Indy 500 stampede to the front anticipated

A stampede of amazing drivers is waiting to rush from the back of the field in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

“I think that back 10 is just as strong if not stronger than the front 10 of the group,” said Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood, who starts 23rd.

As a byproduct of some strong entries having poor days in qualifying and the two back-of-the-grid penalties assessed to 2018 Indy 500 winner Will Power and 2023-24 winner Josef Newgarden from Team Penske, there’s an incredible array of fast cars waiting to tear through the field of 33 to make their way to the front.

Power is 33rd. Newgarden is 32nd. Graham Rahal is 28th. Colton Herta is 27th. Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indy 500 winner, is 25th. Four-time Indy winner Helio Castroneves is alongside Kirkwood. NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson is just in front of them in 19th.

The assembled group presents a phenomenal opportunity for fans to witness an immediate race-within-a-race when the green flag waves.

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“I'm excited for it,” Kirkwood said. “It's actually pretty cool. You're going to see some people from the back charging through. I hope it's us sitting here. You can expect the Penskes to come through, obviously. Yeah, it's going to be an exciting one to watch for the fans.

“It's going to be an interesting race because of that. There's going to be a lot of passing going on. It actually shakes it up, right? It's going to make it exciting for people. I'm in good company back there. Yeah, it should be an exciting day.”

With the expected forward movement among the group, Castroneves is thankful for the quality of those who will join him on the journey.

“It's important to have people with experience in this situation,” he said. “Of course, you are talking about fast guys but also with experience, and that's what we want. We know how to win a race; you don't win in the first lap here.”

It's a long way up from the back of the Indy 500 field. Justin Walsh/IMS Photo

Nolan Siegel in 24th is the only rookie situated among the rearward pack.

“Starting where I am, I feel a lot better that I'm starting around great people that are also going to be moving their way forward,” he said. “I couldn't ask for better people to be around. If I can slot in behind Helio and follow him through the pack, then that's going to be a great learning experience for me. Obviously he knows how to get around here. It's not where I would want to be starting, but it's kind of the best-case scenario being where I am.”

Newgarden has designs on winning three in a row and lacks no confidence in his ability to get to victory lane.

“You can win this race from any seat in the house,” he said. “There's no bad seat in this house. I like saying that, too. I love listening to where people sit and hearing their stories. There's just no bad seat at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I think that goes for the starting grid, too.

“I like the challenge coming from 32nd. I don't know what the day looks like, it's so hard to predict. We do have a great car. It just seems to be getting better every year. I'm trying to protect that right now. It's one of these things where every day changes a little bit at the Speedway. You have to stay on top of it. Sunday is really going to be the day that counts. We have to make sure we're in the right place for that day. If we can do that, we should be in a good spot.”

Talk of the first Indy 500 using hybrid engines has all but disappeared as the race draws near. From Kirkwood’s perspective, the pre-event fears of the energy recovery system having a negative impact on the race have not been visible inside the car as he’s fired around the 2.5-mile oval in a pack.

“The cars are passing just as well as they have in the past years, and I think there was some people that were a little bit worried that potentially the racing is not going to be as good with the added weight in the rear of the car, but I have not seen it to be that case at all,” he said.