The most special two weeks in the motorsport calendar are about to begin with the 107th running of the Indy 500, the jewel in the crown of the NTT IndyCar Series.
200 laps of the 2.5-mile oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been a staple of the month of May since 1911 and this year, there are 34 drivers hoping to add their name into the history books.
Unfortunately for one of them, their efforts will end one week early as only 33 cars can take the start on Memorial Day weekend.
Here, Total-Motorsport.com guides you through all 34 entries to the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’.
Chip Ganassi Racing
There is only one place to start which is with the reigning Indy 500 champions who once again field Marcus Ericsson, hoping to go back-to-back and ignite his championship challenge.
The Swede will be supported by veteran Scott Dixon, who has been the fastest driver out there in the last two years only to miss out on race day, and Alex Palou.
The fourth Chip Ganassi Racing car will be piloted by two-time winner Takuma Sato as he shares the number 11 machine with Marcus Armstrong – who does the road and street course events.
Team Penske
Roger Penske owns the track and the series but his team have not had much success of late at the Brickyard.
Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power have all looked quick at times this season but they all want a stronger showing when it matters most.
Andretti Autosport
The biggest team entry on the grid comes from Andretti with five cars taking to the track.
Their usual quartet of Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood, Romain Grosjean and Devlin DeFrancesco pilot cars 26 through 29 respectively.
Joining them in the fifth car will be Marco Andretti, son of team boss Michael Andretti, hoping to replicate his stunning pole during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Arrow McLaren
McLaren is on the rise in IndyCar with three solid campaigners all looking fast to start the season in Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi.
They add a fourth car for the 500 this year with Tony Kanaan in his final ever race in IndyCar, hoping to add another ring to his collection.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan
Much like McLaren, RLL adds a fourth car to their usual trio of challengers as British racer Katherine Legge joins Graham Rahal, Jack Harvey and Christian Lundgaard.
Legge is the only female on the grid in 2023, returning to the speedway after her last attempt in 2013.
Meyer Shank Racing
Experience is the key for Meyer Shank Racing with four-time winner Helio Castroneves going for a record-breaking fifth Indy 500 win.
The Brazilian is joined by Simon Pagenaud, who won the show-stopper in 2016 with Team Penske on his way to the title.
Ed Carpenter Racing
No team is more local to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway than Ed Carpenter Racing and the team owner himself will once again drive a third car in May.
Rinus VeeKay and Conor Daly keep their usual cars for the month while Carpenter has brought in a third machine for his annual attempt at Indy 500 glory.
Dale Coyne Racing
Dale Coyne have split their team across two co-operations with HMD Motorsport helping to run David Malukas’ effort to win the crown.
Rick Ware Racing, who also run in NASCAR, are lending a hand on the other car in the garage with Sting Ray Robb behind the wheel for his first 500.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
Juncos have gone from a one-car effort to two in 2023 and Agustin Canapino has impressed after moving from touring cars in Argentina.
He pilots the number 78 car while hotly-tipped British racer Callum Ilott is in the number 77.
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Santino Ferrucci will be tasked with leading the A.J. Foyt Enterprises efforts in May having impressed at the Brickyard before.
His teammate, Benjamin Pedersen, has found the jump from Indy Lights to IndyCar a tough one so far and will just hope to make the show.
Dreyer and Reinbold Racing
That’s the last of the full-time teams in IndyCar but there are two teams who are only turning up for the big race.
Dreyer and Reinbold Racing have always made this race their aim and they have two cars on the grid in Ryan Hunter-Reay and Stefan Wilson.
Abel Motorsports
The last of the 34 entries came late courtesy of Abel Motorsports, who run teams in Indy NXT and other lower formulas in America.
RC Enerson will drive the number 50 car and he’ll need to complete a rookie orientation after missing the open test in April.
