IndyCar: Chasing 33 Entries for the 100th Indy 500

Two months out from the 100th Indy 500, and the field is still not full. Who will fill out the field for IndyCar’s most historic race?

With just two months to go before the historic 100^th running of the Indianapolis 500, time is running out for teams and drivers to figure out the final entries to fill out the field of thirty-three. While few doubt that there will be eleven full rows to run in the race, many are wondering, will we see any bumping in Bump Day qualifying this year?

Currently, there are 28 confirmed entries for the Indy 500. Of them, 21 are full time teams and four of them will be running in the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the road course at IMS earlier in May.

Here are the 21 full-time IndyCar teams competing:

Andretti Autosport

#26 Carlos Munoz
#27 Marco Andretti
#28 Ryan Hunter-Reay
#98 Alexander Rossi

Chip Ganassi Racing

#8 Max Chilton (R)

#9 Scott Dixon

#10 Tony Kanaan

#83 Charlie Kimball

Graham Rahal will be one of two cars for RLL Racing at Indianapolis in May. Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Team Penske

#2 Juan Pablo Montoya
#3 Helio Castroneves
#12 Will Power
#22 Simon Pagenaud

Dale Coyne Racing

#18 Conor Daly
#19 Luca Filippi

Schmidt Peterson Racing

#5 James Hinchcliffe
#7 Mikhail Aleshin

J. Foyt Enterprises

#14 Takuma Sato
#41 Jack Hawksworth

KVSH Racing

#11 Sebastian Bourdais

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

#15 Graham Rahal

Ed Carpenter Racing

#21 Josef Newgarden

In addition to the 21 full-time entrants, these four cars will run in both the Indy Grand Prix and the Indy 500:

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
- #16 Spencer Pigot
J. Foyt Enterprises
- #35 Alex Tagliani
Ed Carpenter Racing
- #6 J.R. Hildebrand
PIRTEK Team Murray (with KVSH Racing)
- #61 Matthew Brabham

This brings the total entries up to 25, with the following three confirmed thus far to add to the historic 100^th running:

Ed Carpenter Racing
- #20 Ed Carpenter
Jonathan’s Byrd Racing (with Dale Coyne Racing)
- #88 Bryan Clauson
Dreyer and Reinbold Racing
- #24 Sage Karam

With 28 confirmed entries so far that leaves five more teams needed to completely fill the IMS grid. However, those spots are expected to fill quickly in the coming weeks. Townsend Bell has confirmed he will have a ride in the race with a team to be determined, while Grace Autosport is expected to field an entry with Katherine Legge by partnering with a team. Pippa Mann and Buddy Lazier are expected to confirm their returns in familiar places too.

With those four “close but not confirmed” entries, who fills the final entry spot for the 500-mile race? Bell and Legge are expected to partner with potentially any of the three teams with engine and cars left – Andretti Autosport, KVSH Racing, and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Whichever of those three teams does not partner with Bell or Legge will likely look to the long list of IndyCar free agents with some sponsor dollars to fill the seat.

Based on those numbers, it seems unlikely that fans will get to see Bump Day excitement for the final spot in the big race. With ample other racing competitions underway in May, including Global RallyCross and Le Mans testing, many teams will be stretched thin. However, most fans and IndyCar executive would be happy to see bumping with a second Bryan Herta Autosport car or fifth Chip Ganassi Racing car. One can only hope that the chances of more than 33 entries grows in the next few years, should the dallara chassis and engine deals become easier to come by.

There are still many moving parts to finish out the entry list for the 100^th Indy 500, and teams will all be hoping to be a part of the centennial edition of America’s greatest open wheel race.

IndyCar: Chasing 33 – Entries for the 100th Indy 500

By Alex Herbst | Mar 27, 2016

Two months out from the 100th Indy 500, and the field is still not full. Who will fill out the field for IndyCar’s most historic race?