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

Helio Castroneves

Qualified: 12th

Team: Team Penske

What you need to know: There’s not much that needs to be said about Helio Castroneves. It’s only been two years since he retired from full-time IndyCar competition! Before that, he was one of the league’s most well-known drivers, and still remains incredibly popular even as he has moved from Team Penske’s IndyCar roster to their Acura Team Penske sportscar effort.

Castroneves will be attempting to win his fourth Indianapolis 500; he captured the Borg-Warner in 2001, 2002 and 2009, and has sat on the pole for the race in 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2010.

So he’s got nothing left to prove, but he’s back once again just for the love of it—and adding more stats to his personal record book wouldn’t be bad either.

Having spent more than 15 years in IndyCar and won two dozen races, Castroneves should be a definite contender in the 2019 Indianapolis 500 and should always be considered a factor in the race no matter where he is on track.

He’s one of the league’s legends, and he’s going to make this event a lot more fun just by showing up.

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

Conor Daly

Qualified: 11th

Team: Andretti Autosport

What you need to know: Conor Daly is someone else the IndyCar community knows well and loves already; he was previously voted Fan Favorite Driver a couple of years ago! But 2019 is his best chance yet to win the Indianapolis 500, since this year he’s driving for Andretti Autosport, who have traditionally been powerhouses at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Of the Indy-only drivers, Daly has the best starting position and he’s also on an incredible team, too. This is the best qualifying spot in the race he’s had in his entire career, by far; before this, he hadn’t started higher than 23rd.

He also had his career best finish of 21st last year, so how much can he improve this year on a bigger team with a place much further toward the front of the grid? If you’re looking for a dark horse to bet on in the 2019 Indianapolis 500, pick Conor Daly.

Complete Indianapolis 500 qualifying results. dark. Next

The 2019 Indianapolis 500 takes place on Sunday, May 26. For complete coverage of the 2019 IndyCar season, follow the IndyCar category at FanSided.

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