Indy 500 2015: Weekend Race Schedule, TV Coverage and More
The 2015 Indianapolis 500 will commence Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and there is no shortage of legitimate contenders to win the 99th edition of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Several past winners are in the running, including defending champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, but there are plenty of hungry competitors looking for their first opportunity to kiss the bricks and chug milk after taking the checkered flag. Because of that dynamic, Sunday's Indy 500 should be an excellent one.
For those looking forward to enjoying a Memorial Day weekend tradition, here is everything you need to know about when and where to watch the Indianapolis 500, as well as a rundown of the drivers with the best chance to enter Victory Lane.
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Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana
When: Sunday, May 24 at 12:15 p.m. ET
Watch: ABC
Indy 500 Field
| 1 | Scott Dixon | 9 |
| 2 | Will Power | 1 |
| 3 | Simon Pagenaud | 22 |
| 4 | Tony Kanaan | 10 |
| 5 | Helio Castroneves | 3 |
| 6 | Justin Wilson | 25 |
| 7 | Sebastien Bourdais | 11 |
| 8 | Marco Andretti | 27 |
| 9 | Josef Newgarden | 21 |
| 10 | JR Hildebrand | 6 |
| 11 | Carlos Munoz | 26 |
| 12 | Ed Carpenter | 20 |
| 13 | Oriol Servia | 32 |
| 14 | Charlie Kimball | 83 |
| 15 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 2 |
| 16 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | 28 |
| 17 | Graham Rahal | 15 |
| 18 | Simona de Silvestro | 29 |
| 19 | James Jakes | 7 |
| 20 | Alex Tagliani | 48 |
| 21 | Sage Karam | 8 |
| 22 | Conor Daly | 43 |
| 23 | Townsend Bell | 24 |
| 24 | Takuma Sato | 14 |
| 25 | Pippa Mann | 63 |
| 26 | Gabby Chaves | 98 |
| 27 | Sebastian Saavedra | 17 |
| 28 | Jack Hawksworth | 41 |
| 29 | Stefano Coletti | 4 |
| 30 | Bryan Clauson | 88 |
| 31 | Ryan Briscoe | 5 |
| 32 | Tristan Vautier | 18 |
| 33 | James Davison | 19 |
Indy 500 Contenders to Watch
Scott Dixon
It can be argued that no driver has more going for him entering the Indy 500 than Scott Dixon. He won this race back in 2008, and it is clear that he has a car capable of repeating that feat after capturing the pole position.
The 34-year-old Aussie was absolutely dominant in qualifying, which drew heavy praise from racing legend Mario Andretti:
Dixon is extremely pleased with how his qualifying runs played out, but he acknowledged that there is plenty of work to be done before he can reach his ultimate goal of winning the race itself, according to Matthew Glenesk of the Indianapolis Star.
"It was definitely a bit shock when I saw the first number. I thought the steering wheel was broken— broken in a good way," Dixon said. "The race for the pole is prestigious, it's definitely something to get excited about. But it's not winning the Indianapolis 500."
In addition to his past success at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Dixon already has a win under his belt this season, which suggests that he has the type of form necessary to outdo his 32 opponents Sunday.
Dixon will lead the field when the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 begins, and it wouldn't be at all surprising to see him in the same position at the conclusion of the race.
Tony Kanaan
Many considered Tony Kanaan to be the best IRL driver to never win an Indianapolis 500, but that all changed when the Brazilian star finally ended his run of futility by prevailing in 2013.
While Kanaan's career has featured plenty of huge wins, that was undoubtedly the biggest. Winning the Indy 500 was the only thing missing from his resume, so now that he has accomplished that feat, he is seemingly quite at ease with what he has done as a driver, according to Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star.
"Am I done? No. Satisfied? Extremely," Kanaan said. "No matter what I do from this point on, I'm good."
It is unclear how much longer the 40-year-old driver will compete and how many more chances he will have to win the Indianapolis 500 again, so it is likely that Kanaan will do everything in his power to make it happen Sunday.
He will start from the No. 4 position and looks to be in an extremely positive state of mind ahead of the race:
In terms of experience, Kanaan has a leg up on the rest of the field. Add in the fact that he has a quality car, and it is easy to see why he is considered to be among the top contenders for Sunday's race.
Kanaan has long been one of the most popular drivers on the IndyCar circuit, and if he is able to win the Indianapolis 500 for the second time in his career, then the crowd support figures to be overwhelming.
Marco Andretti
Marco Andretti has come agonizingly close to winning the Indianapolis 500 on several occasions, but he simply hasn't been able to close the deal. With so much experience near the front of the field in crunch time, though, perhaps 2015 will be his year.
Andretti has finished fourth or better on five occasions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including a third-place finish last year. He is in the mix near the end of the race more often than not; however, the stars never seem to align for him.
The 28-year-old son of Michael Andretti once again has a solid car, though, and he truly believes that he can break through with the biggest win of his life:
His grandfather, Mario, won the race in 1969, and there is no doubt that Marco would add even more to the Andretti family legacy by winning the Indianapolis 500 in his own right.
It can be argued that there is no driver in the field who wants or needs to win this race more than Andretti, and that desire could be the factor that puts him over the top.
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