Entry list for 2011 Indianapolis 500
IndyCar commentary — By Paul Dalbey on April 15, 2011 8:05 amThe initial entry list for the 95th running of the Indianapolis 500 was released yesterday by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Included in the 42 entries are four former 500 champions and IZOD IndyCar Series champions (Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon) and five rookies (JR Hildebrand, James Jakes, Charlie Kimball, Jay Howard, and James Hinchcliffe). The 42 entries, comprised of 83 cars, is the largest field since 2002 and marks the eighth consecutive year the entry list has grown or held steady. Perhaps one of the deepest fields in the race’s history, 18 of the 35 confirmed drivers have won races in either the IZOD IndyCar Series, CART, or Champ Car.
With 35 drivers confirmed to cars, the next seven weeks will be entertaining as additional drivers jockey to find their way into one of the remaining entries. The entries with drivers TBA are:
- Car 8: Dragon Racing
- Car 16: TBA
- Car 19: Dale Coyne Racing
- Car 36: Conquest Racing
- Car 44: Panther Racing
- Car 57: Sarah Fisher Racing
- Car 89: China Racing
Some of the drivers not on the entry list so far but whose names have been suggested for rides include:
- Sam Hornish, Jr. — mentioned as possible driver for the Dragon Racing entry
- Buddy Rice — also mentioned as possible driver for the Dragon Racing entry
- Pippa Mann — heavily linked to the Conquest Racing #36, though she has told MFW she does not have a program lined up at this point
- Alex Lloyd — figures to land a ride somewhere; was 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year with Dale Coyne Racing
- Martin Plowman — tested with Dale Coyne Racing in the off-season
- Ho-Pin Tung — was linked to second ride at FAZZT Race Team prior to its acquisition by Sam Schmidt Motorsports, obvious choice for China Racing
- Simon Pagenaud — has stated that he plans to run in Indianapolis 500 with Highcroft Racing with car #16 in honor of French victors Jules Goux and Rene Thomas
- Buddy Lazier — would be a great addition to Sarah Fisher’s team and would help get the car up to speed quickly alongside Ed Carpenter
Click here to view the full the official entry list.
Tags: Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The driver situation seems to be settled in now. I got to say I am excited the car count and quality should make this year’s Indianapolis qualifIying drama the best in years (even better than last year). I am really looking forward to this May at Indianapolis.