Start Your Engines: The 91st Indy 500 Preview

In the each of the past two seasons, the driver who would become IRL IndyCar Series champion has snatched Indianapolis 500 victory away from the sentimental favourite in the closing moments, as Dan Wheldon beat Danica Patrick in 2005, and Sam Hornish Jr overcame the Andretti family with a last gasp push a year ago.

In 2007 it already looks like Wheldon is on course for another championship title, and a second Indy win would bring him a lot closer to that goal. But at least nine other drivers believe they might be able to stop him when the 91st Indy 500 begins on Sunday.

The fight for victory: Penske vs Ganassi vs Andretti-Green

There was nothing to choose between Penske and Ganassi during the 2006 season, but this year Ganassi, and particularly Wheldon, have moved a step ahead. The Briton has led 70 percent of the laps in the three oval races so far, and only radio problems in Motegi prevented him from taking a hat-trick of dominant wins.

Wheldon and team-mate Scott Dixon then led the way throughout the first week of Indianapolis practice, and although they could only qualify on the second row, Ganassi had always been adamant that their priority was race preparation. After all, Wheldon only started 16th in 2005 yet still won the race.

Penske have not exactly been left behind - Hornish took the fight to Wheldon at Homestead, and Helio Castroneves won the St. Petersburg street race - and they appear to have closed the gap to Ganassi at Indy.

Both drivers set strong practice times, and Castroneves will start from pole position. He has had an unhappy time at the Speedway since taking two wins and a close second in his first three 500 starts, but he remains a formidable competitor at Indy.

After taking a battering from Penske and Ganassi last year, 2004/5 champions Andretti-Green have regained respectability this season, with Tony Kanaan beating Wheldon in Japan and leading at Kansas, and Dario Franchitti taking two podiums. All five of their cars have looked strong in practice, and Kanaan and Franchitti will start alongside Castroneves on row one.

Andrettis and Unsers

It wouldn't be Indianapolis without representatives of US open-wheel racing's two legendary dynasties in the field. Until Hornish swept past, it looked like Marco and Michael Andretti could take an astonishing son-and-father one-two and put decades of Andretti family misery at Indy behind them last year. But it didn't happen, and incredibly Mario Andretti's 1969 win remains the family's only 500 success.

Marco has had an awful start to the 2007 IRL season, but his practice form suggests he could turn it around at Indy. And his wily father must never be ruled out, even though he hasn't appeared near the top of the speed charts in practice.

They are joined by a third Andretti, as Michael's cousin John returns after 13 years in NASCAR to drive a third Panther Racing car. He has acclimatised rapidly, setting ninth-quickest on his first day of practice and qualifying 24th.

The Unsers have eight Indy wins to the Andrettis' one, but are unlikely to add to their tally in 2007. Double winner Al Jr has teamed up with another legendary name - AJ Foyt - for his Indy return, but Foyt will not have the equipment to fight at the front, and has not shone in his IRL Indy appearances as his once-great career fizzled out amid personal problems.

Three females in the field

For the first time in Indy history, three women will take the start, with Grand-Am convert Milka Duno joining regulars Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher.

Patrick is the only one of the trio with a chance of fighting for victory, and in practice she has shown her best form since joining AGR. Fisher could break into the top dozen with a consistent run, while rookie Duno is simply aiming to stay out of trouble.

The only time that the Indy field has previously contained more than one woman was in Fisher's rookie year in 2000, when she joined veteran Lyn St. James. This year's female trio are certain to improve on their results, for the two women became that race's first retirements after Fisher tangled with Jaques Lazier and slewed into St. James's path.

Wild cards

Ganassi, Penske and Andretti-Green have such a hold on the IRL that it is hard to see anyone else fighting for the podium. Indeed, the only man to regularly get amongst them in practice has been returnee Ryan Briscoe in the Luczo Dragon Racing car - which is owned by Roger Penske's son Jay, and widely regarded as a satellite Penske entry.

Previously seen as a road racing specialist, Briscoe has boosted his oval reputation by flying in practice and qualifying seventh.

Tony George's Vision Racing team have made quietly effective progress in 2007, with both Tomas Scheckter and Ed Carpenter running strongly on occasion. Scheckter has broken into the top five in practice and starts between the Andrettis in 10th, with Carpenter a row behind.

