Indy 500: Larson’s Double Attempt, Newgarden’s Three-Peat Quest Among Top Storylines

No one has ever won the race three straight times, and this year Newgarden will begin at the very back of the Starting Grid.

Josef Newgarden celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 on May 26, 2024. Michael Conroy/AP Photo

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing turns 109 this year as the 2025 Indianapolis 500 takes place Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

It’s part of a full day of prestigious auto races. The day starts with the Monaco Grand Prix in Formula One and concludes with the Coca-Cola 600 in NASCAR. But the Indy 500, the biggest race on the IndyCar Series, is the crown jewel of the day. Here’s a primer on the biggest names and things to know ahead of the race.

This year’s Indy 500, just like last year’s, will see Kyle Larson attempting to pull Double Duty by racing in Indianapolis in the afternoon, then boarding a jet and heading to Charlotte to  race the Coca-Cola 600 in the evening. Mother Nature foiled Larson’s attempt in 2024 as rain delayed the start of the Indy 500, which then meant Larson didn’t have time to make it to Charlotte for the Cup Series race. Forecasts seem to be in Larson’s favor this time around—there’s a 15 percent chance of rain for the start of the Indy 500.

Larson did lead for four laps at The Brickyard in 2024 before ultimately finishing in 18^th place, but he’ll step into his IndyCar with more confidence this time. That’s because last July, Larson won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time in his career in a Cup Series race. Granted, it’s an entirely different vehicle with IndyCar than NASCAR, but he’ll clearly be more comfortable at The Brickyard.

While Larson attempting to complete The Double would make him the sixth ever to pull it off, Josef Newgarden is seeking something that’s never been done before. Newgarden is the two-time defending Indy 500 champion, and no one has ever won three in a row. In fact, of the five previous drivers to go back-to-back, only one managed to finish in the top 10 in his three-peat attempt, which was when Al Unser placed second in 1972.

However, due to infractions his team incurred during qualifying, Newgarden will begin at the very back of the Starting Grid. No one has ever won the race starting from there, which also doesn’t bode well for his Penske teammate, Will Power. The 2018 Indy 500 champion will start alongside Newgarden, creating an uphill battle for Team Penske.

Helio Castroneves might be the most recognizable name among casual IndyCar fans, and the 50-year-old has history in his sights as well. Not only is he looking to become the oldest winner in race history, but he’s seeking a record-breaking fifth Indy 500 win. Currently, he’s tied with A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and Unser, with four apiece, and Castroneves is one of eight past winners in the 2025 field.

Yet it’s a rookie who bested all of them during qualifying to win pole position, as Robert Shwartzman became the first rookie on the Indy 500 pole since 1983. The Israel-born, Russia-raised 25-year-old spent the last four years as a reserve driver in Formula One, has just five IndyCar Series starts under his belt, and never placed better than 18^th in any of them. But he has the most enviable position on the grid—21 winners have emerged from pole position, which is eight more than any other starting position.

Completing Row 1 on the Starting Grid are two-time winner Takuma Sato at No. 2 and two-time runner-up Pato O’Ward at No. 3. At 48, Sato can also become the oldest champion ever and can become the 11^th man to be a three-time Indy winner. As for O’Ward, he’s placed in the top six of this race in four of the last five years, and the one year he didn’t (2023), he led for the most laps before a late crash did him in. With that kind of success, he’s the betting favorite, even though he’s yet to win. There have been 45 winners to emerge from Row 1—41.7 percent of all Indy 500 winners—so Shwartzman, Sato and O’Ward have huge advantages over the rest of the field.

You can’t talk IndyCar Series without bringing up Alex Palou, whose dominance on the series is akin to what Max Verstappen has done in F1 over the last few years. Palou has won four of the five races this season and finished runner-up in the other. The Spaniard has also won the IndyCar Series championship in three of the last four years, but he’s yet to win at The Brickyard over Memorial Day Weekend, despite twice starting on Row 1.

He had the fastest speed during time trials and is considered the best driver in IndyCar to have not yet won the sport’s most prestigious race. He’s only 28, so he may still have decades of more attempts, but it would be shocking if he’s not on the podium, and slightly surprising if he’s not atop it.

Other notables in the race include Marco Andretti, part of the legendary Andretti Racing Family. He’s making his 20^th Indy 500 start but still searching for his first win. There’s also Sting Ray Robb, which is his real name, as he was named after the Chevy Corvette Stingray car. Robb led for 23 laps last year, which was third-most, and that was just his second-ever Indy 500 start.

Finally, there’s Scott Dixon, whose name is littered throughout the IndyCar record books. His six IndyCar Series championships are the second-most all-time in American open-wheel racing, as are his 58 victories. Dixon does have an Indianapolis 500 victory (2008) to his name, which is a bit underwhelming considering his résumé, and the fact that he’s started on the pole five times and in Row 1 seven times.

In 2022, Dixon quieted retirement talk and said he wanted to race at least five more years. We’re getting close to the end of that timeline, so he may not have many more opportunities at The Brickyard. The 44-year-old Australian may be the sentimental favorite for many.

The race will begin at 12:45 p.m. ET on Sunday from The Brickyard in Indianapolis. It will be televised by FOX for the first time.