Indianapolis 500: Runners and riders

The 93rd Indianapolis 500 - the second of the reunified era - boasts the race's highest quality field in years, despite the economic turbulence affecting the world.

With an abundance of unemployed top drivers available for Indy one-offs, the final weekend of qualifying featured former IndyCar and Champ Car race winners Robert Doornbos, Oriol Servia, Tomas Scheckter, Alex Tagliani, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Bruno Junqueira squabbling over the back few rows of the grid, giving the event huge strength in depth.

There was an austerity feel to this battle - many top teams and drivers are running limited mileage or part-month deals on their equipment to save funds - but that just means the 2009 race has a particularly high calibre of underdog. For so many drivers who deserve full-time rides, this could be their only chance to catch a team or sponsor's eye all season, making race day all the more intense.

At the front, Penske had the early edge in practice and delivered a 1-2 on the grid, although Ganassi was never far behind and Andretti Green is creeping back into contention.

Newman/Haas/Lanigan, KV, Panther, Luczo Drago and even Dale Coyne Racing lead an extraordinarily competitive pack just behind the championship's big three. That is how it looks after practice and qualifying anyway. As ever at Indy, it will only take a few incidents or a slight change of weather to throw the race wide open again.

Row 1

1. Helio Castroneves
Car/Team: #3 Team Penske
Q speed: 224.864mph
Indy 500 starts: 8
Wins: 2 (2001, 2002)

It has been a remarkable start to 2009 for Castroneves - from sitting in a courtroom facing the end of his career, to sitting on Indianapolis 500 pole for a third time, in just three weeks. With Penske looking like the team to beat, this is his best chance in several years to add a third Indy victory, a result that would also thrust him back into title contention already.

2. Ryan Briscoe
Car/Team: #6 Penske
Q speed: 224.083mph
Indy 500 starts: 3
Best result: 5th (2007)

Indianapolis was where Briscoe revitalised his IndyCar prospects with fifth on a one-off for Luczo Dragon in 2007, and where his troubled start to life at Penske reached its nadir last year as he took Danica Patrick out in the pitlane. But the only way was up after that and the Australian returns to Indy as a strong favourite for both the race victory and the championship title, thanks to a brilliant second half of 2008.

3. Dario Franchitti
Car/Team: #10 Chip Ganassi Racing
Q speed: 224.010mph
Indy 500 starts: 5
Wins: 1 (2007)

It didn't take long for Franchitti to get back into the swing of IndyCar. Had he not tripped over Rahal in the Kansas pit entry, he would be the points leader heading into the Indy 500, and he has so far been the top Ganassi driver this season despite being paired with reigning champion Dixon. Penske appeared to have a slight edge over Ganassi during the early Indy practice days, but the race is so often a different story.

Row 2

4. Graham Rahal
Car/Team: #02 Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
Q speed: 223.954mph
Indy 500 starts: 1
Best result: 33rd (2008)

Rahal could not wait to get his hands on Newman/Haas/Lanigan's special Indy chassis, and he made great use of it to interrupt the Penske/Ganassi stranglehold on the first two rows. Last year he was the fastest of the 'transition' drivers in qualifying, then the first man to crash in the race. Going quickly in qualifying but not turning that speed into race results has become a bit of a habit. This would be a good time to change that.

5. Scott Dixon
Car/Team: #9 Chip Ganassi Racing
Q speed: 223.867mph
Indy 500 starts: 6
Wins: 1 (2008)

A commanding Kansas win got Dixon's hitherto messy title defence back on course, taking him from a dismal 17th to a respectable fourth in the points, although he was then a little frustrated not to be a pole threat in Indy qualifying. Last year he had the speed to shrug off whatever circumstance threw at him, but so far in 2009 nothing has come easily for the reigning series and Indy 500 champion.

6. Tony Kanaan
Car/Team: #11 Andretti Green Racing
Q speed: 223.612mph
Indy 500 starts: 7
Best result: 2nd (2004)

Given how much angst has surrounded Andretti Green at times this year, for Kanaan to sit atop the championship going into Indianapolis is a fine achievement. The 2004 champion has got the maximum from a package not as quick as Penske and Ganassis's, although he grew frustrated that he seemed to be carrying the four-car team alone at times. At Indy it was his turn to rely on the others, as he qualified in Mutoh's spare car after his own chassis proved puzzlingly slow, and maintained his record of starting in the top six on every appearance.

