Who will win the trophy?
By ZECH YODER
As is the case with every Indianapolis 500, storylines and drama dominated the month of May.
None bigger than the struggles of Rahal Letterman Lanigan racing (RLL) and veteran Graham Rahal’s failure to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Given the speed RLL had at the Indy Road Course with Christian Lundgaard winning pole and finishing fourth, RLL’s pace on the oval came as a bit of a surprise, demonstrating the cruel maiden Indianapolis Motor Speedway is notorious for. Who can forget the 2021 Indianapolis 500 where 2014 series champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power narrowly missed being bumped from the field?
Yet, like Indiana weather, if you just wait things can change in an instant, as was the case with Graham Rahal. During Monday afternoon’s practice, Rahal’s teammate Katherine Legge failed to react fast enough when the cars in front of her slowed through turn 1. Legge ran into the rear of Stefan Wilson, which sent both Legge and Wilson spinning into the outside wall of turn 1 and the short shoot of turns 1 and 2. Legge walked away from the crash uninjured. Stefan Wilson, however, was transported by the ambulance to Methodist Hospital for more evaluation.
As fate would have it, Wilson suffered a fractured thoracic vertebrae and cannot race in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. Thus, his team owner, Dreyer & Reinbold/Cusick Motorsports (DRR), was left without a driver. The rest, as they say, is history.
Given Graham’s extensive experience in IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500, he was announced as Wilson’s replacement the next day. Both, DRR and RLL, their rival manufactures, and sponsors should be applauded for working together to make this situation work. It is an amazing story and would be even more amazing to see Graham finish at the front of the field.
The second storyline is Tony Kannan, as the 2023 Indianapolis 500 will be his last. The 2004 series champion and 2013 Indianapolis 500 champion is an irreplaceable asset to IndyCar, making his 22nd Indianapolis 500 start. Though not racing full time in IndyCar for the last four years, Kannan is always fast in qualifying and has had two top-10 finishes in the last two years with Chip Ganassi Racing. This year, with Arrow McLaren, Kannan again looks quick and will be starting on row three with two other 500 winners. Given Arrow McLaren’s performance in the recent years and Kannan’s experience, he will likely be a threat at the end of the race.
Lastly, Hamilton County’s own Conor Daly has looked strong in practice and is a legitimate contender to capture the Berg Warner trophy. He, along with teammate and car owner Ed Carpenter, will carry Hoosiers’ hopes into Sunday’s 500-mile race.
Though I am rooting for Daly, I believe that Alex Palou will complete the May sweep and win his first Indianapolis 500. Palou dominated the Indy Road Course and recorded the second-fastest qualifying run ever to capture pole position in the Firestone Fast Six Qualifying last Sunday. Palou nearly won the Indianapolis 500 in 2021, running second to Helio Castroneves. This May, he has taken his game to a different level. In the first five races this season, he has recorded four top-five finishes and has not finished outside the top 10. This is Alex’s year to taste the milk.
The month of May has been terrific, and the weather for Sunday looks great. In this greatest weekend of motorsports, let us not forget to honor those brave Americans who have given their lives so that we can be free. Although we celebrate racing, the true heroes are those who have served and give died protecting our liberties.
See you at the track!
Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.