Indy 500 2016: Complete Starting Grid, Lineup, Race Schedule and Predictions

The Indianapolis 500 is one of the hallmark events on the American sports calendar. Any question as to the reason why it's earned that status was answered during the final laps one year ago, as Juan Pablo Montoya edged Will Power by one-tenth of a second for his second Indy 500 victory.

All signs point to another highly competitive battle in the 2016 edition. Odds Shark noted there are eight different drivers with odds of 10-1 or better, but nobody is less than 6-1. That suggests there should be a wide-open race Sunday afternoon.

Let's check out all of the important details for the milestone 100th running of the Indy 500. That's followed by a look at the starting grid and a race preview.

Viewing Information

Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana

When: Sunday, May 29, at noon ET

Watch: ABC

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Starting Grid

Row	Inside	Middle	Outside
1	James Hinchcliffe	Josef Newgarden	Ryan Hunter-Reay
2	Townsend Bell	Carlos Munoz	Will Power
3	Mikhail Aleshin	Simon Pagenaud	Helio Castroneves
4	Oriol Servia	Alexander Rossi	Takuma Sato
5	Scott Dixon	Marco Andretti	JR Hildebrand
6	Charlie Kimball	Juan Pablo Montoya	Tony Kanaan
7	Sebastien Bourdais	Ed Carpenter	Gabby Chaves
8	Max Chilton	Sage Karam	Conor Daly
9	Pippa Mann	Graham Rahal	Matthew Brabham
10	Bryan Clauson	Spencer Pigot	Stefan Wilson
11	Jack Hawksworth	Buddy Lazier	Alex Tagliani

Race Preview

James Hinchcliffe's story of perseverance will be difficult to top this weekend regardless of how the 200 laps play out at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Simply making it back to the race healthy after suffering life-threatening injuries during practice one year ago would have been a terrific accomplishment. Sitting on the pole with a legitimate chance to win one of the most prized titles in motorsports is nothing short of astonishing.

The 29-year-old Canadian is enjoying a solid stretch of racing, registering three straight top-10 finishes heading into the series' marquee event. He's never enjoyed much success in the Indy 500, however, ending up outside the top 20 three times in four appearances.

As he attempts to reverse that trend, Geoffrey Miller of Athlon Sports noted the reminder of what happened last year is still ever-present:

Power is another driver seeking his first Indy 500 victory. He's come close several times before, finishing inside the top 10 four times in eight starts, including a second-place result in 2015. Now the question is whether he can finally get over the hump into Victory Lane.

The 35-year-old veteran isn't downplaying the importance of winning the race, either. Jeff Gluck of USA Today noted the Aussie stated the event "is everything for me right now" while also discussing how it can make or break a driver's resume.

"You'd finish your career feeling really happy about it if you won that race," Power said. "And to win a race that size with that many people, to feel that feeling in Victory Lane, that would just be awesome. It would be something you'd never forget."

While that level of desire is constant across those without an Indy title, no driver enters the fray with more momentum than Simon Pagenaud. He's been spectacular during the early stages of the campaign, capturing three straight checkered flags after finishing second in the first two races.

It's allowed him to rapidly build a 76-point lead in the standings. Winning Sunday would not only give him the coveted Indy title, but it would eliminate any lingering questions about whether he's in line for a potentially record-breaking season.

Luke Smith of NBC Sports believes Pagenaud is in rare air right now:

Beyond that trio, it's tough to count out those who have won the race before. High-profile names like Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Montoya figure to find themselves right back in the mix as well.

The bottom line is it's a race totally up for grabs. As a result, there should be a high number of lead changes, and the entertainment value should be high; that's the most important thing in the end, at least from a fan's perspective.

Predictions: 1. Will Power 2. Simon Pagenaud 3. James Hinchcliffe