IndyCar: Indianapolis 500 entry list already up to 27 drivers for 2019

Christmas of 2018 has not yet arrived, but the entry list for IndyCar’s biggest event of 2019, the Indianapolis 500, already contains 27 drivers.

The 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 26, 2019, and it is set to be the sixth race of the 17-race 2019 IndyCar season. But while this race, the biggest race of the season, is still more than five months away, the entry list for it already is already up to 27 drivers.

Considering the fact that last year’s Bump Day qualifying session for the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana left out two fan-favorites, Pippa Mann and James Hinchcliffe, from the 102nd running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, the fact that the entry list already contains so many drivers is particularly notable.

By the time the weekend before the 2019 Indy 500 rolls around, we could be in for another exciting yet heartbreaking Bump Day qualifying session, and it is very possible that more than just two drivers will be left out of the iconic “field of 33” for the first time since the 2011 Indy 500.

Here is a list of the 27 drivers who are already entered into next year’s Indy 500.

NOTE: (R) denotes would-be Indy 500 rookies.

Full-time drivers

A.J. Foyt Enterprises

• Matheus Leist – #4 Chevrolet
• Tony Kanaan – #14 Chevrolet

Andretti Autosport

• Zach Veach – #26 Honda
• Alexander Rossi – #27 Honda
• Ryan Hunter-Reay – #28 Honda
• Marco Andretti – #98 Honda

Carlin

• Max Chilton – #59 Chevrolet

Chip Ganassi Racing

• Scott Dixon – #9 Honda
• Felix Rosenqvist (R) – #10 Honda

Dale Coyne Racing

• Sebastien Bourdais – #18 Honda
• Santino Ferrucci (R) – #19 Honda

Ed Carpenter Racing

• Spencer Pigot – #21 Chevrolet

Harding Steinbrenner Racing

• Patricio O’Ward (R) – #8 Honda
• Colton Herta (R) – #88 Honda

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

• Graham Rahal – #15 Honda
• Takuma Sato – #30 Honda

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

• James Hinchcliffe – #5 Honda
• Marcus Ericsson (R) – #7 Honda

Team Penske

• Josef Newgarden – #2 Chevrolet
• Will Power – #12 Chevrolet
• Simon Pagenaud – #22 Chevrolet

Part-time drivers for full-time teams

Ed Carpenter Racing

• Ed Carpenter – #20 Chevrolet
• Ed Jones – #64 Chevrolet

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

• Jordan King (R) – #TBD Honda

Team Penske

• Helio Castroneves – #3 Chevrolet

Part-time drivers for part-time teams

DragonSpeed

• Ben Hanley (R) – #81 Chevrolet

McLaren

• Fernando Alonso – #TBD Chevrolet

On a side note…

In addition to the 27 confirmed drivers on the entry list for the 2019 Indy 500, there are several highly speculated drivers and/or entries that could be officially making their way to the entry list in the near future.

First of all, Carlin have yet to confirm who their second full-time driver will be. That announcement is set to bring the entry list total to 28 drivers. There is also a chance that they will field a third full-time entry in the 2019 season, which would bring the entry list total to 29 drivers. Even a part-time entry would do so assuming it is entered into the Indy 500.

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Secondly, Jack Harvey is set to return to Meyer Shank Racing on a part-time basis again in the 2019 season. While his schedule for the 2019 season has not yet been confirmed, based on last season, he will likely be back competing in the Indy 500 for the third consecutive year. If this happens, the entry list total would move up to 30 drivers.

Thirdly, Dreyer & Reinbold have fielded at least one entry in the Indy 500 since they entered IndyCar in 2000, even in seasons during which they have not been a full-time team. After fielding one entry in each of the six Indy 500 races from 2012 through 2017, they fielded two entries in last year’s edition of the race, one for J.R. Hildebrand and one for Sage Karam. Assuming they field two entries in the race again, the entry list total would shoot up to 32 drivers.

Finally, don’t forget about Juncos Racing. They fielded two entries in their first Indy 500 in 2017 and one entry in last year’s Indy 500 in what was their first season as more than an Indy 500-only team. Kyle Kaiser drove for the team in the 2018 Indy 500.

While they are set to run two IndyCars in the 2019 season, it is unknown what their schedule will be, who their drivers will be and how many drivers will combine to drive those two cars. How many cars they will field in the Indy 500 is also a big unknown.

However, it would seem to be safe to say that if they do end up achieving their goal of being a two-car team in the 2019 season, they would field both cars in the Indy 500. Assuming this happens, the entry list total would shoot up to 34.

This alone means that there will likely be bumping once again for next year’s Indy 500, and this driver total does not even include other possible one-off entries, of which there are usually several to be confirmed from December of one year through May of the next leading up to the race.

How many drivers will end up attempting to qualify for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 in May of 2019? Which drivers, if any, will attempt to qualify for this edition of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” but be bumped out and thus left on the outside looking in when it comes to the “field of 33” for IndyCar‘s biggest event?

The race itself is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 26, 2019, and it is set to be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. The Bump Day and Pole Day qualifying sessions are scheduled to take place the weekend prior to the race on Saturday, May 18, 2019 and Sunday, May 19, 2019, respectively.