Row 3

7. Mario Moraes
Car/Team: #5 KV Racing Technology
Q speed: 223.331mph
Indy 500 starts: 1
Best result: 18th (2008)

The extremely inexperienced Moraes impressed more and more as 2008 progressed, and he's taken a further step forward since joining KV for the new season. A startling performance at Homestead testing showed that he was right on the pace on the ovals, although he has yet to get the results to back this up. Something of a rough diamond, he is still developing his racecraft, but has a very quick package for Indy.

8. Marco Andretti
Car/Team: #26 Andretti Green Racing
Q speed: 223.114mph
Indy 500 starts: 3
Best result: 2nd (2006)

Three years on from Andretti's sensational near-win as a rookie in the 2006 Indy 500, and that drive still remains arguably his best performance in an Indycar. This season got off to a bad start on the street courses, although his race pace was far better than his qualifying performances, but things have looked up since - he was competitive on the Kansas oval and - helped a little by a tow - set the pace on the opening day at Indy.

9. Will Power
Car/Team: #12 Team Penske
Q speed: 223.028mph
Indy 500 starts: 1
Best result: 13th (2008)

Is this it for Power's 2009 season? Drafted in for an uncertain length of time to substitute for Castroneves, he had to hand the #3 car back to Brazilian on Saturday morning at Long Beach - and then nearly won the race in the #12 that Penske had sneaked to the track. But that three-car line-up is - for now at least - strictly a two-race only arrangement, which means Indy could be Power's 2009 finale. He was conservative in qualifying, settling for a safe speed rather than joining his team-mates' pole battle.

Row 4

10. Danica Patrick
Car/Team: #7 Andretti Green Racing
Q speed: 222.882mph
Indy 500 starts: 4
Best result: 4th (2005)

Whatever Danica does at Indy will probably be the major story of the race for many casual fans, whether the result is a repeat of her 2005 heroics or last year's controversial pitlane crash and subsequent angry march in Briscoe's direction. Much like team-mate Andretti, she has salvaged a lot of points from a tricky start to AGR's season and, although she wasn't thrilled with her qualifying speed - even at the second attempt, she could be a factor in the race.

11. Alex Lloyd
Car/team: #99 Sam Schmidt Motorsports/Chip Ganassi Racing
Q speed: 222.622mph
Indy 500 starts: 1
Best result: 25th (2008)

Lloyd first turned heads this month by rolling out in an extremely pink car with 'HER' sponsorship on the side. Then the laughter turned to slack-jawed respect as he became the underdog star of Pole Day, getting the Sam Schmidt-run/Ganassi-assisted car into a superb 11th place. The 'Pink Lloyd' phenomenon has been one of the stories of the month, hopefully the under-employed Briton can give the tale a happy ending with a great result.

12. Raphael Matos
Car/team: #2 Luczo Dragon Racing
Q speed: 223.429mph
Indy 500 rookie

Former Star Mazda, Atlantic and Indy Lights champion Matos has had a slightly rocky start to his IndyCar career - tangling with Patrick at high speed in St Pete and banging the Kansas wall. But in between those blips, he has shown huge promise and was the fastest man in second qualifying. The Penske-affiliated Luczo Dragon team has been a top five contender at Indy for the past two years, so keep an eye on rising star Matos.

Row 5

13. Paul Tracy
Car/team: #15 KV Racing Technology
Q speed: 223.111mph
Indy 500 starts: 5
Best result: 2nd (2002)

Yes, he's probably past his prime, but the IndyCar Series is a much better place with Tracy around. He's not just a source of entertainment (although a welcome back press conference featuring Max Papis disguised as a gecko and the repeated sardonic references to his 2002 Indy 'win' were good box office), he's also still quick, as his 13th place on the grid on a fairly tight budget proved. Tracy reckons he can win the race - many hope he's right.

14. Vitor Meira
Car/team: #14 AJ Foyt Enterprises
Q speed: 223.054mph
Indy 500 starts: 6
Best result: 2nd (2005 and 2008)

Given Meira's excellent record at Indy, this is probably his best chance to pull off a piece of giant-killing brilliance for AJ Foyt's team this year. He punched above his weight in qualifying and has a knack of creeping towards the front in the race. Another top three finish would be a shock, a win would be an astounding result. A top 10 finish is more likely and would be just as praiseworthy given his team's resources.

15. Justin Wilson
Car/team: #18 Dale Coyne Racing
Q speed: 222.903mph
Indy 500 starts: 1
Best result: 27th (2008)

IndyCar's underdog hero achieved another minor miracle by qualifying in the top half of the field for the 500 - and proved a point about his often-doubted oval skills in the process. His temporary team-mate Tomas Scheckter said it was Coyne engineer Bill Pappas' skills at Indy that tempted him to the squad, so expect Wilson to have a good car in the race too.

