IndyCar: 5 drivers who can win both the GMR Grand Prix and the Indy 500

IndyCar has been racing at the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 2014. The best tune-up and ultimate confidence boost going into the Indy 500 is to win the GMR Grand Prix two weeks before.

The month of May is underway in Indianapolis, and the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course is set to kick things off this Saturday afternoon. The race has become a staple on the IndyCar schedule, and it has served as a fitting lead-up to the Indy 500 for the last decade.

Team Penske have dominated the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, having won eight of the 13 races held on the hallowed grounds. Only two drivers have been able to complete a sweep of the Month of May. Will Power did it in 2018 and Simon Pagenaud did it in 2019, and both did so with Team Penske.

Realistically, there are about 12 drivers in the field today who could do what Power and Pagenaud did. Here are five with the best shot, plus one honorable mention longshot, who can take home both wins during the month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Drivers who can win both Indy races: No. 1 – Pato O’Ward

Pato O’Ward is an easy choice here. He is not only primed for his first win of the 2023 season, but he is also primed for his first Indy 500 victory.

His bitterly close second place finish from last year will have him driving with the same ferocity we saw at Texas Motor Speedway last month. He has finished in the top six in all three Indy 500s for which he has qualified.

It will all hinge on how he can do this upcoming weekend. His best career finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course is fifth.