The tenacious Panther Racing squad are always a good outside bet, and although Vitor Meira will only start 20th, he says the team have focused solely on achieving good race pace this year.

Rahal-Letterman's Scott Sharp and Jeff Simmons are potentially contenders in 12th and 13th, but the team have lost a lot of ground since winning in 2004 with Buddy Rice and leading the 2005 race with Patrick.

Filling the field

With only 18 full-time IRL entries this season, it looked unlikely that the 33-car Indy 500 grid would be filled. But the magic number was reached yet again, and there was even a semi-meaningful Bump Day in which IRL veteran Jimmy Kite and former Champ Car driver PJ Jones missed out.

Although many of the cars on the final rows are shoestring efforts with borrowed equipment, fielded by hastily-assembled or revived teams, there are some experienced personnel and very capable drivers amongst them, notably 1996 winner and 1998/2000 runner-up Buddy Lazier, and the under-rated Alex Barron and Richie Hearn.

Roberto Moreno is also on the grid, the habitual 'super-sub' receiving yet another last minute call-up after long-time Indy midfielder Stephan Gregoire injured his back in practice.

The one-off entry likely to be most popular with the crowd is Vision's Davey Hamilton. Since shattering his legs in a brutal crash in Texas six years ago, former IRL title contender Hamilton has been limited to commentary roles and driving the promotional two-seater. But he makes an emotional return to the starting grid this weekend, having qualified a promising 20th.

The split

Apart from Kevin Kalkhoven's offer to bring some Champ Car stars to Indy if George supplied equipment, US open-wheel racing's protracted civil war has not been a talking point this May, with both parties declaring early on that the reunification issue was currently dead.

In truth, the split has become largely irrelevant to the Indy 500, which is now the only open-wheel race that permeates the mainstream American media's consciousness. And Indy is losing its relevance to Champ Car: only three of the current drivers have previously raced at the Speedway, and the series has now dropped its last oval date.

Admittedly the presence of Paul Tracy, still smarting over his controversial 2001 'defeat', would add yet more spice and another intriguing storyline to the Indy 500, Sebastien Bourdais showed impressive pace on his 2005 Indy outing and Graham Rahal deserves a chance to emulate his father Bobby's 1986 victory. And most would rather see the likes of Alex Tagliani, Justin Wilson and Will Power in the line-up rather than Marty Roth and Jon Herb.

But the IRL has managed to produce a reasonably deep 33-car grid without Champ Car's help, and has proved that despite American open-wheel racing's multitude of other problems, the Indy 500 remains strong, spectacular, and eagerly anticipated.

The starting line-up

ROW ONE

1: Helio Castroneves, Penske Dallara-Honda (225.817mph/2:39.4214)

Indy pedigree: Took a comfortable win on his debut in 2001, then repeated the feat a year later to become the first back-to-back winner in three decades. He was narrowly denied a hat-trick by Penske teammate Gil de Ferran in 2003, after which his run of success came to a halt. The three races since then have only brought two muted lower top ten runs and a collision, but he starts on pole this year.

2007 form: Castroneves dominated on the St. Petersburg streets but hasn't had the anticipated pace on the ovals so far; third at Kansas Speedway being his sole podium.

2: Tony Kanaan, Andretti-Green Dallara-Honda (225.757mph/2:39.4634)

Indy pedigree: Kanaan has always been a Speedway front-runner without ever finding his way to Victory Lane. He took third in 2003, second in 2004 and started from pole in 2005, but has so far always lacked the last ounce of speed in the decisive part of the race.

2007 form: The Brazilian has been the main beneficiary of AGR's surge in form - taking third despite a first lap collision in St. Petersburg, beating Wheldon to the Motegi victory, and then starting from pole and running second at Kansas until his now-infamous pit lane collision with teammate Patrick.

3: Dario Franchitti, Andretti-Green Dallara-Honda (225.191mph/2:39.8642)

Indy pedigree: Looked set for second last season but fell to seventh after pitting under the final yellow. Prior to that he had always struggled for race pace at Indy and has never finished better than sixth in four attempts.

2007 form: Currently AGR's lead contender in the championship (albeit only a point ahead of Kanaan), having taken two podiums in the last two races. Not on Ganassi's pace so far, but at the forefront of the 'best of the rest' group.

