IndyCar: 2018 Indianapolis 500 one-off driver possibilities

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 28: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #98 NAPA Auto Parts Honda (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 28: Alexander Rossi, driver of the #98 NAPA Auto Parts Honda (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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FORT WORTH, TX – JUNE 06: Pippa Mann of England, driver of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)
FORT WORTH, TX – JUNE 06: Pippa Mann of England, driver of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway) /

Pippa Mann

As long as the funding is there, expect the popular 34-year-old Brit in the field. She has formed a nice partnership with Dale Coyne Racing and has run the 500 with them since 2013.

Mann is a six-time starter at Indy, and in 2017, she finished a career-best 17th. She’s also consistent, having finished five of those races. In that span, Mann has completed 986 out of a possible 1,000 laps.

Buddy Lazier

Though he celebrated his 50th birthday this past Halloween, the 1996 Indy 500 winner and 2000 IndyCar champion still wants to compete.

The 500 is a family affair for the Laziers. Buddy is one of only eight drivers to make 20 starts. His father, Bob, ran the 500 in 1981. Buddy’s younger brother, Jacques, was a six-time starter.

Lazier has raced on a team owned by Bob Lazier and several investors since 2013. To call their budget “shoestring” is a stretch. The team gets by on volunteers and little money. Despite the long odds, the smallest team in the paddock still finds enough to get Lazier on track. Will they be able to do it again in 2018?