Double Duty, Chevy Dominance, And A Champ On The Last Row: Here's What To Watch For In The Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500 is upon us, folks. It’s the meat smack-dab in the middle of the sandwich that is the greatest day in motorsports (the bread consists, of course, of the Monaco Grand Prix and the Coca-Cola 600).

I think the Indy 500 is my favorite race of the year. The history, the tradition, the speed; it just doesn't get any better.

It's one of the great events not just in racing or sports but in the United States, and if you have the opportunity to make the pilgrimage to Indianapolis Motor Speedway some year, you've got to do it.

The racing is incredible, and I also ate a pork tenderloin sandwich at like 9:30 in the morning. What a place.

This year is shaping up to be a good one, although, in all honesty, this race just delivers every year like clockwork.

So, let's take a look at a few of the big storylines going into the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Kyle Larson is going to have himself a busy weekend competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. (Mykal McEldowney-USA TODAY Sports)

Kyle Larson Doing The Double

Easily one of, if not the biggest stories in the lead-up to this year’s Indianapolis 500 is Kyle Larson doing The Double and racing in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600. That hasn’t been done since Kurt Busch did it in 2014.

Busch finished sixth in his Indy debut, and Larson looks fully capable of equaling that or better in his maiden effort, especially when you consider he’s going to be starting in the middle of the second row in P5.

Sure, Chevrolet engines have dominated through practice and qualifying and it certainly looks like the Chevy-powered Arrow McLarens like Larson’s No. 17 are the fastest non-Team Penske cars on the grid. But that good machinery isn’t a given. Larson will start tight alongside teammate and Indianapolis 500 champ Alexander Rossi and ahead of teammate Pato O’Ward, who is no slouch in this race.

Qualifying is only part of the equation, but Larson seemed comfortable with the car in traffic during practice.

I think we could be in for a show from Larson who is proving he’s one of the best all-around drivers on the planet.

Now, hopefully, rain doesn’t put his day of double duty in jeopardy…  but at least he's already gotten a lot of the Indy rookie experience which included milking a cow:

Kyle Larson milks a cow as part of the Indianapolis 500 rookie experience. A tradition like no other… (© Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Now, let's talk a little bit about the dudes starting onthe front row, because they have been fast.

Scott McLaughlin's record-setting qualifying run for pole topped off a dominant weekend for Chevrolet, but will that trend continue in the race? (Mykal McEldowney-USA TODAY Sports)

Team Penske Speed

As we already discussed, Chevrolet stole the show in qualifying with nine of the cars that made the Fast 12 having a bowtie on the front of them.

Of those Chevy-powered teams, Team Penske was the team that was practically on another planet.

They completely dominated the speed charts on both days of qualifying (and Fast Friday practice too).

Now, obviously, qualifying is different from the race. The engines are cranked up, and every bit of extra downforce is trimmed out. Still, Team Penske was so dominant in qualifying that if even a little bit of that insane pace shows up on race day all three of the team’s drivers — Will Power, pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin (who set a new pole record with an average speed of 234.220mph), and reigning-champ Josef Newgarden — will be in play for a race win.

With that front-row lockout, Team Penske also gets to dictate the pace, at least in the early going. It’s not uncommon to see drivers swap the lead back in forth early in the race, and with the entire team up front, Penske will have a little added control early.

Honda was down on pace in qualifying but some of the best to ever do it — like two-time winner Takuma Sato and four-time winner Helio Castroneves — are behind the wheel of them. (© Bob Goshert/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Enough Chevy Chat, Let’s Talk Hondas

While it feels fitting that an American manufacturer is dominating an iconic American race so far this year (Say it with me: USA! USA! USA!), we've got to talk about the other engine supplier on the grid, Honda.

The highest qualifying Honda on the grid this year belongs to Felix Rosenqvist in P9, and he’s followed by a pair of cars with the same engine, with Takuma Sato in P10 and Kyle Kirkwood in P11.

I get the sense that Honda will be back in play with the cars and engines set up for the race, and when that happens — mixed with the possibility of a caution shaking up strategies — some of the most experienced and successful drivers in the field could be worth watching out for.

The aforementioned Sato is a two-time champ and is driving a fourth car for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, the team with which he won the 2020 Indianapolis 500. The RLL cars seemed down on pace, but Sato still managed to get his ride into the Fast 12. If he's in even half-decent machinery, he's going to be toward the front.

While Felix Rosenqvist is a solid Indy driver in his own right, his teammate (and partial team owner) Helio Castroneves is one of the best to ever do it. I don’t care if he’s starting P20. If Spiderman is in the field at the Indianapolis 500, he has a shot at winning it.

The same goes for Scott Dixon in P21. Qualifying was not kind to Chip Ganassi Racing, with the team’s highest starting spot belonging to Alex Palou in P14 (more on him in a second), but Dixon is like Castroneves in that if he’s in the field, he usually becomes a factor. He won the Indy 500 in 2008 and was in position to win again in 2022 if it wasn’t for an untimely and uncharacteristic pot lane speeding penalty. 

Then there’s Palou who was on the pole last year and is a two-time series champ. He’ll be hungry to add his face to the Borg-Warner Trophy.

Marcus Ericson won the Indy 500 in 2022 and came in second in 2023, but this year he'll be starting in the middle of the last row. (© Kristin Enzor/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK)

This Will Be A Tough Race For Marcus Ericsson

One guy who is going to want this month to end is Marcus Ericsson. 

He's gearing up for his first crack at Indy with Andretti Global, and unfortunately for him, he's got to start on the back row.

Ericsson is a stud in the 500. He won in 2022 and finished in second last year behind Josef Newgarden.

However, he had a huge crash during practice that ruined his car meaning he had to switch to the backup.

A similar thing happened to his teammate Colton Herta in 2022 and when the team has to switch cars like that, it usually takes a while to get it up to speed. This means that Ericsson — like Herta in 2022 — will start significantly out of position.

No one has ever won at Indy from the back row, so I don't think we should expect to see Ericsson guzzling some milk at the end of the day, but we know he has the chops to throw down a solid drive nonetheless.

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I don't know about you, but I'm fired up.

Who are you rooting for? Who do you think will win? Let me know!: mattreigleoutkick@gmail.com