Indianapolis 500: Alex Tagliani and 5 Other Darkhorse Candidates to Win at Indy
The Indianapolis 500 is the biggest race in all of American motorsports and as in any race, anything can, and will, happen. But who are six dark horses that may pull off a surprising win that very few people could see coming? Follow me as we look at six underdogs that may be drinking the milk at the end of the 500 this Sunday if luck goes their way.
While some of these picks seem to be off the wall and other seem like they may be an obvious choice, there is something in all of them that makes them stand out as dark horse candidates this Sunday.
Alex Tagliani (Starts on the Pole)
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Alex Tagliani starts on the Pole this weekend after having an average of 227.472 on four laps, so he may not be a huge dark horse to win the race. But it needs to be considered that he hasn’t won any races during his 29 race career in the Izod Series.
Tagliani does have two top-five and 10 top-10 finishes (including two this year) in the series and has led 92 laps in his career and currently sits seventh in points. But the empty win column leaves him wanting when it comes to being a favorite in the race.
Townsend Bell (Starts Fourth)
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Townsend Bell has never won a race in the Izod Series and only has two top-five finishes in a 21-race Izod career that spans back to 2004. Looking at his record, he really is a dark horse to win this thing but what makes him stick out is that one of his top five finishes came in 2009 when he gained 20 spots to pull off a fourth place finish in the 500 and he starts fourth on Sunday, putting him in a good spot to run a good race.
Bell also has a 16th place finish (in 2010 where he started 10th) and a 22nd place finish at Indy. Dark horse? Yes. But someone that could pull off a surprise after coming so close to a win in 2009? Definitely.
Vitor Meira (Starts 11th)
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118 Izod starts, two Poles, 28 top-five finishes and 65 top-10 finishes for 482 laps led but no wins. Those are the stats of Vitor Meira, who is 12th in the points right now and qualified 11th for the 500.
Meira isn’t a total dark horse, I’ll give him that as he does have some impressive stats including laps led in the 500 and a second-place finish in the race in 2005. But he was injured at the track in 2009, ending his season so he definitely has highs and lows here. But if he pulls off a win in the 500 this weekend, it will be the biggest high of his Izod career.
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Simona De Silvestro (Starts 24th)
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Simona de Silvestro finished as runner-up in the 2010 Rookie standings and sits 24th in the lineup for Sunday’s race. She is one of four women in the race and had the fastest qualification laps of any of them.
While she isn’t as much as a dark horse as some people would hope, with two top-10s in four races this season, she could pull off a win in the race and a good chunk of people would probably be shocked.
James Hinchcliffe (Starts 13th)
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Little is known about James Hinchcliffe when it comes to the Izod series as he has only ran three races this year, his rookie season. While it is nearly unheard of for a rookie to win the 500 (eight drivers have pulled it off with the last one being Helio Castroneves in 2001), Hinchcliffe is off to a good start with two top-10s in three races (one top-five).
While it may be a surprise to see the Rookie pull off the win, his first three races have proved that he is one to watch at Indy.
Ed Carpenter (Starts Eighth)
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Ed Carpenter shocked everyone when he qualified eighth for the Indy 500 after his team was shut down during the off season due to lack of funding. But when Panther Racing helped get Vision Racing back on the track for the 500 Carpenter set his mind on an Indy win.
Most people don’t expect Carpenter to win the race but he’s going for broke and that’s a dangerous kind of driver. If he can stay up front during the race, expect him to be challenging for the win as the laps wind down.
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