Blizi se i Mesec Maj, koji ce ove sezone nezvanicno poceti 3. maja, nakon najvece medijske bombe u skorije vreme kada je objavljeno da ce se ove godine u 'Najvecem spektaklu auto-trkanja' takmiciti i dvostruki F1 sampion sveta Fernando Alonso. Naime, on ce na ovaj dan imati svoj prvi celodnevni test u Indikar bolidu na ovalu u Indijanapolisu.
Zvanicno, sve startuje nakon VN Indijanapolisa na 'redovnoj' kofiguraciji IMS 13. maja, kada pocinju dvonedeljni treninzi koji ce kulminitari trkom koja je na programu 28. maja.
Za pocetak, evo trenutne liste potvrdjenih ucesnika:
Insight: Indy 500 grid update
Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Marshall Pruett / Images by LAT
The Verizon IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway are tantalizingly close to having its field of 33 for the Indy 500.
Recent confirmations of Zach Veach for AJ Foyt Racing, plus Fernando Alonso and Jack Harvey for Andretti Autosport and Andretti/Michael Shank Racing have locked down the remaining Honda-powered entries on the grid. The remaining question marks, all found within the Chevy camp, is where the last three entries will help set the field.
We're confident enough to say that 32 cars will be in line to qualify, but the 33rd could require a lot of help to make it a reality.
With opening practice at the Speedway just 20 days away, here's where the grid stands (listed by car count, driver and engine):
AJ FOYT RACING
Count, Driver, Engine
1. Conor Daly, Chevy
2. Carlos Munoz, Chevy
3. Zach Veach, Chevy
The Foyt team will help Ohio's Zach Veach make his Indy 500 debut in its third car. The team also purchased a spare Dallara DW12 at auction—the one used by Stefan Wilson with KV Racing last year—to have at its disposal.
ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT/ANDRETTI-HERTA/ANDRETTI-MCLAREN/ANDRETTI-SHANK
4. Marco Andretti, Honda
5. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda
6. Alexander Rossi, Honda
7. Takuma Sato, Honda
8. Fernando Alonso, Honda
9. Jack Harvey, Honda
Michael Andretti's team has become the co-opt kings with half of its Indy 500 entries run in partnership with another team or team owner. Along with the Andretti-Herta entry for defending Indy winner Alexander Rossi, the team has added a monster program for Fernando Alonso under the Andretti-McLaren banner that will have Eric Bretzman engineering the car. Honda factory sports car entrant Michael Shank Racing has also partnered with Andretti to run its sixth entry for Harvey, leaving Andretti to run five cars with its personnel and MSR to staff Harvey. Zach Eakin will engineer Harvey's entry.
CHIP GANASSI RACING
10. Max Chilton, Honda
11. Scott Dixon, Honda
12. Tony Kanaan, Honda
13. Charlie Kimball, Honda
DALE COYNE RACING
14. Sebastien Bourdais, Honda
15. Ed Jones, Honda
16. Pippa Mann, Honda
Despite holding talks with multiple drivers, Honda's 18th and final engine lease for the Andretti-Shank entry has ended any hopes for a fourth DCR (or Schmidt Peterson Motorsports) effort.
HARDING RACING
17. Gabby Chaves, Chevy
IndyCar veteran Gabby Chaves will lead the new Harding Racing team that has formed a technical partnership with Dennis Reinbold's Dreyer & Reinbold Racing program.
DREYER & REINBOLD RACING
18. Sage Karam, Chevy
ED CARPENTER RACING
19. Ed Carpenter, Chevy
20. JR Hildebrand, Chevy
The team has held firm to its plans to run two cars at Indy. Hildebrand should be healed in time for practice, and unless the 33rd entry falls through, it's unlikely ECR would put a third car in the show to help IndyCar complete the grid.
JUNCOS RACING
21. TBD, Chevy
22. TBD, Chevy
Ricardo Juncos has become the central focus for two of the three spots left to fill. Plenty of speculation has surrounded the team in recent weeks, with Juncos Indy Lights driver Kyle Kaiser said to be in one car, then out, and now, possibly, back in. Juncos all-star Spencer Pigot, who won championships in every Mazda Road to Indy category with the team before graduating to IndyCar, is another driver rumored to be in line for one of the two entries. 2012 Indy 500 polesitter Ryan Briscoe has also been mentioned as a veteran candidate, and would have a hole in his IMSA calendar, where he races a factory Ford GT for Chip Ganassi Racing, to participate. Whether his Ford ties would scuttle racing a Chevy-powered Juncos entry is unclear.
With a steady Indy 500 debut last year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Pigot could also mentor Kaiser if Briscoe is unavailable. We know two Juncos Chevys are coming; it's just a matter of whose names will be on the cockpit at this point.
Among the other discussions heard in relation to Juncos, Kevin Kalkhoven and some of his former KV Racing employees could play roles in running the Indy 500 effort and/or to lend experience on race day.
RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING
23. Graham Rahal, Honda
24. Oriol Servia, Honda
TEAM PENSKE
25. Helio Castroneves, Chevy
26. Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevy
27. Josef Newgarden, Chevy
28. Simon Pagenaud, Chevy
29. Will Power, Chevy
SCHMIDT PETERSON MOTORSPORTS
30. Mikhail Aleshin, Honda
31. James Hinchcliffe, Honda
32. Jay Howard, Honda
COMPLETING THE FIELD
LAZIER PARTNERS RACING
33. Buddy Lazier, Chevy
Buddy Lazier told RACER's Robin Miller last weekend that the team will be back for another run at the Indy 500, and while the LPR team has the intent, it will also need a sizable infusion of cash and personnel to become real. It's believed the Laziers, who partnered with Tom Burns to make the field last year, were left with a rolling chassis that will require yet another new Chevy aero kit, Chevy engine lease and Firestone tire lease, along with sourcing new crew members and possibly a new engineer after Larry Curry departed to run the Harding Racing program.
Owing to the constant problem of finding skilled and experienced crew, solving LPR's financial problems could be the easiest issue to handle. Knowing that the rest of the Chevy teams are uninterested in adding extra cars, IndyCar could end up as the team's biggest (private) sponsor to plug the 33rd and last hole in the grid. Assembling the team to put the car together and run it at the Speedway is another matter altogether.
Other folks have expressed interest in being involved at Indy – Will Marotti, for example – but the Laziers serve as the only known team with a Dallara DW12 chassis that is willing and possibly capable of participating at the 500. Until the money and staff come to fruition, and the LPR Chevy is sitting on pit lane, the anxiety levels will remain understandably high among IndyCar's senior brass.