Indy 500 shows growing strength

INDIANAPOLIS » The speeds have been insane — 234 mph for Scott Dixon in a record-breaking run for the pole — and Jimmie Johnson and Romain Grosjean are both part of the fastest field in the history of the Indianapolis 500.

Some 20 drivers, maybe more, are legitimate contenders to win Sunday in front of a crowd expected to swell past 300,000. Roger Penske can finally fully open the gates at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time since he purchased the iconic venue just weeks before the start of the pandemic.

After years of trying to establish itself as one of the top series in motorsports, Indycar is having its moment and “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” just might live up to its name.

“I think Indycar is the most competitive openwheel series in the world,” said Will Power, the Australian who won the Indy 500 in 2018. “It’s more competitive than Formula One is, it just is, and you don’t have to take my word for it.

“Just look at the math: six-tenths (of a second) covers 23 cars in practice. Six-tenths covers how many cars in Formula One? One or two cars? That’s no joke.”

Under Penske, who agreed in late 2019 to buy both the series and the speedway from the George family, the series is taking its biggest leaps yet.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about it that there’s been only upward growth and trajectory,” said two-time Indycar champion and Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden. “I really feel the momentum picking up the last two, three years, and we have some of the best custodians looking after the series and the speedway in Roger and Penske Entertainment.”

Indycar speeds into the Indy 500 with four different winners through its first five races.

The 33-driver field is the fastest in race history with an average speed of 231.023 mph, and the starting lineup includes eight former winners with 13 combined victories.