OREOVICZ: Resetting the Indy 500 field

Thirty-three cars spread among 11 rows of three.

That’s how they’ve lined up for the Indianapolis 500 since 1934, one of the great race’s many enduring traditions.

The four days devoted to qualifying for so many years have been whittled down to one, but the procedure still produces anomalies like Ryan Hunter-Reay producing the fourth fastest speed but still being forced to start from 10th place.

In every form of racing, the starting grid doesn’t always reflect the potential speed of the competitors.

In this year’s Indy 500, for example, four of the five Team Penske entries qualified 18th or worse.

But don’t expect those guys to run in the second half of the field for long.

With all that in mind, I’ve re-written the Indianapolis 500 grid to reflect the likelihood of victory for every driver on Race Day.

If your favourite driver on my front row, it’s his race to lose.

If I’ve got your top dog lined up at the back, have them collect their $200,000 ($270,000 AUD) consolation cheque and quietly slip out the side entrance.

In any case, let’s hope for a safe and entertaining race.

Row 1

Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Hunter-Reay

The Hondas have shown plenty of speed, and if they last, these veteran Indy specialists will be the guys to beat when the green flag waves.

Row 2

Will Power, Fernando Alonso, Juan Pablo Montoya

The top Chevrolets should come out of the Team Penske camp, but will Alonso’s Formula 1 savvy outshine them all?

Row 3

Takuma Sato, Marco Andretti, Ed Carpenter

Sato almost won Indy in 2012 and is the ultimate sleeper pick, Andretti is always strong at the Brickyard, and Carpenter literally owns a piece of the track.

Row 4

Simon Pagenaud, Alexander Rossi, JR Hildebrand

Penske’s smartest driver, the rapidly improving defending ‘500’ champion, and Indy’s ultimate hard-luck story.

Row 5

Helio Castroneves, Graham Rahal, James Hinchcliffe

All have the potential to win if things go exactly they way they need them to on Race Day.

Row 6

Josef Newgarden, Oriol Servia, Carlos Munoz

How can these guys be midfielders?

Row 7

Charlie Kimball, Ed Jones, Mikhail Aleshin

Getting harder to fathom any of these guys actually winning.

Row 8

Conor Daly, Sage Karam, Spencer Pigot

They may be future IndyCar Series stars but don’t look for them to win this weekend.

Row 9

Max Chilton, Jack Harvey, James Davison

The rent-a-ride row.

Row 10

Buddy Lazier, Jay Howard, Sebastian Saavedra

Lazier’s status as a former ‘500’ winner (albeit during the “asterisk years” of the late 1990s) keeps him off the back row.

Row 11

Zach Veach, Pippa Mann, Sebastien Saavedra

Million to one odds. How much of a gambler are you?

Starting grid: 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500

The actual starting grid