Indy 500 Qualifying: Anticlimactic Bump Day Is Calm Before Storm for Big Race

The field is set for the 2013 Indianapolis 500 after the final nine cars qualified for the race on Sunday. 

Bump Day had compelling potential. With nine spots remaining and 10 drivers left in the field, it could have produced a war for that final spot in one of the world's most prestigious races.

Unfortunately, Michel Jourdain Jr.'s car didn't cooperate, and the Mexican racer finally called it quits with 20 minutes still left on the clock. Per Indy Motor Speedway, his pain was Katherine Legge's gain, as she made it in as the final contestant:

All in all, Bump Day was rather boring for fans watching at home and on the track. But don't worry, racing fans, this is just the calm before the storm. 

Here's the official start order for the big race, courtesy of the official website of the Indianapolis 500:

Start Position	Driver	Car
1	Ed Carpenter	20
2	Carlos Munoz	26
3	Marco Andretti	25
4	EJ Viso	5
5	AJ Allmendinger	2
6	Will Power	12
7	Ryan Hunter-Reay	1
8	Helio Castroneves	3
9	James Hinchcliffe	27
10	JR Hildebrand	4
11	Alex Tagliani	98
12	Tony Kanaan	11
13	Oriol Servia	22
14	Justin Wilson	19
15	Sebastien Bordais	7
16	Scott Dixon	9
17	Dario Franchitti	10
18	Takuma Sato	14
19	Charlie Kimball	83
20	James Jakes	16
21	Simon Pagenaud	77
22	Townsend Bell	60
23	Ryan Briscoe	8
24	Simona De Silvestro	78
25	Josef Newgarden	21
26	Graham Rahal	15
27	Sebastian Saavedra	6
28	Tristan Vautier	55
29	Ana Beatriz	18
30	Pippa Mann	63
31	Conor Daly	41
32	Buddy Lazier	91
33	Katherine Legge	81

Taking a look at this list of names—the top IndyCar racers in the world—it's quite clear the 2013 Indy 500 will be an incredibly competitive race. 

Ed Carpenter shocked the field by capturing the pole. He's only won two events in his career and hasn't finished higher than 14th place in 2013.

Lurking below him are IndyCar legends and rising stars Carlos Munoz, Marco Andretti, Will Power, Helio Castroneves and last year's IndyCar champ, Ryan Hunter-Reay.

James Hinchcliffe is the only racer to win twice in 2013, and he'll surely put up a good fight from the No. 9 spot, while Japanese sensation Takuma Sato will start in the middle of the pack. 

Last year's Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti will come charging hard from the middle of the field, too. 

From top to bottom, this grid is full of racers capable of winning the big event.

So, while the action on Bump Day may not have titillated your senses the way you hoped, the Indy 500 next Sunday will certainly give you what you desire. 

The action will be intense from the first lap until the bitter end, and as we know from experience, anything can happen on the track when the drivers start pushing their cars and their senses to the limit.

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