IndyCar: 5 drivers share a unique Indy 500 bond Five drivers who competed in last years Indy 500 did

Five drivers who competed in last year’s Indy 500 did what no drivers had ever done in 103 previous editions of the race, and what hopefully nobody will ever do again.

Through 104 editions of the Indy 500 dating back to 1911, a total of 780 drivers have had the opportunity to compete in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, the crown jewel of the IndyCar schedule.

That numbers was 775 through the first 103 editions of the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana.

Five drivers last year did what none of those other 775 drivers had done before them — and what hopefully no other drivers will ever do again.

Last year’s race, which was won by 2017 winner Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing back on Sunday, August 23, featured five rookies: Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward and Oliver Askew, Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh’s Alex Palou and A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ Dalton Kellett.

Of those five drivers, only O’Ward, who was not an actual IndyCar rookie last season because of the fact that he competed part-time in 2019, had previously attempted to compete in the race. Driving for Carlin, he failed to qualify in 2019.

Last year, he led the rookie pack with a sixth place finish behind the wheel of his #5 Chevrolet after starting in 15th.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, which forced last year’s race to be moved out of May for the first time in its 104-year history, these five drivers are the only five drivers in Indy 500 history to make their Indy 500 debuts in front of no spectators.

They will hopefully forever be the only five drivers who can make that claim.
We had the chance to speak with one of those five drivers, the lone part-timer of that group and the driver who had the least amount of IndyCar experience entering that race: Dalton Kellett.

Asked about how he feels being a part of that quintet, Kellett, who had competed in only three races prior to making his Indy 500 debut, said he hadn’t thought about it much, but that it is kind of cool.

However, he hopes that nobody ever gets added to the list.

“No, actually I hadn’t even really considered that stat,” Kellett told Beyond the Flag. “That is kind of cool! Hopefully that list doesn’t grow, because it was a different year not having fans and we definitely missed that. But yeah, that is kind of a neat little stat. I hadn’t really thought of that.”

Asked if a second Indy 500 — one with fans in the stands — would almost feel like a debut because of the fact that he made his official debut without anybody on the hallowed grounds of the Brickyard, Kellett, who ended up crashing out of last year’s race, explained the difference between the on-track experience and the event experience as a whole.

“I think as far as the on-track stuff is concerned, I don’t think it would feel like another debut, like going at it for the first time again,” he said. “But as far as the experience as a whole event, I really think it would be different, mainly based on what I’ve heard from people that have had that experience at the 500 with the 250,000+ fans on site on race day and just the whole thing.

“When you go on track to qualify, it’s the first time that you’re going around the track with the stands almost full. It actually changes your visual references and all that … I think just how much more busy it would be in a normal year will make the entire experience feel new. But the driving side of it, I think, will still feel the same.”

Kellett now competes full-time for A.J. Foyt Enterprises and is set to start the 105th running of the Indy 500 in 30th place after a dramatic qualifying session last Saturday. This race, which is set to see a reduced-capacity crowd of roughly 135,000, is set to be broadcast live on NBC from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 30.

IndyCar: The most bizarre, heartbreaking Indy 500 finish ever
Ten years ago today, the Indy 500 saw the most dramatic and heartbreaking finish in its history, one that will likely never be topped.
Whether it’s Al Unser Jr. beating Scott Goodyear to the start/finish line in 1992 or Sam Hornish Jr. overcoming a massive gap to rob a 19-year-old Marco Andretti from the win in the last few feet of lap 200 in 2006, there have been some heartbreaking Indy 500 finishes for many IndyCar drivers over the years.

But I still don’t know how anything will ever hold a candle to what happened on this day 10 years ago now, a day that still seems like it could have been yesterday.

The 2011 race was the 95th running of the 200-lap “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) oval in Speedway, Indiana, and it marked the race’s 100th anniversary.

Dick Harroun, the late grandson of the race’s first winner Ray Harroun, was even in attendance to celebrate, and he witnessed one of the all-time greats.

Why do I call a heartbreak one of the all-time greats? Because for every heartbreak results-wise, there is somebody who comes out on the winning end, and in this case, on Sunday, May 29, 2011, it was the late Dan Wheldon.

Like that was Harroun’s final chance to watch the Indy 500 before his passing in December of that year, it was Wheldon’s final chance to compete in it. He was sadly killed in an accident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that October before he got the chance to defend his second Indy 500 crown.

But how did Wheldon end up in victory lane?

Danica Patrick took the race lead with 22 laps remaining in the race after Scott Dixon, who led a race-high 73 of the first 178 laps after starting in second place, came in for his final pit stop.

But she still needed to pit, and while many fans wanted to be in denial, that wasn’t going to change anything — and neither would a late caution.

