Seven Former Winners Headline 101st Indianapolis 500 Entry List
INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, May 14, 2017) — Seven drivers whose images are immortalized on the famed Borg-Warner Trophy for winning the Indianapolis 500 are among those named to entries filed for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on May 28.
Thirty-three drivers have been named for the 33 entered cars at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. The list includes 18 Hondas and 15 Chevrolets.
Click HERE for the 101st Indianapolis 500 Entry List
The former winners include reigning champion Alexander Rossi, who scored an underdog victory as a rookie last year. The others are Buddy Lazier (1996), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000 and 2015), Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002 and 2009), Scott Dixon (2008), Tony Kanaan (2013) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014).
Castroneves will try to join one of the most exclusive clubs in worldwide motorsports – four-time winners of the Indianapolis 500. Castroneves is attempting to become the fourth four-time winner of the race, joining A.J. Foyt (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977), Al Unser (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987) and Rick Mears (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991).
Nineteen of the drivers entered have won at least one IndyCar Series race, including Will Power, the most recent Verizon IndyCar Series race winner after his win in the INDYCAR Grand Prix at IMS and Simon Pagenaud, who holds a 10-point advantage over Dixon in the series points standings.
Eight entered drivers have won Indy car season championships. Champions entered in the race include four-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion Dixon (2003, 2008, 2013 and 2015), four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais (2004-2007), 1999 CART champion Montoya and Verizon IndyCar Series title winners Lazier (2000), Kanaan (2004), Hunter-Reay (2012), Power (2014) and Pagenaud (2016).
Four rookies are assigned to cars, including two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso along with Mazda Road to Indy graduates Jack Harvey, Ed Jones and Zach Veach. The Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program starts at noon (ET) Monday, followed by open practice from 2-6 p.m.
Sources: Curt Cavin/Verizon IndyCar Series PR