Defying the odds to win the Indy 500 has become a trend in recent years. Will that trend continue in the 102nd running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”?
Qualifying for the 102 running of the Indianapolis 500 is set to take place this weekend on both Saturday and Sunday ahead of the actual race next Sunday, May 27. As is traditional in the Indy 500, 33 IndyCar drivers will line up in 11 rows of three before the green flag waves at the four-turn, 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana.
With qualifying still to come and all of next week still remaining before the 2018 Indy 500 begins, there is still no clear-cut favorite to drive to victory lane on Memorial Day Sunday, especially given the fact that there has been so much parity throughout the season so far with the new UAK18 body kit.
But even when qualifying wraps up on Sunday evening and the 11 row of three are set, there still might not be a clear-cut favorite. There might be one as far as the odds go, but realistically, it’s anybody’s guess when it comes to the Indy 500.
In recent years, every single Indy 500 winner has won the race after defying the odds, especially in the DW12 era, which has featured the six Indy 500 races with the most lead changes in the history of the race.