Less than five weeks from the opening day of practice for the Indianapolis 500, and 31 entries have confirmed their participation.
The race traditionally has 33 starters. There should be 33 on the grid come May 24th (10 a.m. ET on FOX).
The bigger question is whether there will be 34 entries, leading one driver to be bumped from the field. And does it matter?
Bump day is part of the Indianapolis 500 story. The drama of qualifying coming down to the final minutes for that last spot. The format has changed over the years, but when there are drivers scrambling to find those last little bits of speed and avoid the agony of defeat, it is one of the most tense-filled occasions in sports — partly because it can last an excruciating few minutes over the four-lap run.
Does the Indy 500 need bump day? It depends on who you ask. It certainly makes for great television and excitement. With the current format of the pole being decided on the same day — typically within an hour or two — the bump drama is only part of the day’s roller coaster when it comes to the emotions.
All 33 INDYCAR drivers pose on the yard of bricks before the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2025.
Whether there are 33 or 34 entries won’t matter come race day, other than there could be one driver hanging out at the track with the pain few could relate to when it comes to competing and trying to race in the sport’s biggest event.
And that’s why some will argue it’s not that big a deal. And some would argue that with the scrambling to fill 33 spots, why should someone be asked to field a car not knowing whether the money spent (or sponsorship secured) will result in having a spot on the grid? Who wants to go through this last-minute, last-ditch effort in what could be an exhilarating moment in their lives but leaving open the possibility of inflicting pain on themselves when trying to help the sport?
So what are the scenarios? There are currently 25 full-time drivers with six Indy 500 rides announced: Jack Harvey and Conor Daly in the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entries plus four teams adding a car to their stables: Ryan Hunter-Reay at Arrow McLaren, Helio Castroneves at Meyer Shank, Takuma Sato at Rahal Letterman Lanigan and Ed Carpenter at his own ECR.
There are two Chevrolet engine deals and one Honda deal left that could be used for the 500.
The Chevys would have been for Prema, whose driver Callum Ilott was on pit road a couple of weeks ago at Barber Motorsports Park with no idea if the team would find funding for Indianapolis. It does not look like that will happen.
Abel Motorsports has a car and indications are that Jacob Abel — who was bumped from the Indy 500 last year driving for Dale Coyne Racing — could have an entry ready to go if Chevy designates one of its engines for their ride. That is the most likely one to happen.
The other Chevy engine is a little more iffy. McLaren isn’t going to field a fifth car and Penske appears set at three. Penske affiliate A.J. Foyt Racing appears as the most likely option to add a third car to its stable.
Who could go in that car? Well that depends on how much funding is needed. If Penske opts to fund part of it, that could increase the options.
Defending champion Alex Palou (center) will defend his title in 2026. But which drivers might join him in the race?
Linus Lundqvist, the 2024 series rookie of the year, is available but doesn’t have significant funding. Other drivers appear to have some, including Devlin DeFrancesco, Katherine Legge and Sage Karam all poking around to see what’s available. Myles Rowe, who drives for Abel Motorsports in Indy NXT in a ride that is affiliated with Team Penske, would be a longshot.
And then there’s the Honda engine that hasn’t been accounted for, at least not 100 percent. That Honda would be in the fourth Andretti Global car for Colton Herta. Except there’s a potential problem — with the Formula 2 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia would not take place as scheduled in April there is a chance that F2 will race Memorial Day weekend in Montreal. If that occurs and the schedule isn’t compatible with Herta’s ability to race the Indy 500, there is a ride that is open.
[INDYCAR POWER RANKINGS: Hello, Alex Palou, At No. 1]
It doesn’t seem that the Andretti group has a lot of a abdomen to discipline the automobile only for anybody. Chip Ganassi has no real interest in a fourth automobile and Michael Shank doesn’t assume he can discipline a fourth automobile in what is often a two-car operation. That leaves solely Coyne to discipline a 3rd automobile, and that may possible have to be a totally funded program. In order that goes again to the names talked about earlier.
Honda and Chevrolet, which simply signed extensions to their present offers, will need to be good companions. If Roger Penske and INDYCAR need to get to 34, they possible will ask round, see what all of the choices are and twist the arms if they will.
Nevertheless it’s getting late within the sport. And whereas some would need 34 vehicles, beggers can’t be choosers. So 33 Indy 500 entries it very effectively is likely to be.
