500, groups of fans gathered in the main tunnel, erupting in chants of “Let’s Go Pacers!” as the Indiana Pacers prepared to host Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks just hours after the famed race.
The grandstands were completely sold out for the first time since 2016, with organizers expecting around 350,000 attendees on IMS grounds for Sunday’s event. To manage the massive influx of pedestrians, one of the speedway’s tunnels had to be closed to motorized vehicles four hours before the race.
Among the favorites to win are Pato O’Ward, a two-time runner-up at the Indy 500, and Alex Palou, the two-time reigning IndyCar champion. Both are co-favorites at +500 odds from BetMGM. O’Ward, starting third, could become the first Mexican driver to win the race, while Palou, who has already claimed victory in four of the first five races this season, would be the first Spanish winner if he captures his first oval-track victory.
Rookie Robert Shwartzman, who holds dual citizenship with Israel and Russia, will make history as the first rookie since 1983 to lead the field to green at the Indy 500. Racing for Prema Racing, a dominant European team new to IndyCar this year, Shwartzman faces a challenge since he has never competed on an oval before. He races under the Israeli flag and is the first Israeli driver in the event.
Attention will also focus on Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden and Will Power, who start from the back in 32nd and 33rd positions due to inspection failures. Newgarden is the defending two-time champion, aiming to become the first driver ever to win three consecutive Indy 500s. No driver has ever won the race starting from the last row, but rivals have acknowledged the speed of the Penske cars and are eager to watch how they navigate through the field.
NASCAR fans will be watching Kyle Larson closely as he attempts to complete a grueling “double” of 1,100 miles of racing in a single day for the second year in a row. Larson’s attempt last year was thwarted by a rain delay in Indianapolis, causing him to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600 in North Carolina. This year, Larson and Hendrick Motorsports have confirmed he will be at Charlotte Motor Speedway in time for the Cup Series race. Larson will start second at Charlotte and 19th at Indianapolis.
