Fansided

Meet the new 2019 Indianapolis 500 drivers

By Brittany Frederick

Kyle Kaiser prepares to qualify for the 2019 Indianapolis 500. Photo Credit: James Black/Courtesy of IndyCar.
Kyle Kaiser prepares to qualify for the 2019 Indianapolis 500. Photo Credit: James Black/Courtesy of IndyCar. /
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Indianapolis 500
Sage Karam. Photo Credit: John Cote/Courtesy of IndyCar. /

Sage Karam

Qualified: 31st

Team: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

What you need to know: Sage Karam is a semi-regular face around the NTT IndyCar Series. At just 24 years old, he’s driven in at least one IndyCar race in each of the last five seasons. However, he’s never been able to stick around for an extended period of time. Karam has never run a full season, and only participated in one part-time campaign, with Chip Ganassi Racing back in 2014.

Karam has been criticized for his aggressive driving (he once famously ticked off Ed Carpenter at Iowa, also in 2014) but has found a home as an Indianapolis 500-only driver. 2019 will be his sixth Indy 500 start, five of them with Dreyer & Reinbold.

While he’s struggled to qualify—his best spot on the grid is 21st—he finished ninth in his Indianapolis 500 debut back in 2014. Unfortunately, it has been a bumpy ride since, and he hasn’t come home higher than 26th in the last four tries.

Indianapolis 500
Pippa Mann poses after qualifying for the 2019 Indianapolis 500. Photo Credit: John Cote/Courtesy of IndyCar. /

Pippa Mann

Qualified: 30th

Team: Clauson-Marshall Racing

What you need to know: After being bumped out of the field last year, Pippa Mann not only got in this year, but did so by snagging the last of the 30 guaranteed spots—avoiding Bump Day entirely. She’ll be the only woman in the 2019 Indianapolis 500 lineup.

Like Sage Karam, Mann is another driver who never quite got the big break in IndyCar; she ran two Indy Lights seasons and finished fifth during her second season, but has only ended up with a few opportunities in the NTT IndyCar Series.

Most of them have come in Indianapolis 500-only cars; it will be her seventh time driving in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

The 35-year-old’s best Indy 500 finish is 17th and her best qualifying position has been 22nd. A new team is backing her this year: Clauson-Marshall Racing, named in part for late driver Bryan Clauson.

Appropriately, the primary sponsor on Mann’s car is Driven 2 Save Lives, which supports organ donation; after Clauson’s death, his organs saved several lives through donation.

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