Arrow McLaren targeted Valentino Rossi to replace Kyle Larson in their fourth Indy 500 entry following Larson's back-to-back Memorial Day Double attempts, but when Rossi turned down Zak Brown's offer, the team signed 2012 IndyCar champion and 2014 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Hunter-Reay is the third confirmed driver of a part-time car for this 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. The other two are Jack Harvey, who is set to drive the No. 24 Chevrolet for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, and Helio Castroneves, who is set to drive the No. 06 Honda for Meyer Shank Racing.
With 27 full-time entries, even though one does not yet have a confirmed driver, there are 30 cars already on the entry list for May's 110th running of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing".
There has been a Bump Day in each of the past three years, and on each occasion, one car was left out of the field of 33. An Indy 500 entry list hasn't seen 35 cars since 2021. Will that change in 2026? Here are five possible additions to the entry list.
Abel Motorsports
With Jacob Abel unlikely to return to Dale Coyne Racing in their remaining full-time entry and Abel Motorsports having shown interest in getting back to the Indy 500 for the first time since they ran the No. 50 Chevrolet for R.C. Enerson in 2023, a 2026 return makes sense. The question would be whether or not Abel could do what he failed to do in 2025 by qualifying for the race.
Andretti Global
Marco Andretti has officially retired from IndyCar, but the stars seem to be aligning toward former full-time driver Colton Herta returning for the Indy 500, given his lack of Formula 2 commitments on Memorial Day Weekend. Andretti Global were more competitive in this race in 2025 than they have been in pretty much any year since Takuma Sato's 2017 win, which is still the team's most recent.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Even with Ryan Hunter-Reay at Arrow McLaren, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing are expected to run two cars again in the 2026 Indy 500. With Conor Daly losing his ride with Juncos Hollinger Racing, a return could be on the cards after he ran well with this team in 2024.
Ed Carpenter Racing
Until anybody confirms otherwise, you'd have to imagine Ed Carpenter himself will be back for another shot in a third Ed Carpenter Racing entry.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Takuma Sato exposed the narrative that Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing are truly "slow" at Indy by qualifying second and leading the most laps in the 2025 race. With Mick Schumacher set to replace Devlin DeFrancesco in the team's full-time lineup, but using the No. 47, perhaps the team could allow Sato to run the No. 30, like he did when he won the race for them in 2020.
The 110th running of the Indy 500 is set to be shown live on Fox from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 24, 2026.