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IndyCar: It’s official; there will be bumping for the 2019 Indianapolis 500

By Asher Fair

AVONDALE, AZ - APRIL 06: James Hinchcliffe, driver of the #5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda IndyCar (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
AVONDALE, AZ - APRIL 06: James Hinchcliffe, driver of the #5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda IndyCar (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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A total of 34 drivers have now been confirmed for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500, meaning there will be bumping for this year’s edition of IndyCar’s most prestigious race.

The entry list for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 this May has contained over 33 confirmed entries for quite some time now, but Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s confirmation of J.R. Hildebrand made Hildebrand the 34th confirmed driver for this year’s running of IndyCar‘s most prestigious race.

As a result, there will be Bump Day action once again, as not all of the drivers on the entry list will end up qualifying for one of the 33 starting positions for the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana.

Last year, the entry list for the race contained 35 drivers, so two drivers were bumped from the field. One of the two drivers who was bumped was full-time Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver James Hinchcliffe, who had not finished outside of the top nine in any of the season’s first five races.

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The other driver who was bumped was Dale Coyne Racing’s Pippa Mann, who has been an Indy 500-only driver for the last several years.

An additional two drivers are still expected to be confirmed for this year’s edition of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.

Juncos Racing have already confirmed that they will field the #32 Chevrolet, which will likely be driven by Kyle Kaiser.

Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports are set to field a third car, likely the #77 Honda, to go along with their #5 Honda and #7 Honda that are set to be driven by Hinchcliffe and rookie Marcus Ericsson, respectively. Oriol Servia will likely be the driver of the team’s third car.

The possibility of Harding Steinbrenner Racing fielding a second car is seemingly out the window, according to team president Brian Barnhart, and the possibility of Andretti Autosport fielding a sixth car is seemingly out the window as well.

As a result, there will likely be 36 drivers competing to be a part of the this year’s 33-driver Indy 500 field. The last time an entry list for the Indy 500 contained at least 36 drivers was for the 95th running of the race back in 2011 when 41 drivers competed for the 33 starting positions.

Next. Top 10 Indianapolis 500 drivers of all-time. dark

Which three (or more) IndyCar drivers will end up being bumped from the field for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500? Tune in to the live broadcast of qualifying for the race on NBC from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, May 18 and at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 19 to find out. The race itself is set to be broadcast live on NBC from the track beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 26.