Indy 500 2019: Weekend Race Schedule, TV Coverage and More

NBC will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2019 Indy 500 on Sunday, the crown jewel of this year's IndyCar Series.

The 103rd running of the race will be the first on an oval track this season and that sixth race on the calendar. Josef Newgarden will start the race as the Series points leader, and he sits eight points ahead of Scott Dixon.

NBCSN will start its broadcast at 9 a.m. ET, while NBC will follow suit at 11 a.m. ET. The race start is scheduled for around 12 p.m., and live streams can be found by clicking here.

Here is a look at the starting grid, per Rob Connett of 93 WIBC:

McLaren's Fernando Alonso failed to qualify for the race, ruining his chances of becoming the second man to win the Triple Crown. He also tried in 2017, retiring during the race because of mechanical problems. Graham Hill remains the only driver to complete the Triple Crown of the Indy 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Monaco Grand Prix.

Simon Pagenaud was the fastest man in qualifying, edging Ed Carpenter and Spencer Pigot with an average speed of 229.992 mph.

The Frenchman is coming off a win in the Indianapolis Grand Prix, and that has taken him up to fourth place in the standings.

Pagenaud knows full well race conditions will be different than those in qualifying, however:

No one has won the Indy 500 more than Team Penske, with 17 wins in total. Last year's winner, Will Power, also came from the stable after two straight years of Andretti winners.

Power took pole position in the two first races of the season but is without a race win. He's sixth in the overall standings, with his best result a third-placed finish in the opening round of the season, the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Helio Castroneves is the only active driver with multiple Indy 500 titles under his belt, winning the race three times. His most recent triumph came in 2009, but he went close in 2014 and 2017, finishing in second place on both occasions.

The Brazilian will have his former chief mechanic, Rick Rinaman, with him in the garage:

Dixon, Power, Tony Canaan, Takuma Sato, Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay are the other active drivers to have won the race.