Alex Palou aims for historic second straight Indy 500 win

Winning the Indianapolis 500 once marked a career-defining achievement for Alex Palou.

Winning it a second time would place him among the sport’s most elite drivers, News.Az reports, citing WTOP.

The first Spaniard ever to win IndyCar’s most prestigious race returns to the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval on Sunday, aiming to add another major milestone to his résumé by becoming only the seventh driver in history to win back-to-back Indy 500 titles.

For the second consecutive year, the grandstands are sold out, leading to the lifting of the local television blackout.

Large crowds of fans in brightly colored attire began moving through the track tunnels after the cannon fired at 6 a.m., while the streets surrounding the Brickyard were filled as heavily as ever, all gathering for the pageantry, tradition, and celebrity presence of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

NCAA football championship-winning Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was scheduled to lead the 33-car field to the starting line as the pace car driver, provided the looming threat of rain held off. WNBA star Caitlin Clark was set to deliver the traditional command instructing drivers to start their engines. Meanwhile, track owner Roger Penske was expected to officially give the signal that sends the field into action for the largest single-day spectator sporting event in the world.

Although official attendance figures are not released, the event is estimated to include around 275,000 reserved seats, and when infield spectators are included, total attendance is believed to reach approximately 350,000 people.

There will also be tributes honoring two-time Brickyard 400 winner Kyle Busch, who died earlier this week at the age of 41.

Dale Coyne Racing driver Romain Grosjean, who competes in the IndyCar Series in the No. 18 car, will run with a redesigned font on his vehicle, intended to resemble the style Busch used during his 14 years driving the No. 18 car for Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR. Race officials also planned to illuminate the scoring pylon on lap 18 in his honor.

On the competition side, Palou has been the dominant force in recent years, seemingly winning nearly everything in sight—three consecutive series championships, 11 victories in 23 races, and now securing the second Indy pole position of his career.

The challenge to catch Palou includes a wide range of compelling storylines.

Two-time runner-up Pato O’Ward is attempting once again to become the first driver from Mexico to win the Indy 500.

2016 race winner Alexander Rossi qualified a career-best second and is competing just days after suffering one of the most severe crashes of his career, which required surgery on his right ankle and the middle finger of his left hand. He will race using a special brace and a protective boot on his right leg.

Scott McLaughlin starts ninth as he looks for redemption after a parade-lap crash eliminated him from last year’s race. McLaughlin, front-row starter David Malukas, and two-time Indy champion Josef Newgarden—who qualified 23rd—are all aiming to help Team Penske recover from last year’s cheating scandal and disappointing race-day results.

At 51 years old, Helio Castroneves is chasing history as he attempts to become both the oldest winner and the first five-time champion of the event. Meanwhile, 45-year-old Scott Dixon is hoping to capture his second Indy 500 victory, which would come with the longest gap ever between wins in race history.

Katherine Legge, starting 24th, is also making history by attempting to complete racing’s “double,” covering 1,100 miles in a single day by competing at both Indianapolis and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tony Stewart remains the only driver to have completed every lap of both races in the same day, achieving the feat in 2001.

As always, attention is turning toward the weather, with everyone—especially Legge—hoping the race starts on time and that the full 500 miles can be completed without interruption.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev