Indy 500 Race Preview: Start Time, How To Watch, Pole, Lineup

Indianapolis IN

26 May, 2021

7:18 PM

Description

INDIANAPOLIS — Much like the Super Bowl does for football and March Madness does for college basketball, the Indianapolis 500 brings casual sports fans to IndyCar racing one day a year. The Sunday before Memorial Day has been highlighted by the famous race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for several decades. In 2021, the race returns to its traditional day, scheduled for May 30 this year, after it was postponed to August in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Often referred to as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," the Indy 500 is the first event of the IndyCar Series, ten scheduled races among the top open-wheel racecar drivers in the world. It's similar to the Daytona 500 in NASCAR in being the first and premier event of a racecar season. Here's what to know about the 2021 Indy 500: Start Time The 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 will begin at 12:45 p.m. Eastern Time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Pole Driver Veteran IndyCar driver Scott Dixon earned the inside pole position by narrowly besting two of his younger rivals, Colton Herta and Rinus VeeKay, in last weekend's qualifying race. This is Dixon's fourth time in the Indy 500 pole position. Front Row Herta and VeeKay will join Dixon in the front row to start the Indy 500 on Sunday. Lineup Thirty-three drivers will make up the Indy 500 lineup. Row 1: Scott Dixon, Colton Herta, Rinus VeeKayRow 2: Ed Carpenter, Tony Kanaan, Alex PalouRow 3: Ryan Hunter-Reay, Helio Castroneves, Marcus EricssonRow 4: Alexander Rossi, Ed Jones, Pato O'WardRow 5: Pietro Fittipaldi, Felix Rosenqvist, Takuma SatoRow 6: James Hinchcliffe, Scott McLaughlin, Graham Rahal Row 7: Conor Daly, Jack Harvey, Josef NewgardenRow 8: J.R. Hildebrand, Santino Ferucci, Juan Pablo MontoyaRow 9: Marco Andretti, Simon Pagenaud, Sebastien BourdaisRow 10: Stefan Wilson, Max Chilton, Dalton KellettRow 11: Sage Karam, Will Power, Simona de Silvestro Favorites Dixon is a +350 favorite to win the 2021 Indy 500, according to DraftKings Nation. Herta is second in the odds list at +700, with O'Ward third at +1000. Defending Champion Takuma Sato is the defending champion after his 2020, Indy 500 win. Simon Pagenaud won the Indy 500 in 2019. Past Winners Dixon, Kanaan, Hunter-Reay, Castroneves, Rossi, Montoya and Power are other drivers in this year's field who have previously won the race. How To Watch The race will air on national television, on NBC, with a livestream on Peacock also available. Fans Allowed Fans are allowed at the Indy 500 again in 2021 after the 2020 race was held without spectators. A crowd of up to 135,000 is expected at Sunday's race, which would make the event the largest in the United States since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Sporting News. Still, the 135,000 total only accounts for 40 percent of the speedway's capacity.