The 92nd Indy 500

Famed American entertainer Jim Nabors is up on the victory podium to sing the traditional 'Back home again in Indiana.'

This is a welcome return for Nabors, who has performed the song most years since 1972, but had to miss last year's rendition due to illness.

Archbishop Daniel Buechlein is delivering the Invocation from the podium as the drivers begin to get in their cars.

The crowd is going nuts in the speedway, as the drivers are told to move towards their cars.

A flypast of two F-18 and two F-16 jets screams overhead at the speedway.

The national anthem is now performed by Julianne Hough on the victory podium, as we move closer and closer to the start time.

"God Bless America" is being performed by Florence Henderson from the podium.

The grid assembly looks fantastic as the crews stand behind their cars, making for a colourful display. Truly, the calm before the storm.

The festivities continue at Indy with a parade of military personnel to mark the Memorial Day weekend.

The drivers now make their way back towards their racecars. The assembled crowd is yelling and cheering wildly for their favourites in the main grandstand.

The field of drivers are lined up on the front stretch for a commemorative photograph.

Driver introductions are now taking place down on the Yard of Bricks as the 33 racers are presented to the enormous crowd.

We have the cars, drivers, teams, a packed speedway and near-perfect weather. This morning the build-up has been electric, and the fans have been flocking to the speedway since the gates opened early this morning.

The 2008 race marks the first since the IndyCar and Champ Car series ended their damaging 12 year split. The feeling that of the dawning of a new era in Indy-style racing surrounds the event.

The cars were pushed from Gasoline Alley into the pitlane in readiness for the race. Concerts have kept the spectators entertained in the hours leading up to the start of the race, and the marching bands and American pagentry has been in full flow.

Moto GP rider Nicky Hayden has been on track demonstrating what a Moto GP bike can do to the assembled crowd, ahead of the inaugural bike event at the speedway later this year.

Finally, a short time ago, the field of 33 were pushed onto the grid, where they remain during the final hour before they get turned loose for 500 miles of racing.

Tactics and pit strategy are ever-important at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The battle between the drivers on the racetrack is matched by the battle between the crews on pitroad. With up to seven pitstops expected today for fuel and tyres, it's down to the crew chiefs in the pitlane to determine when is the best time to stop, and to ensure that the right wing changes are made at the driver's request.

The spotters up in the tower also play a major role in the race. In constant contact with their drivers, the spotter must - as far as possible - keep their driver out of trouble as they circulate the racetrack.

Good calls from the spotter to warn the driver of danger, great pitstops and a well-balanced racecar will enable the driver to do their job, stay on the lead lap and be there at the end when they race the last hundred miles.

Scott Dixon held off a late challenge from teammate Dan Wheldon to claim pole for this year's 500, on the vital opening day of qualifying that set the grid from pole to 11th. Dixon's pole-winning four lap average was 226.366 mph for the Target Chip Ganassi entry.

Ryan Briscoe led the Penske challenge in qualifying and will start third, with teammate Helio Castroneves on the inside of row two. The Andretti Green trio of Danica Patrick, Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti took the subsequent grid slots, with Vitor Meira, Hideki Mutoh, Ed Carpenter and Tomas Scheckter also qualifying on pole day.

Day two of qualifying was rained out by the fickle Indiana weather, leaving a scramble on day three to set times for grid slots 12-32. Townsend Bell was fastest on that day, earning himself a spot on the outside of the fourth row.

AJ Foyt IV made it into the field on Bump Day by taking the final spot, while Mario Dominguez, Roger Yasukawa and Max Papis missed out on the last grid spots in a dramatic conclusion to the qualifying sessions.

Here is a full grid for the 92nd Indy 500:

Indy 500 grid

The month of May has been a difficult one this year for the Indycar drivers. Rain washed out the second qualifying day, resulting in only the first 11 grid positions being established after the first weekend of qualification. Two further practice days were rained out, giving a headache to those drivers who were marginal on speed. On Friday, Carb day practice ran for just 11 minutes before the rains arrived yet again.

Today the weather is beautiful and we expect and dry and sunny race, with a maximum temperature around 24 degrees Celsius.

With Carb day washed out, the early stages of the race will be extremely important, as drivers wrestle with cars that they haven't run in anger on the course for over a week. The drivers will spend the early laps of the race dialling their cars into the track conditions of the day.

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Since 1909 the fastest drivers in the world have pitted their wits against one another in a battle of speed, skill, car control and daring. A battle lasting 500 tortuous miles determines who is the fastest of all, and who has the right to call themselves Indianapolis 500 champion.

Today, the 92nd running of the greatest spectacle in racing will take place, and another driver will have their likeness etched onto the world famous Borg-Warner trophy and will savour the milk in victory lane.