Drivers

Some notable IndyCar drivers are still looking for the ride for the upcoming 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500. The date is fast approaching and the last stall in the 33 drivers so far. The confirmed 33 drivers are already in the entry list. It has been more than six weeks since the 2019 IndyCar season began.

Officials have stated that there are some confirmed entries for the race. Three drivers are optimistic to enter the field with other 33 drivers. The candidates of the three riders are already there.

However, we could expect the possibility for one or two additional entries added from now until the practice for the 200-lap race. It is pretty exciting to wait and see who’s going to fill the remaining slots to participate in Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana.

Amongst the 33 confirmed drivers, 25 drivers are the ones who qualified for the 102nd running of the Indy 500. The remaining eight drivers consist of seven rookies and one non-rookie.

The seven rookies are DragonSpeed Ben Hanley and Harding Steinbrenner Racing’s Colton Herta, Carlin’s Patricio O’Ward, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Jordan King, Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ Marcus Ericsson, Dale Coyne Racing Santino Ferrucci, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist.

There are ten drivers who attempted to qualify the previous Indy 500. But they are not among the 33 confirmed drivers. And the three of them will not participate in this year’s Indy 500 edition.

When it comes to these three drivers, you will surely know the names of the drivers. They are Danica Patrick (the retired driver), Robert Wickens (recovering from injuries), and Zachary Claman DeMelo (full-time Indy Lights driver). Robert Wickens is still recovering from bad injuries he suffered in an IndyCar crash at Pocono Raceway back then in August 2018.

Meanwhile, the other seven drivers have prospects amongst them. The three of the other seven drivers could participate in this year’s Indy 500. First things first, we’ve heard from the Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Oriol Servia will be likely to drive the third car of the club. But the officials have not confirmed the speculation yet.

And then, J.R. Hildebrand could be driving Dreyer & Reinbold Racing to drive the second car. The good thing is that the team has a pretty good history back then. Hildebrand could drive their car like he did last year. Last but not least, Kyle Kaiser can be the best candidate to drive lone Juncos Racing car club.

The other four drivers who are still waiting are Gabby Chaves, Carlos Munoz, Jay Howard, and Stefan Wilson.

In total, 30 cars hit the 2.5 mile IMS expecting that they can participate in the full day of testing for the 103rd Indianapolis 500. The NTT IndyCar Series veterans took the 105 minutes of track time. The other drivers who need to take a refresher test 86 minutes of track time.

Takuma Sato, the winner of the 101st Indianapolis 500 in 2017, paces at the upcoming Indy 500. He turned the best lap of the day at 226.933 mph in the no.30 Mi-Jack/Panasonic Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. At that point, he takes slightly over Ed Carpenter who is just behind him at 226.414. No matter we look at it, the result is very close. The speeds were saved during the previous session wherein the veterans participated.

Because of the bad weather, the program was intervened. The officials even stopped it a few times. There was heavy rain happening in the field back then. Sato claimed that the rain halted the action twice. But the pre-show must go on. The rain put an end to the day with the third shower. Sato even stated: “Having said that, today is meant to shake down the car, check all the functions OK, feel it out. From that point of view, I think it was a very smooth day.”

Meanwhile, Carpenter is the three-time Indy 500 pole winner. In most recent achievement, he finished at second in the 102nd Indy 500. Of course, such close progress with Sato is the thing that should be improved. The same-minded people on the field agree that the heavy rain was a significant factor to overcome the results of the test.

In the other sides, the IndyCar Rookies and other drivers who don’t compete for the full-time in NTT IndyCar Series hit the track for the next session. It started at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Colton Herta was also the four first-timers who completed the three phases of the orientation for rookies. He was the youngest winner in Indycar history who took participation at the Circuit of the Americas. He also won the Indy Lights under the umbrella of Cooper Tires in the previous year.

The next race will happen on May 11 on the IMS Road Course. Meanwhile, you could start following up the actions on the Opening Day of practice for the 103rd Indianapolis 500. The training will happen on May 14. The qualifications will take place from May 18 to May 19.

It is indeed great news that Danica Patrick makes her comeback to Indianapolis 500. But she comes as the broadcast team member, not a racer. Although fans will not see her on the field, they can get closer to her since she will appear in the broadcast team.

The officials have confirmed that Danica Patrick will join the NBC Sports broadcast team for 2019 Indianapolis 500. The specific description of her involvement in the analyst. The NBC Network announced that Danica Patrick would give her professional insights about the upcoming Indy 500 event. Many people agree with her forthcoming appearance because she is the former IndyCar and NASCAR driver back then. She had made tons of achievements in the world of racing so that most folks will expect her to appear in the upcoming show.

It is also a great decision to bring back the former IndyCar a NASCAR driver back to the screen since it will also increase the rains and viewers.

Patrick also claimed that Indianapolis 500 held a special place in her heart. So, it does make sense that she accepted the offer from the NBC Network without long overdue.

Besides the broadcast assignment in the race day, Danica Patrick will also give her insights at the NBC Sports’ pre-race and post-race coverage. But she will not do this alone. Mike Tirico will accompany her in those events.

Danica Patrick was the IndyCar Rookie of the Year in 2005. She finished in the 12th in the points standings. Then, people remembered her name because of her achievement in winning an open-wheel race in important series, at 2008 Indy Japan 300.

Then, Patrick switched to NASCAR in 2013 and managed the pole position at the season’s Daytona 500. She finished in the eight. Although it was far from number one, it was the highest finish by a woman in the race’s history. By now, there is no single woman racer can outmatch her achievements. Patrick retired from the professional racing back in 2018. Since then, a lot of fans have been missing her already. It is a rare phenomenon where the woman racer has had such dedications in the world of racing. Many people respect her. If you are the big fan of Danica Patrick, you will not want to miss the upcoming analysts from the racer.