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
Oriol Servia. Photo Credit: John Cote/Courtesy of IndyCar. /

Oriol Servia

Qualified: 19th

Team: MotoGator Team Stange Racing with Arrow Schmidt Peterson

What you need to know: Participating in the Indianapolis 500 in partnership with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Racing, Servia is a well-established IndyCar Series “super sub” and also sometime pace car driver. At some point in his lengthy career, he’s served as a substitute driver for most IndyCar teams.

Most famously, following the tragic death of Justin Wilson, it was Oriol Servia who stepped into Wilson’s Andretti Autosport entry at Sonoma and guided it to a 12th place finish in 2015.

He’s not only a reliable driver who has been counted on to deliver solid performances, but he’s someone who’s a strong part of the IndyCar community, too.

The 44-year-old Spaniard has been in an IndyCar race or more since the 2008 season. The Arrow Schmidt Peterson partnership brings him back to a team he also worked with in 2016, when he was driving for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports with Marotti Racing.

In that Indy 500, he finished 12th; his best finish is fourth in 2012, with Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Servia can easily be a contender, and even if he isn’t, he can be in the mix and change the outcome of the race.

Indianapolis 500
James Davison. Photo Credit: John Cote/Courtesy of IndyCar. /

James Davison

Qualified: 15th

Team: Dale Coyne Racing with Byrd-Hollinger-Belardi

What you need to know: James Davison is returning to the NTT IndyCar Series for his fifth shot at winning the Indianapolis 500. The 32-year-old Australian has driven in six previous IndyCar races going back to 2013, most of them somehow connected to the Dale Coyne Racing organization.

His best finish, however, was with KV Racing Technology back in 2014, when he finished 16th—just a spot behind where he’s starting the 2019 Indy 500.

When he’s not at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Davison has competed in a wide variety of racing leagues, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series (with Joe Gibbs Racing) and WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

He’s still looking to truly break through when it comes to open-wheel racing, and could this be the year he finds his first Top 10 in an IndyCar event?

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