Scott McLaughlin will be one of three drivers vying for the Rookie of the Year title in this year’s Indianapolis 500.
Joining McLaughlin in the fight for the rookie title will be Pietro Fittipaldi of Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing and RC Enerson for Top Gun Racing.
McLaughlin, who will race for Team Penske, could become the third New Zealander to win the Rookie of the Year title after Denny Hulme (1967) and Graham McRae (1973).
McLaughlin’s latest shot at success comes as IndyCar Series organisers reveal a 35-car entry list for the 105th running of the event at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
First awarded in 1952, the Rookie of the Year award is not necessarily given to the highest finishing newcomer in the 200-lap race.
The award assesses the overall performance of rookies over the course of the event in practice, qualifying, and the race.
The Rookie of the Year is awarded either on the night of the Indianapolis 500 or the following day with the winner given $50,000.
Nearly one in five Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year winners have gone on to win the race at The Brickyard.
Four Rookies of the Year have won multiple times, those being McLaughlin’s mentor Rick Mears, Arie Luyendyk, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Helio Castroneves.
McLaughlin will be one of 22 international drivers vying for this year’s Indianapolis 500.
The field includes nine previous winners in Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Juan Pablo Montoya, Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, Alexander Rossi, and Takuma Sato.
Practice gets underway on Tuesday, May 18 (local time) and continues through to Friday, May 21 before qualifying on Saturday and Sunday.
Final practice, dubbed Carb Day, will take place on May 28 before the race on May 30.
Entry List: 105th Indianapolis 500
| Num | Driver | Team | Engine |
| 1 | JR Hildebrand | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 3 | Scott McLaughlin (R) | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Dalton Kellett | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Chevrolet |
| 5 | Pato O’Ward | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Helio Castroneves (W) | Meyer Shank Racing | Honda |
| 7 | Felix Rosenqvist | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Marcus Ericsson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 9 | Scott Dixon (W) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 10 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 11 | Charlie Kimball | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Chevrolet |
| 12 | Will Power (W) | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Sebastien Bourdais | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Chevrolet |
| 15 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 16 | Simona De Silvestro | Paretta Autosport | Chevrolet |
| 18 | Ed Jones | Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan | Honda |
| 20 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet |
| 21 | Rinus VeeKay | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet |
| 22 | Simon Pagenaud (W) | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 24 | Sage Karam | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevrolet |
| 25 | Stefan Wilson | Andretti Autosport | Honda |
| 26 | Colton Herta | Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian | Honda |
| 27 | Alexander Rossi (W) | Andretti Autosport | Honda |
| 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay (W) | Andretti Autosport | Honda |
| 29 | James Hinchcliffe | Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport | Honda |
| 30 | Takuma Sato (W) | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 45 | Santino Ferrucci | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 47 | Conor Daly | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Tony Kanaan (W) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 51 | Pietro Fittipaldi (R) | Dale Coyne Racing/RWR | Honda |
| 59 | Max Chilton | Carlin | Chevrolet |
| 60 | Jack Harvey | Meyer Shank Racing | Honda |
| 75 | RC Enerson (R) | Top Gun Racing | Chevrolet |
| 86 | Juan Pablo Montoya (W) | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet |
| 98 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Herta-Haupert with Marco & Curb-Agajanian | Honda |
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