Indy 500 2015: Race Schedule, Live Stream, Predictions for Top Drivers in Lineup
The 2015 Indianapolis 500 is an opportunity for IndyCar to capture the worldwide attention for one day, as well as turn its winner into a superstar. This race has been the pinnacle of many great careers, even if a driver takes the checkered flag multiple times.
A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser hold the record for most Indy 500 victories with four. Helio Castroneves, who will start in the middle of the second row, can join that exclusive club Sunday. The 40-year-old also has two runner-up finishes on his resume, so it's a safe bet that he will be a factor down the stretch.
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Castroneves faces stiff competition, with Scott Dixon sitting on the pole for the second time in his career, winning from that spot in 2008. Will Power won the most recent IndyCar race on May 9 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and will start from the middle of Row 1.
Race fans may have their personal preference for a winner, but as long as the race is compelling, no one will complain about the end result. It all goes down Sunday, so here's a look at the entire schedule of events and picks for this year's field.
| 11 a.m. | Television Coverage Begins | ABC | IndyCar.com |
| 11:37 a.m. | Driver Introductions | ABC | IndyCar.com |
| 11:48 a.m. | "America The Beautiful" | ABC | IndyCar.com |
| 11:52 a.m. | "God Bless America" performed by Florence Henderson | ABC | IndyCar.com |
| 11:59 a.m. | National Anthem performed by Jordin Sparks | ABC | IndyCar.com |
| 12:10 p.m. | "Back Home Again in Indiana" performed by Straight No Chaser | ABC | IndyCar.com |
| 12:15 p.m. | Start of Indianapolis 500 | ABC | IndyCar.com |
Driver Predictions
Favorite: Scott Dixon
When you start from the pole, the odds will always be in your favor. Dixon finds himself as the betting favorite with 9-2 odds, according to Odds Shark, and he is certainly capable of drinking the milk for a second time in his career.
Dixon is currently fourth in the IndyCar standings, 27 points behind Juan Pablo Montoya, and is certainly peaking at the right time. His lone win of the season came on April 19 at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, and he's finished in the top 10 in the two events that followed.
Even though Dixon has just one Indy 500 victory on his resume, he's no stranger to running in front of the pack at this event. The 34-year-old finished second behind Dario Franchitti in 2012 despite leading the second-most laps (53).
According to Dave Lewandowski of Racer.com, Dixon actually has led more laps at the Indianapolis 500 than any other driver in the field.
"Pole winner Scott Dixon's career laps in the Indianapolis 500, more than any other driver in this year’s field," Lewandowski wrote. "Other drivers in the field who have led more than 200 laps are Helio Castroneves (270) and Tony Kanaan (256)."
In addition to having that impressive resume and Dixon's own success at Indianapolis starting from the front, pole winners have won the Indianapolis 500 20 times in the previous 98 races.
There has been a drought, with Castroneves being the last one to get a victory from the pole in 2009, but it's still indicative that starting from the front remains the easiest path to winning. Dixon has all the momentum in his favor this year.
Sleeper: Juan Pablo Montoya
It's strange to say the driver leading the points standings is a sleeper coming into the year's biggest race, but his season started on a high with a win at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and a pole the next race at the Grand Prix of Louisiana.
Montoya has finished in the top five in three of the last four races, with a 14th-place finish mixed in at the Grand Prix of Alabama. He didn't fare well in qualifying, ending up 15th and starting on the outside of Row 5.
Historically, the No. 15 spot has not been kind to Indianapolis 500 drivers, with only two winners. Montoya has one Indy 500 win under his belt, way back in 2000 before he jumped to NASCAR, and finished fifth last year in his return to the event.
Montoya came out of the gate strong during early practice sessions, posting the fastest time around the track at 226.772 mph. That was before IndyCar made changes to the car aerodynamics as the result of crashes during practice.
Don't be concerned that Montoya fell to 15th during qualifying because weather and another crash from Ed Carpenter changed the layout with only a four-lap session last weekend. He's been the best driver on the circuit virtually all season and is poised to make his second year back in an IndyCar memorable.
Predicted Champion: Will Power
Despite the stats supporting Dixon and Montoya as possible champions, Power is the driver to watch once the race begins.
The 34-year-old had a terrific qualifying session and will start right next to Dixon in the front row, is coming off a pole and race win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on May 9 and is the defending IndyCar points champion.
All of these steps have been building to the moment when Power finally conquers the Indianapolis 500. He's been inconsistent at this event in the past, finishing eighth in 2014 after three straight years outside the top 10 and only one top-five finish (2009).
Power has said the Indianapolis 500 is his entire focus after the recent run of success, per Chris Jenkins of USA Today.
“The first thing for me to accomplish was winning a championship, just because it’s the best driver over a whole season,” Power said. “That was a big deal to me, to have won that. But now, it’s just absolutely the 500. I really want to win that race.”
If there has ever been a year for Power to finally clear the single biggest hurdle left in his career, it's 2015. All of the pieces are in place for him to be at or near the top of the leaderboard throughout the race, and all it takes is one late move to capture the checkered flag.
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