Sunday brings the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500, but if you're only a once-a-year viewer, you might be looking for someone to root for.
The 33-car field goes green from the legendary track Sunday afternoon, including a few fresh rookies and some with 20+ Indy 500 appearances dating back to the early 2000s.
Looking for someone to finally break through? A Cinderella choice? Pure dominance? Here's a full guide.
Someone to dominate in a way we've never seen
Josef Newgarden (No. 2 - Penske Racing from Nashville, Tenn.)
No one in the history of the Indy 500 has won three of them in a row. In just two years, Newgarden went from a series champion with no Indy 500 wins in 11 tries to someone who might become a legend by the end of this weekend. There is some controversy to look at with Newgarden's Penske team, but we'll get to that later.
Someone to etch their name in the history books
Helio Castroneves (No. 06 - Meyer Shank Racing from São Paulo, Brazil)
If back-to-back-to-back wins aren't your jam, how about the most Indy 500 wins ever? The 50-year-old Brazilian has won the race four times, tied at the top of the all-time list with three other drivers, but no one has ever won if five times. Castroneves, a 25-time winner in the series, only races part-time these days, but that doesn't hold him back: His last Indy 500 win in 2021 was his first IndyCar start of that season, and he won the race in his first try back in 2001. Oh, and if he wins, "Spiderman" will climb the fence.
A competitor and fan favorite to finally get it done
Pato O'Ward (No. 5 - Arrow McLaren Racing from Monterrey, Mexico)
O'Ward is talented, exciting and charismatic. He's a driver that a series struggling to attract big viewership needs. He's always in the discussion to win races and the title, but he's still looking to break through: He has no titles yet and is still looking for his first Indy 500 win. But Indy is a particular boon to O'Ward: After failing to qualify in his first attempt in 2019, he has finished in the top six in four of his last five tries, including painful second places in 2022 and 2024. The latter of which brought him to show some raw emotion after coming just feet short of a win.
Someone to continue an unprecedented level of dominance in 2025
Alex Palou (No. 10 - Chip Ganassi Racing from Barcelona, Spain)
If you've watched IndyCar at all this year, it's been almost all Palou. Literally. Palou, who was already won three of the last four IndyCar championships, has won four of this season's first five races (and came in second in the only race he didn't win). Palou has been inevitable ever since joining Ganassi in 2021. He also hasn't won the big one yet, but has finished in the top 10 in four straight years. If Palou can finally put the Indy 500 win on top of a season where he might already be cruising to title No. 4, could he have other teams calling his name?
Someone to run 1,100 miles in one day
Kyle Larson (No. 17 - Arrow McLaren from Elk Grove, California)
A select few have tried running "double duty" in motorsports history, meaning they run the Indy 500 and then fly down to North Carolina for the Coca-Cola 600 (NASCAR's longest race of the year, by the way) in a single day. Larson, one of NASCAR's best, will be trying to complete the double in his second attempt. Last year, Larson's IndyCar debut was competitive, but a late penalty dropped him to 18th. To make things worse, the race suffered from rain delays that kept Larson from turning a single lap in Charlotte. Only six drivers have ever tried double duty, and only one has ever completed all 1,100 miles (Tony Stewart in 2001). Can Larson not only finish every mile, but win?
Someone to shock the world ... again
Robert Shwartzman (No. 83 - Prema Racing from Tel Aviv, Israel)
Shwartzman was a contender in the junior formula series a few years ago, but never got a shot at F1. After looking for a big chance for a few years, he finally got it at Prema Racing, a team with lore in Formula 2 and other series. But Prema is in its maiden voyage in IndyCar in 2025. Then in Shwartzman's first try ever at an oval? Pole position, the first rookie to do it since 1983. But it's one thing to go fast on an empty track and another to do it going 230+ mph around 32 other cars.
The villains
Josef Newgarden and Will Power (No. 2 and No. 12, Team Penske):
Newgarden and Power are both multi-time IndyCar champs and Indy 500 winners. But their efforts in 2025 have been shrouded by cheating allegations. The two cars were found to have made illegal modifications. And after more and more noise, both were sent to the back of the field and heads rolled in team leadership. This came a year after another cheating scandal within the team. Oh, by the way, Roger Penske owns the whole series.
The drivers with F1 connections
Shwartzman is just one of many drivers in the field who have been at or near the F1 level. Here's who else has those connections:
Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 - Arrow McLaren from Hedensted, Denmark)
The Danish driver spent three seasons in Formula 2, most recently in 2021. He came over to IndyCar full-time in 2022 and joined Arrow McLaren this season. He's seeking his first Indy 500 top-10 in 2025.
Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 - A.J. Foyt from Woodbury, Connecticut)
The American could fit on the "villains" list for his fiery attitude and driving style. Ferrucci ran a few partial GP3 and F2 seasons from 2016-18, but has been in IndyCar since 2018. The A.J. Foyt team is traditionally not very competitive ... outside of the Indy 500, where Ferrucci has never finished worse than 10th in six tries.
Alexander Rossi (No. 20 - Ed Carpenter Racing from Nevada City, California)
Rossi famously won the Indy 500 in his very first attempt with Andretti Autosport in 2016, but remains one of the last Americans to drive in an F1 grand prix after making five starts with Manor Marussia in 2015.
Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 - Andretti Global from Kumla, Sweden)
Ericsson's name is pretty synonymous with two things: his 2022 Indy 500 win or the "Ericsson hit us" meme from the F1 world. Ericcson drove in F1 from 2014-18, scoring 18 career points, all for Sauber.
Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 - Meyer Shank Racing from Christchurch, New Zealand)
Armstrong finished second in his lone F3 season (runner-up to Shwartzman) and then spent three years in F2, where he could never breakthrough as a Ferrari Academy member. This will be his second Indy 500.
Takuma Sato (No. 75 - Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing from Tokyo, Japan)
It feels like an eternity ago, but the two-time Indy 500 winner (most recently in 2020) spent 2002-2008 in F1 with Jordan, BAR and Super Aguri. His lone F1 podium came at the U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis in 2004.
Callum Ilott (No. 90 - Prema Racing from Cambridge, England)
Ilott seemed like a contender for F1 seats a few times, but never got his shot after a second-place F2 finish in 2020. He has had trouble locking down consistent seats in IndyCar due to things out of his control, but he may have a home at Prema.
Feeling patriotic?
Looking for an American to root for on Memorial Day weekend? Newgarden, Ferrucci, Larson and Rossi are some options we've already discussed. Others to watch for include:
Marco Andretti (No. 98 - Andretti Global from Nazareth, Pennsylvania)
The Andretti name is still seeking its first family win in the Indy 500 since 1969. Marco will make his 20th try.
Colton Herta (No. 28 - Andretti Global from Santa Clarita, California)
Herta burst onto the scene as an IndyCar winner at age 18 in 2019. He's been in F1 talks. But first he needs to show some consistency: He's an incredible talent who has only finished better than 16th once over his last four tries, despite being in the winning conversation a few times.
Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 - Andretti Global from Jupiter, Florida)
Rounding out the Andretti stable is Kirkwood, who is a massive talent and the only person to beat Palou in 2025.
Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 23 - DRR-Cusick Motorsports from Dallas, Texas)
How can you get more American than the man they call Captain America? The 2014 Indy 500 winner and former series champ only races in the 500 these days and is seeking his first top five since 2018.