Row 6

16. Hideki Mutoh
Car/team: #27 Andretti Green Racing
Q speed: 222.805mph
Indy 500 starts: 1
Best result: 7th (2008)

Not a great month so far for Mutoh, the only one of the AGR quartet not to qualify on pole day (whereas his team-mate Kanaan grabbed Mutoh's spare from Kansas and stuck it on row two) and he wasn't even a contender for the fastest time in second qualifying. He drove a quietly impressive race to sixth on his Indy debut last year and a similar result would do his currently meandering IndyCar career some favours.

17. Ed Carpenter
Car/team: #20 Vision Racing
Q speed: 222.780mph
Indy 500 starts: 5
Best result: 5th (2008)

Carpenter has not replicated his highly impressive 2008 Indy form (when he started in the top 10 and finished in the top five) so far this year. He is now a solid upper midfield/lower top 10 contender on the ovals and will probably be in a similar position on race day.

18. Dan Wheldon
Car/team: #4 Panther Racing
Q speed: 222.777mph
Indy 500 starts: 6th
Wins: 1 (2005)

Don't be fooled by the lowly qualifying position - Wheldon looked a certain bet for a top 10 spot until he crashed on his Pole Day run. The priority next day was to get in the show and avoid further pitfalls, so 18th on the grid does not represent the Wheldon/Panther combination's true pace. He started on row six when he won in 2005, although a repeat is unlikely as Panther is not quite at the sharp end at the moment.

Row 7

19. AJ Foyt IV
Car/team: #41 AJ Foyt Enterprises
Q speed: 222.586mph
Indy 500 starts: 5
Best result: 14th (2007)

Back with his grandfather's team for a one-off after losing his Vision Racing drive, Foyt IV will probably only be seen at Indy this year. Last season he had a nightmare Indianapolis, featuring crashes, fires and a late scramble to even make the grid. Compared to that, his low-key 2009 run has been refreshingly serene.

20. Scott Sharp
Car/team: #16 Panther Racing
Q speed: 222.162mph
Indy 500 starts: 13
Best result: 6th (2007)

Sharp admitted he was taken aback by how hard his Indy comeback has been so far, having expecting to be a top 10 contender from the outset with Panther. A crash in practice knocked him off his stride just before Pole Day, and in the event only a huge last minute effort got him into the field in second qualifying - and prevented an awkward weekend of commuting from American Le Mans duty in Utah to final Indy qualifying last weekend.

21. Sarah Fisher
Car/team: #67 Sarah Fisher Racing
Q speed: 222.082mph
Indy 500 starts: 7
Best result: 18th (2007)

Last year, Fisher's new team was left hanging by a thread after a major sponsor defaulted on the eve of Indy. She kept things afloat, despite being left with a mangled car after Kanaan spun into her path in the race, and this year her squad impressed with the quality of its presentation and its speed in the last round at Kansas. She has not made the same impact this month yet, but ought to be on for her best result in the big race.

Row 8

22. Davey Hamilton
Car/team: #44 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Q speed: 221.956mph
Indy 500 starts: 8
Best result: 4th (1998)

It is fantastic that Hamilton is still racing at all after his leg-shattering crash in 2001, but his annual return to action at Indy every year since 2007 is more than just a feelgood story. He took a fine ninth on his comeback two seasons ago and was the only one of the D&R quartet to make it into the race on the first weekend of qualifying, after which he turned mentor to help his three team-mates successfully make the cut.

23. Robert Doornbos
Car/team: #06 Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
Q speed: 221.692mph
Indy 500 rookie

Pre-season testing suggested that Doornbos would pick up where he left off in Champ Car on road courses and have no trouble getting up to speed on the ovals. So far it has not proved that straightforward. The speed is definitely there, sustaining it across the whole weekend and not getting caught up in incidents has been the problem. Two practice crashes meant he had to wait until third qualifying to make the Indy field, although he did it in style as the fastest man of a tough day.

24. Townsend Bell
Car/team: #8 KV Racing Technology
Q speed: 221.195mph
Indy 500 starts: 2
Best result: 10th (2008)

KV has a very fast package for this race, and the under-employed Bell was straight up to speed in practice when he joined for the second half of the month. If anything, it was a surprise that it was Doornbos, not Bell who emerged quickest from the third qualifying day. Despite the lowly starting position, a repeat of his top 10 finish from last year is definitely on the cards, in what may well be his only IndyCar race of 2009.

