By: Wm. R. LaDow
As reported for the Post-Tribune – A Chicago Sun-Times Media Company
The field is now set for the 97th Running of the Indianapolis 500 …
Thirty-three starters will take the green flag for 200 breathtaking laps on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26th at 12 noon. Television coverage by ABC (American Broadcasting Company) will begin at 11am (ET).
Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti will be seeking their fourth victories in the race, which would put them in the elite company of A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser.
The front row, that averaged just under 228.500 miles per hour is comprised of Pole sitter (and Hoosier favorite son); Ed Carpenter and two Andretti Autosport teammates; Rookie Carlos Munoz and Marco Andretti, son and grandson of American racing legends Michael and Mario Andretti.
The field also includes two other previous winners of the 500, Scott Dixon and Buddy Lazier, along with four female drivers; Simona De Silvestro, Ana Beatriz, Pippa Mann, and Katherine Legge.
Last year’s Indianapolis 500 had 34 lead changes recorded at the start/finish, with many more occurring around the storied speedway. The 33 car field is separated by a mere four seconds, with the slowest car in the field qualifying at over 223 miles per hour.
Once again Speedway, Indiana and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host the single-day largest sporting event on earth.
| ROW 1 | ||
| Inside | Middle | Outside |
| #20 Ed Carpenter |
#26 Carlos Munoz (R) |
#25 Marco Andretti |
 |
 |
 |
| Avg. Speed 228.762 MPH |
Avg. Speed 228.342 MPH |
Avg. Speed 228.261 MPH |
| ROW 2 | ||
| Inside | Middle | Outside |
| #5 EJ Viso |
#2 AJ Allmendinger (R) |
#12 Will Power |
 |
 |
 |
| Avg. Speed 228.150 MPH |
Avg. Speed 228.099 MPH |
Avg. Speed 228.087 MPH |
| ROW 3 | ||
| Inside | Middle | Outside |
| #1 Ryan Hunter-Reay |
#3 Helio Castroneves |
#27 James Hinchcliffe |
 |
 |
 |
| Avg. Speed 227.904 MPH |
Avg. Speed 227.762 MPH |
Avg. Speed 227.070 MPH |
| ROW 4 | ||
| Inside | Middle | Outside |
| #4 JR Hildebrand |
#98 Alex Tagliani |
#11 Tony Kanaan |
 |
 |
 |
| Avg. Speed 227.441 MPH |
Avg. Speed 227.386 MPH |
Avg. Speed 226.949 MPH |
| ROW 5 | ||
| Inside | Middle | Outside |
| #22 Oriol Servia |
#19 Justin Wilson |
#7 Sebastien Bourdais |
 |
 |
 |
| Avg. Speed 226.814 MPH |
Avg. Speed 226.370 MPH |
Avg. Speed 226.196 MPH |
| ROW 6 | ||
| Inside | Middle | Outside |
| #9 Scott Dixon |
#10 Dario Franchitti |
#14 Takuma Sato |
 |
 |
 |
| Avg. Speed 226.158 MPH |
Avg. Speed 226.069 MPH |
Avg. Speed 225.892 MPH |
| ROW 7 | ||
| Inside | Middle | Outside |
| #83 Charlie Kimball |
#16 James Jakes |
#77 Simon Pagenaud |
 |
 |
 |
| Avg. Speed 225.880 MPH |
Avg. Speed 225.809 MPH |
Avg. Speed 225.674 MPH |
| ROW 8 | ||
| Inside | Middle | Outside |
| #60 Townsend Bell |
#8 Ryan Briscoe |
#78 Simona De Silvestro |
 |
 |
 |
| Avg. Speed 225.643 MPH |
Avg. Speed 225.265 MPH |
Avg. Speed 225.226 MPH |
| ROW 9 | ||
| Inside | Middle | Outside |
| #21 Josef Newgarden |
#15 Graham Rahal |
#6 Sebastian Saavedra |
 |
 |
 |
| Avg. Speed 226.731 MPH |
Avg. Speed 225.007 MPH |
Avg. Speed 224.929 MPH |
| ROW 10 | ||
| Inside | Middle | Outside |
| #55 Tristian Vautier (R) |
#18 Ana Beatriz |
#63 Pippa Mann |
 |
 |
 |
| Avg. Speed 224.873 MPH |
Avg. Speed 224.184 MPH |
Avg. Speed 224.005 MPH |
| ROW 11 | ||
| Inside | Middle | Outside |
| #41 Conor Daly (R) |
#91 Buddy Lazier |
#81 Katherine Legge |
 |
 |
 |
| Avg. Speed 223.582 MPH |
Avg. Speed 223.442 MPH |
Avg. Speed 223.176 MPH |