ROW TWO

4: Scott Dixon, Ganassi Dallara-Honda (225.122mph/2:39.9136)

Indy pedigree: Fought for victory on his debut in 2003, only to crash under yellow in the closing stages. After two quiet years with Toyota power, Dixon was back at the front last year and was a leading contender until being penalised for blocking Kanaan.

2007 form: His Ganassi teammate Dan Wheldon has monopolised the headlines and the victories, but Dixon has only been fractionally slower most of the time. Two second places and two fourth places put him second in the standings, albeit 27 points behind Wheldon.

5: Sam Hornish Jr, Penske Dallara-Honda (225.109mph/2:39.9227)

Indy pedigree: Despite all his success elsewhere on the IndyCar schedule, Hornish Jr appeared to be jinxed at Indy. He was a contender for victory in 2002, 2003 and 2005, but crashed out on each occasion. Then last year it all came right, as Hornish took pole and then overcame a disastrous pit stop to snatch a dramatic last-corner win.

2007 form: Challenged Wheldon for Homestead victory until stalling in the pits and finishing third. Has had to settle for top six finishes since then as Penske lost ground to Ganassi and AGR.

6: Dan Wheldon, Ganassi Dallara-Honda (224.641mph/2:40.2557)

Indy pedigree: Rolled on his debut in 2003, took a solid third in 2004, then picked his way through from a mid-grid start to win in 2005. Looked set to double-up until a puncture intervened last year.

2007 form: Simply awesome. Wheldon has been a dominant force in all three oval rounds, dismissing rivals with ease as he came back from a poor pitstop to win at Homestead, then commanding Kansas. But a radio problem meant he lost out to Kanaan at Motegi. Leads the championship by 27 points.

ROW THREE

7: Ryan Briscoe, Luczo Dragon Dallara-Honda (224.410mph/2:40.4208)

Indy pedigree: Took a solid 10th place on his sole previous appearance with Ganassi in 2005.

2007 form: Indy will be his first IRL start since Sears Point last year. Switched to Penske's American Le Mans Series Porsche LMP2 squad for 2007 and took his first outright in the last round.

8: Danica Patrick, Andretti-Green Dallara-Honda (224.076mph/2:40.6596)

Indy pedigree: Revived America's interest in open-wheel racing by famously leading on her Indy debut in 2005 (helped by a bold strategy), before finishing fourth. Had a consistent run to eighth last year.

2007 form: Her high profile move to AGR has yet to pay off. Fourth on the grid at Motegi and seventh in the race at Kansas are Patrick's highlights of 2007 so far. A crash in the pit entry at Homestead and a tangle with Kanaan exiting the pits at Kansas were definitely the lowlights.

9: Marco Andretti, Andretti-Green Dallara-Honda (223.299mph/2:41.2186)

Indy pedigree: Came within 0.0635s of winning on his Indy 500 debut last year, but Hornish pipped him on the line. Although strategy helped vault him to the front, Andretti had been fast all race.

2007 form: Bizarrely disastrous, on the ovals at least. Took fourth on the streets of St. Pete, but in three oval races Andretti has crashed once and twice parked an ill-handling car.

ROW FOUR

10: Tomas Scheckter, Vision Dallara-Honda (222.877mph/2:41.5238)

Indy pedigree: Dominated on his debut in 2002 only to crash with 30 laps remaining. Finished a competitive fourth the following year but hasn't had a happy time since, his subsequent Indy fortunes typified by last season's heavy accident.

2007 form: A quietly promising season so far for Scheckter and Vision, with fifth at Kansas the best result. The team has moved towards the front of the group behind Penske, Ganassi and AGR.

11: Michael Andretti, Andretti-Green Dallara-Honda (222.789mph/2:41.5880)

Indy pedigree: The Andretti family's abysmal luck at Indianapolis is part of the race's heritage. After 15 attempts, Michael is still hunting for his first Indy 500 win.

Legendary near-misses include 1989 (engine failure while leading), 1990 (wheel bearing failure while leading), 1991 (beaten by Rick Mears in closing laps), 1992 (fuel pump failure 11 laps from victory), 1995 (brushed the wheel while pulling away) and now also his comeback race in 2006, when he led with 10 laps to go but had to settle for third - only his second Indy podium - after son Marco and Sam Hornish swept past.

2007 form: This is Andretti's first start since last year's 500.