She stayed out front for 10 laps before Bertrand Baguette ran her down and took the lead with 12 laps remaining.

There were questions regarding whether or not Baguette could make it on fuel. He ultimately came into the pits and relinquished the lead to J.R. Hildebrand with three laps remaining, just moments after Hildebrand had passed Dario Franchitti for what was second place at the time.

But even to this day, there are still questions, based on Baguette’s lap times, regarding whether or not he could have gone longer.

With three laps remaining, Hildebrand was now in the race lead. He was clearly saving fuel, but his gap over second place was so huge that all he needed to do was stay out of trouble before he became the first rookie winner of the race since Helio Castroneves won it for the first of now three times in 2001.

For those watching the race on television — and even many watching in-person — it wasn’t even super clear who was running in second place at this point, given the drivers who were saving fuel, the drivers who were coming into the pits, the drivers who were running out of fuel, the drivers who were being passed for position, coupled with all the lapped cars, etc.

ABC’s scoring bar at the top had no idea, either.

Hildebrand had an uneventful lap 198 and an uneventful lap 199, and his gap over second place Wheldon was still quite sizable.

Turns one, two and three went smoothly. Turn four, not so much.

Watch how it all unfolded below (start at 3:02:00).

Wheldon became the first driver to ever win the race while leading only its final lap, and that would be the final lap he ever ran in the Indy 500. He became just the second driver to win the race via a last-lap pass, with the first being Hornish over Andretti.

To this day, Hildebrand has never avenged his defeat. He has competed in the race in every year since, but his top finish, save for this heartbreaking second place result, is a sixth place finish in 2016. He also led that race, which took place exactly five years ago today, in the late stages, but that race also came down to some interesting fuel strategy.

The 105th running of the Indy 500 is scheduled to take place this Sunday, May 30. NBC is set to broadcast the race live from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. Hildebrand, driving the #1 Chevrolet for A.J Foyt Enterprises in his 11th Indy 500 start, is set to start in 22nd place.

Indy 500: Full odds, breakdown ahead of Carb Day
Who are the favorites and who are some of the potential value picks for this Sunday’s 105th running of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
The Carb Day practice session ahead of the 105th running of the Indy 500 is scheduled to take place from 11:00 a.m. ET to 1:00 p.m. ET at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

After that, the field of 33 cars won’t be on-track until the start of Sunday afternoon’s 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) oval in Speedway, Indiana.

Who are the favorites to win the biggest IndyCar race of the year, and who are some of the underdogs?

Take a look at the odds leading up to the 2021 edition of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.
All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

Example: +350 means a $100 bet wins $350 ($450 total payout).

Driver: Odds
Scott Dixon: +350
Colton Herta: +700
Pato O’Ward: +1100
Alexander Rossi: +1400
Alex Palou: +1400
Rinus VeeKay: +1400
Josef Newgarden: +1500
Tony Kanaan: +1600
Graham Rahal: +1800
Takuma Sato: +2000
Marcus Ericsson: +2200
Ed Carpenter: +2200
Will Power: +2500
Simon Pagenaud: +2500
Ryan Hunter-Reay: +2500
Helio Castroneves: +2800
Scott McLaughlin: +3300
Juan Pablo Montoya: +3300
Felix Rosenqvist: +5000
Santino Ferrucci: +5000
Marco Andretti: +5000
Conor Daly: +5000
James Hinchcliffe: +6600
Jack Harvey: +6600
Ed Jones: +6600
Sebastien Bourdais: +10000
Sage Karam: +10000
Stefan Wilson: +15000
Pietro Fittipaldi: +15000
J.R. Hildebrand: +20000
Max Chilton: +50000
Simona de Silvestro: +50000
Dalton Kellett: +50000

Implied chance vs. actual chance
The odds indicate Dixon has a 22.22% implied chance to win the race. However, as is always the case in sports betting, the implied chances for all drivers add up to over 100%, to practically ensure no losses for the books. In this case, they add up to 131.50%, so Dixon’s actual chance of winning, based on his odds, is 16.90%.

With 33 cars in the field, logic would tell you that all 33 have a 3.03% chance to win. Using the odds themselves, you find that 16 drivers have implied chances of over 3.03%. However, only 12 drivers have an actual chance exceeding that amount.

You can decide for yourself who you’re willing to bet on, given the risks. But this is an extremely important point to consider when making a selection, especially if you’re looking to place a bet on a driver with lesser odds — or perhaps even a few drivers with lesser odds who you believe could pull through.

Best bets for an underdog
As far as potential upset winners are concerned, two in particular stand out: Ed Jones and Santino Ferruc