Expect a familiar Indy 500 spectacle, veteran drivers say
Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou and Tony Kanaan believe the battle at the front of the field for this year’s 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 will look similar to that seen in 2022.
While it appears relatively easy for the cars to draft up and run close, the drivers suggest that four or five cars back in a pack, actually completing a passing maneuver is as difficult as before.
“If you’re not in the top 5 at the ending of the race, I don’t think you have a chance,” said 2013 winner Kanaan, looking ahead to his 390th and final IndyCar start. “Last year I was third and I couldn’t do anything. Especially with the new zig-zag model of racing that we created in the last two laps lately, it’s tough.”
Newgarden, still seeking his first top three in the 500 since switching from Ed Carpenter Racing to Team Penske in 2017, said: “I just don’t think it’s going to be that different from last year, outside of the very front.
“The first two ca
