IndyCar: The 2021 Indy 500 has hit the magic number...

There are now 33 confirmed entries for the 105th running of the Indy 500, meaning that any more cars will result in bumping.

On Thursday, A.J. Foyt Enterprises announced the addition of 2011 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year and runner-up J.R. Hildebrand to their team for the 105th running of the Indy 500 next month, giving them four confirmed entries for this race.

This news followed the announcement that Santino Ferrucci is set to join reigning race winner Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in a third car for this 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana.

Hildebrand became the 32nd driver confirmed for this year’s running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, but his #1 Chevrolet was the 33rd confirmed entry.

So if there are any more entries from this point forward, there will need to be bumping to set the field of 33.

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And there are likely to be more cars added as well, not just because of the fact that there is still a month and a half to go before qualifying on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23.

The only confirmed entry without a confirmed driver is the #52 Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Honda, which is likely to be driven by Rick Ware’s son, Cody Ware. Ware currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.

As for other possible entries to bring the entry list total past the 33-car mark, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing have yet to confirm an entry for Sage Karam, despite participating in this week’s test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

That announcement is likely to come in the near future and would bring the entry list total to 34 (or more, depending on what is announced in the meantime).

The team will likely stick with one entry this year as opposed to two like they have run in each of the last three seasons, however, and that is one of the reasons why we saw Hildebrand confirmed at A.J. Foyt Enterprises. Hildebrand had competed for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the race from 2018 to 2020.

Top Gun Racing, which have yet to make their IndyCar debut, have said that they plan to compete in the race this year after pulling out last season due to sponsorship issues stemming from the track not allowing spectators for what is annually the most attended single-day sporting event in the world.

Should they confirm an entry, it would be with RC Enerson behind the wheel. It would presumably be a Chevrolet-powered car.

Lastly, Andretti Autosport have five drivers confirmed for this race, including Marco Andretti in a one-off effort, but they could still add another one. They ran five full-time cars plus an extra one for last year’s Indy 500, and running only four full-time cars this season could allow them to run an additional one-off to again get to six if they so choose.

With all things considered, we’re probably going to be looking at between 34 and 36 drivers attempting to qualify for the race next month, meaning that between one and three drivers won’t make the cut. We last saw bumping in 2019, when three of the 36 drivers who attempted to qualify for the race failed to do so.

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The 105th running of the Indy 500 is set to be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 30.

IndyCar: The 2021 Indy 500 has hit the magic number…

By Asher Fair | Apr 9, 2021

There are now 33 confirmed entries for the 105th running of the Indy 500, meaning that any more cars will result in bumping.

So if there are any more entries from this point forward, there will need to be bumping to set the field of 33.