INSIGHT: How the 2019 Indy 500 grid is shaping up

Barring the unexpected, the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 will have 36 entries vying for 33 non-guaranteed spots at the ‘Greatest Spectacle In Racing.’

In RACER’s second entry list update this year, we’ve seen clarification on who’s driving a few cars and carved a couple of possible names from the roster. At present, ahead of one and only pre-event Open Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway set to take place on Wednesday, 34 drivers have been confirmed.

The 35th, destined for Juncos Racing’s lone Chevy-powered entry, has not been revealed, but team owner Ricardo Juncos indicated plans are set for the entry and an announcement is forthcoming. Kyle Kaiser, who drove for the team at Indy in 2018, is tipped to be returning to the car.

The 36th driver, belonging to Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and its third Honda-powered entry, is the last question to answer. Arrow SPM general manager Taylor Kiel said they’re close to making a decision [LINK], and based on the latest chatter, Oriol Servia remains positioned as the leading candidate to drive.

With Harding Steinbrenner Racing and Juncos parking any plans for second entries, which would have pushed the entry list to 38, 36 is what we expect to see confirmed:

A.J. Foyt Racing (Chevrolet)

Tony Kanaan

Matheus Leist

Andretti Autosport (Honda)

Ryan Hunter-Reay

Alexander Rossi

Marco Andretti

Zach Veach

Conor Daly

Arrow Schmidt Peterson (Honda)

James Hinchcliffe

Marcus Ericsson

TBD

Carlin Racing (Chevrolet)

Max Chilton

Charlie Kimball

Patricio O’Ward

Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda)

Scott Dixon

Felix Rosenqvist

Clauson-Marshall Racing (Chevrolet)

Pippa Mann

Dale Coyne Racing (Honda)

Sebastien Bourdais (with Vasser-Sullivan)

Santino Ferrucci

James Davison (with Byrd/Hollinger/Belardi)

DragonSpeed (Chevrolet)

Ben Hanley

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (Chevrolet)

Sage Karam

JR Hildebrand

Ed Carpenter Racing (Chevrolet)

Ed Carpenter

Spencer Pigot

Ed Jones (with Scuderia Corsa)

Harding Steinbrenner Racing (Honda)

Colton Herta

Juncos Racing (Chevrolet)

TBD

McLaren Racing (Chevrolet)

Fernando Alonso

Meyer Shank Racing (Honda)

Jack Harvey

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda)

Graham Rahal

Takuma Sato

Jordan King

Team Penske (Chevrolet)

Will Power

Josef Newgarden

Simon Pagenaud

Helio Castroneves