Row 9

25. Oriol Servia
Car/team: #17 Rahal Letterman Racing
Q speed: 220.984mph
Indy 500 starts: 1
Best result: 11th (2008)

In a less financially turbulent year, both Servia and Rahal Letterman would be full-season frontrunners in the IndyCar Series. As it stands, this might be the only time this promising combination is seen all year. Like fellow week two addition Bell, Servia was quick from the moment he hit the track in his eye-catching car (with a Dan Gurney-inspired livery) and should quickly move forward in the race.

26. Tomas Scheckter
Car/team: #19 Dale Coyne Racing
Q speed: 221.496mph
Indy 500 starts: 7
Best result: 4th (2003)

When Scheckter dominated at Indy until crashing in 2002 - one of many such performances in his rookie year - it seemed all he needed was a little maturity to become a major IndyCar star. Despite calming his style a little, the big breakthrough never came and he's not had a full-time drive since 2007. This one-off with Dale Coyne's improving team is a great chance to make some waves and remind the series what it is missing.

27. Mike Conway
Car/team: #24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Q speed: 221.417mph
Indy 500 rookie

Pre-season testing times - on both road courses and ovals - hinted that GP2 convert Conway was going to transform D&R's fortunes. That might yet happen, but so far his potential has been hidden by a string of accidents and he has yet to finish a race. A big impact in practice put him in hospital briefly, although he qualified relatively safely on the final weekend. He desperately needs a quiet, learning, race and a finish.

Row 10

28. John Andretti
Car/team: #43 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Richard Petty Motorsports
Q speed: 221.316mph
Indy 500 starts: 9
Best result: 5th (1991)

Returning veteran Andretti's month was rocked by a heavy practice crash on the first qualifying weekend. A tentative third qualifying day then meant he was bumped out multiple times last Sunday, and with just five minutes to go it looked like his high-profile, Richard Petty-backed, entry would miss the race. A heroic last-gasp effort got Andretti into the field in style, but he has a lot to do on race day to make an impression.

29. EJ Viso
Car/team: #13 HVM Racing
Q speed: 221.164mph
Indy 500 starts: 1
Best result: 26th (2008)

Viso's season has yet to get going and it looks as though Indy may well be an event to be endured. A brilliant Long Beach qualifying performance was ruined when confusion over a yellow that never was left him with broken suspension, and HVM has not been on the pace at Indy all month. Whereas last year he was criticised for allegedly wild driving, this year Viso's lack of speed has left him totally under the radar.

30. Milka Duno
Car/team: #23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Q speed: 221.106mph
Indy 500 starts: 2
Best result: 19th (2008)

Back at Dreyer & Reinbold after her Newman/Haas/Lanigan deal fizzled out before it got beyond testing, Duno looked a likely non-qualifier as she struggled for speed for much of the month. But ultimately she did enough to make the grade - ahead of some higher-rated drivers - on the last weekend. Unlikely to get beyond the midfield in the race.

Row 11

31. Nelson Philippe
Car/team: #00 HVM Racing
Q speed: 220.754mph
Indy 500 rookie

Philippe started to make real headway in the final few oval races Champ Car held, but with HVM not looking fast this month, his return to the US scene for Indianapolis has not been a great success so far. Spooked by a practice crash, he did well to hang on to a place on the grid, but his expectations for the race must be relatively low.

32. Ryan Hunter-Reay
Car/team: #21 Vision Racing
Q speed: 220.597mph
Indy 500 starts: 1
Best result: 6th (2008)

The 2008 Indy 500 rookie of the year has had a horrible month. Desperately off the pace at Kansas, his car's poor oval form continued to Indy - although Hunter-Reay felt that it was a totally different issue that left him so depressingly slow at the Brickyard. Diplomatic clarifications ensued after a heat of the moment TV interview appeared to hint that his Vision team-mate Carpenter had better equipment. Only a brilliant late run on Bump Day rescued Hunter-Reay from the embarrassment of a shock non-qualification.

33. Alex Tagliani
Car/team: #36 Conquest Racing
Q speed: 221.115mph (car qualified by Junqueira)
Indy 500 rookie

It took a post-qualifying driver switch to even get Tagliani on the Indy grid. Off the pace in early qualifying following a practice crash, he made it on the third day but what the team thought was a safe speed was suddenly bumped out as Andretti and Hunter-Reay dug deep in the closing minutes. Meanwhile, Bruno Junqueira breezed into the team for Bump Day and qualified its second car with minimal drama - but with Conquest trying to build a season-long funding package around Tagliani, the Brazilian was asked to step aside in his favour for the race.

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