12: Scott Sharp, Rahal-Letterman Dallara-Honda (223.875mph/2:40.8041)

Indy pedigree: Seventh in 2005 was IRL stalwart Sharp's best result in 12 Indy 500 attempts, although he has qualified in the top ten for seven of those starts. Even took pole in 2001, only to crash at the very first corner.

2007 form: Sixth at Motegi is the highlight of a low-key first four races with Rahal-Letterman.

ROW FIVE

13: Jeff Simmons, Rahal-Letterman Dallara-Honda (223.693mph/2:40.9352)

Indy pedigree: Finished a distant 16th for Mo Nunn in 2004, crashed under yellows last year. Took a close second in the Indy Pro Series support race in 2005, though.

2007 form: Eighth at Motegi is Simmons' best result so far as RLR remain in the midfield.

14: Ed Carpenter, Vision Dallara-Honda (223.495mph/2:41.0777)

Indy pedigree: Had sensible runs to 11th place for Vision Racing in each of the past two years, and also dominated the 2003 IPS race.

2007 form: Began the season with a very competitive sixth at Homestead, but hasn't repeated that form since.

15: Darren Manning, AJ Foyt Enterprises Dallara-Honda (223.471mph/2:41.0950)

Indy pedigree: Tangled spectacularly with Greg Ray in his first Indy appearance in 2004, then retired early with handling problems the following year.

2007 form: Almost took a giant-killing podium at St. Petersburg, only to spin down to 11th. Hasn't been able to hustle Foyt's car to the same extent on the ovals and has yet to break into the top ten.

ROW SIX

16: Buddy Rice, Dreyer & Reinbold Dallara-Honda (222.826mph/2:41.5612)

Indy pedigree: Started well with a promising 11th for Cheever in 2003, then took a dominant victory with Rahal-Letterman in 2004. Not so good since: Rice missed the 2005 race after injuring his back in practice, and crashed out with Castroneves last season.

2007 form: Three straight 10th places in the opening three rounds were reasonable achievements given Dreyer & Reinbold's resources.

17: Kosuke Matsuura, Super Aguri Panther Dallara-Honda (222.595/2:41.7290)

Indy pedigree: Qualified in the top ten for each of his first three Indy starts, but hasn't sustained the form in the races. 11th on his debut was his best result.

2007 form: Not good - two collisions with Simmons, one embarrassing first lap crash at home in Japan, and a mechanical DNF at Kansas.

18: AJ Foyt IV, Vision Dallara-Honda (222.413mph/2:41.8607)

Indy pedigree: Took 18th on his debut in 2003, then crashed in 2004 and caused Bruno Junqueira's back-breaking shunt in 2005.

2007 form: Hasn't quite been on the pace of team-mates Carpenter and Scheckter so far in his IndyCar comeback, but took a season-best ninth in the last round at Kansas.

ROW SEVEN

19: Vitor Meira, Panther Dallara-Honda (222.333mph/2:41.9196)

Indy pedigree: Has finished in the top 12 in each of his four 500s, including a close second place behind Wheldon in 2005 despite suffering a mid-race hand injury when hit by debris.

2007 form: Started strongly with a competitive fourth at Homestead, but a heavy practice crash ruined his Motegi weekend and convinced him to be conservative at Kansas to preserve the car for Indy.

20: Davey Hamilton, Vision Dallara-Honda (222.327mph/2:41.9238)

Indy pedigree: Had some strong 500 runs in the early years of the IRL, taking sixth in 1997 and fourth in 1998.

2007 form: Indy will be his first race start since suffering horrific feet and leg injuries in a crash at Texas in June 2001.

21: Sarah Fisher, Dreyer & Reinbold Dallara-Honda (221.960mph/2:42.1914)

Indy pedigree: Fisher's best finish in five Indy 500 starts is 21st in 2004, although she qualified ninth two years earlier before tumbling down the order in the race.

2007 form: Began her first full season since 2003 with a strong ninth on the grid in Homestead, but has struggled for race pace and is yet to post a top ten finish.

ROW EIGHT

22: Buddy Lazier, Sam Schmidt Dallara-Honda (221.380mph/2:42.6165)

Indy pedigree: Lazier's Indy fortunes have varied from dreadful to superb since he first tried to qualify for the race in 1989. He won the first IRL-sanctioned 500 in 1996 despite pain from recent back injuries, took strong second places in 1998 and 2000, then dragged a battered car to fifth in 2005.

