By the numbers: breaking down the 2022 Indy 500 entries
Thirty-three drivers will start the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 29. For seven of them, it will be their first attempt at the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. For eight of them, it will be an attempt to see their face etched onto the Borg-Warner Trophy yet again.
Of course, the driver all eyes will be on is Helio Castroneves, as the popular Brazilian and defending Indy 500 champ looks to become the first driver in history to win the 500 five times. Last year, Castroneves became the fourth driver to join the four-timers club, joining Indy Legends A.J. Foyt, the late Al Unser and Rick Mears.
Castroneves is also trying to become the first back-to-back winner at Indy since he scored his first two victories at the Brickyard in 2001 and 2002. BorgWarner is also offering a $400,000 bonus to Castroneves if he can go back-to-back this year.
Additionally, seven other former winners will join Castroneves in the race. The record for most former winners entered in the Indy 500 is 10, set in 1992.
The race will also feature the most extensive field of rookies since 2014. Seven drivers will vie for Rookie of the Year honors including seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and Formula One veteran Romain Grosjean. While both drivers competed in the NTT IndyCar Series last season, neither raced in the Indy 500, making them eligible to battle for Indy 500 top rookie honors.
The star-studded field will also feature 13 American drivers and 20 international drivers from 13 different countries. Here’s a breakdown of all the drivers entered in this year’s race:
Former Winners: Helio Castroneves (2001, ‘02, ‘09, ‘21), Takuma Sato (2017, ‘20), Simon Pagenaud (2019), Will Power (2018), Alexander Rossi (2016), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000, ‘15), Tony Kanaan (2013), Scott Dixon (2008)
Rookies: Devlin DeFrancesco, Romain Grosjean, Callum Ilott, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard, David Malukas
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American Drivers (13) By State:
California (4): Colton Herta (Santa Clarita), J.R. Hildebrand (Sausalito), Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon), Alexander Rossi (Nevada City)
Connecticut (1): Santino Ferrucci (Woodbury)
Florida (1): Kyle Kirkwood (Jupiter)
Illinois (1): David Malukas (Chicago)
Indiana (2): Ed Carpenter (Indianapolis), Conor Daly (Noblesville)
Ohio (1): Graham Rahal (New Albany)
Pennsylvania (2): Marco Andretti and Sage Karam (Both from Nazareth)
Tennessee (1): Josef Newgarden (Nashville)
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International Drivers (20) By Country:
Australia (1): Will Power
Brazil (2): Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan
Canada (2): Dalton Kellett, Devlin DeFrancesco
Colombia (1): Juan Pablo Montoya
Denmark (1): Christian Lundgaard
France (2): Romain Grosjean, Simon Pagenaud
Japan (1): Takuma Sato
Mexico (1): Pato O’Ward
Netherlands (1): Rinus VeeKay
New Zealand (2): Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin
Spain (1): Alex Palou
Sweden (2): Felix Rosenqvist, Marcus Ericsson
United Kingdom (3): Callum Illott, Jack Harvey, Stefan Wilson