Beyond the Flag
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Which Drivers Stand To Gain or Lose the Most at the Indy 500?

By Asher Fair

May 29, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Overall view of the front stretch of Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
May 29, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Overall view of the front stretch of Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 19, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Verizon Indy Car driver Marco Andretti drives down the front straightaway during practice for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Verizon Indy Car driver Marco Andretti drives down the front straightaway during practice for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Lose – Marco Andretti

Since the adoption of the DW12 chassis, Marco Andretti has been arguably the most consistently fast driver at Indianapolis. That is, up until last year. From 2012 to 2015, his qualifying efforts at Indy were 4th, 3rd, 6th, and 8th, respectively. His finishes, not counting 2012 since he did not finish, were 4th, 3rd, and 6th, respectively. Last season, however, he qualified in 14th and finished 13th. His 13th place finish is his worst career finish at Indy in a race which he actually finished.

Coming off of a season in which he finished in a career-worst 16th place in the championship standings and had a season-high finish of just 8th place, Andretti’s 2017 season has been a train wreck as well. He sits in a tie for 19th place (effectively last) in the standings among full-time drivers and has had three straight miserable races, resulting from both mechanical failures and a crash. If he has another poor race at the Indy 500, which is historically one of his strongest if not his strongest race, his long-term future could very well be in doubt in IndyCar. He certainly stands to lose a lot more than most drivers do this month.