2007 form: Indy will be his first IRL start since being dropped by Dreyer & Reinbold last summer.

23: Roger Yasukawa, Dreyer & Reinbold Dallara-Honda (222.654mph/2:41.6855)

Indy pedigree: Took 10th places in his first two Indy 500 starts with the Fernandez and Rahal teams in 2003 and 2004, but has not had competitive equipment since.

2007 form: This will be his first start since last year's Indy 500.

24: John Andretti, Panther Dallara-Honda (221.756mph/2:42.3403)

Indy pedigree: After retiring from his first three Indy 500s, Andretti took a competitive fifth in 1991 and added three more top ten finishes before turning his attention to stock cars.

2007 form: This will be his first IndyCar appearance since the 1994 500. Has only had a handful of NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series outings so far this year.

ROW NINE

25: Al Unser Jr, AJ Foyt Enterprises Dallara-Honda (220.876mph/2:42.9871)

Indy pedigree: Qualified fifth for his first-ever 500 in 1983. A last lap tangle with Emerson Fittipaldi cost him victory in 1989, but he made up for it by beating Scott Goodyear to the 1992 win in the race's closest-ever finish.

Added a second victory two years later (after teammate Fittipaldi crashed while trying to lap him), only to dramatically fail to qualify in 1995. Missed the 1996-1999 races due to 'the split' and has had little success at the Speedway since joining the IRL - ninth in 2003 his best recent result.

2007 form: This is Unser Jr's first start since last year's Indy 500.

26: Alex Barron, Beck Dallara-Honda (220.471mph/2:43.2871)

Indy pedigree: Came from 26th to fourth in 2002, then 25th to sixth after late call-up to replace the injured Arie Luyendyk in 2003. Could only manage 12th and 13th with Cheever in 2004/5.

2007 form: Made two starts with Beck's small team in preparation for Indy, but 16th and last, nine laps down, at Kansas was the best he could achieve.

27: Jon Herb, Racing Professionals Dallara-Honda (220.108mph/2:43.5561)

Indy pedigree: Crashed early in his sole previous start in 2001.

2007 form: This is the sometime IPS racer's first IndyCar start since Richmond 2002.

ROW TEN

28: Jaques Lazier, Playa Del Panoz-Honda (219.409mph/2:44.0774)

Indy pedigree: The 1996 winner's younger brother has been firmly in the midfield in his five previous Indy 500s, with a best result of 13th on his debut in 2000.

2007 form: This is Lazier's first IRL start since last year's Indy 500.

29: Milka Duno, SAMAX Dallara-Honda (219.228mph/2:44.2129)

Indy pedigree: Duno is making her first Indianapolis start.

2007 form: The Grand-Am regular made her IndyCar debut at Kansas last month with a cautious run to 14th.

30: Marty Roth, Roth Dallara-Honda (218.922mph/2:44.4421)

Indy pedigree: The Canadian owner/driver crashed on his debut in 2004 and withdrew early with handling problems in 2005.

2007 form: Roth entered Homestead and Kansas as practice for Indy but handling problems forced him out of both races.

ROW ELEVEN

31: Roberto Moreno, Chastain Panoz-Honda (220.299mph/2:43.4139)

Indy pedigree: The versatile Moreno has spread four Indy 500 attempts across the last 21 years. Took 19th for Galles in 1986, failed to qualify in 1994, then retired from the midfield at half-distance in 1999.

2007 form: This is Moreno's first IRL appearance since deputising for Carpenter at St.Petersburg last season. Contested the Houston Champ Car race in place of the injured Alex Figge.

32: Richie Hearn, Hemelgarn/Racing Professionals Dallara-Honda (219.860mph/2:43.7408)

Indy pedigree: Finished a strong third in the first IRL 500 in 1996 before switching to Champ Car. Has had little Indy success since rejoining the IRL, but did come from 22nd to sixth in 2002 after securing a late Schmidt deal.

2007 form: This will be Hearn's first IRL start since the 2005 Indy 500.

33: Phil Giebler, Playa Del Panoz-Honda (219.637mph/2:43.9071)

Indy pedigree: This is Giebler's first Indy 500, but he took fifth in the IPS support race in 2004.

2007 form: Hasn't previously raced in the IRL. Occasional A1GP driver Giebler's only appearance so far this year has been an IPS one-off at St. Petersburg, where he qualified on the front row.

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