The 2020 Indianapolis 500 will take place Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway without fans in attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Simon Pagenaud is the storied race's defending champion. His title defense was originally scheduled for the traditional Memorial Day Sunday before being postponed until this month because of COVID-19.
Marco Andretti will start from the pole position in this year's race after posting the fastest speed in the Fast Nine Shootout qualifying event last Sunday.
Let's check out all of the other important details for the 2020 Indy 500.
Viewing Information
Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
When: Sunday, Aug. 23, at 2:30 p.m. ET
Watch: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports
Drivers to Watch
Marco Andretti
Andretti will look the become the second straight pole-sitter to win the Indy 500 after Pagenaud did it last year, becoming the first driver since Helio Castroneves in 2009 to accomplish the feat.
The 33-year-old third-generation driver has never won the marquee event despite several close calls since his 2006 debut, when he finished second. In all, he's finished inside the top five on five occasions and had two more top-10 results since 2015.
Andretti said after claiming the pole advice from his grandfather, 1969 Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti, was key to his success.
"He said, 'The wind will scare you, but it won't ever crash you,' and today, he was right," he told reporters. "It was all good advice. 'Let them beat you, don't dial yourself out. You already know what you've got. Do it again and let them dial themselves out chasing you.'"
Similar words of wisdom may come in handy Sunday.
Takuma Sato
Sato became the first Japanese driver to win the Indy 500 in 2017 and nearly added another title to his trophy case last year when he finished third. The recent success represents a serious turn of fortune after he failed to crack the top 10 in his first seven starts in the event.
The 43-year-old's best career performance in qualifying—third—earned him an opportunity to start on the front row for the first time. That combined with good form during the early stages of the season—four top-10s in his last five starts—makes him a strong bet to contend Sunday.
The biggest question is whether his Honda will have the necessary high-end speed for the final laps. None of his qualifying laps topped 231 mph, a mark hit by eight other drivers in the field. However, among the 33 drivers, Sato was the only one who managed a better second lap than his first in the four-lap qualifying.
Rinus VeeKay
VeeKay outperformed expectations to claim fourth in qualifying, putting him in a promising slot on the second row in his Indy 500 debut. Being able to match or exceed that performance in the race could prove difficult so early in his IndyCar Series career.
The 19-year-old Netherlands native has one top-10 finish in his first six races, but he's coming off 20th- and 17th-place results at Iowa a month ago.
He'll look to become the 11th rookie to capture the Indy 500 title. Alexander Rossi was the last driver to join the group in 2016.
Read 0 Comments
Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation