Indy 500 entry list inches one spot closer to a full 33

By Asher Fair | Aug 7, 2020

James Davison, Dale Coyne Racing, Indy 500, IndyCar (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

The entry list for the 104th running of the Indy 500 has inched one spot closer to a full field of 33 with the confirmation of James Davison.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the ensuing delay of nearly three months and the restriction on IndyCar fans from entering the venue which normally seats close to 350,000 on Memorial Day Sunday, there were questions as to whether 33 cars would take the green flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 104th running of the Indy 500.

As of Thursday morning, there were 31 drivers officially on the entry list for the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) oval in Speedway, Indiana, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, August 23.

Practice is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, August 12.

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There was one additional car on the entry list, but the driver had not yet been confirmed, and there are mounting questions as to whether or not that car will actually take part in qualifications on Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16.

But now we know of at least 32 drivers confirmed for this race, as James Davison, who has competed in the race in each of the last three and five of the last six years, is set to run the #51 Honda through a partnership involving Dale Coyne Racing, Rick Ware Racing, BYRD and Belardi Auto Racing.

His #51 Honda is set to be sponsored by Jacob Construction with support from Americas Best Value Inn, Tilson HR, and Cruz Associates.

This news came as somewhat of a surprise, given the fact that David Byrd had recently told Dale Coyne that he likely wouldn’t be able to make an entry happen for the 33-year-old Australian.

It was revealed over the winter that this ride was in the cards, but suffice it to say that the world looks a bit different now than it did then, and motorsport has not been exempt from the drastic changes.

Davison’s last four Indy 500 efforts have come with Dale Coyne Racing, and his last two have come with support from Byrd and Belardi as well. He led two laps in 2017 after starting in 33rd (last) place as the replacement for the injured Sebastien Bourdais before he was involved in a late wreck.

Last year, he finished in a career-high 12th after qualifying in a career-high 15th on row five and overcoming an early pit mishap with three-time race winner Helio Castroneves of Team Penske. He had been running in ninth at the time and rallied back for a solid result.

Dale Coyne Racing’s other two drivers for this year’s running of the race are full-time drivers Santino Ferrucci (in partnership with Vasser-Sullivan) behind the wheel of the #18 Honda and Alex Palou (in partnership with Team Goh) behind the wheel of the #55 Honda.

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

Tune in to NBC at 1:00 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the 104th running of the Indy 500 from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.