The 2010 Indy 500 Preview - Who ya got?

Ed Carpenter, his car pictured above, is the sleeper pick by IndyCar Garage to win the 2010 Indy 500
The 2010 Indy 500 – Who ya got?


The 94th running of the greatest spectacle in racing kicks off live on ABC at Noon EST on Sunday May 30th. The actually green flag will drop around 1:12ish, as Robin Roberts will lead the field of 33 down the main straightway. IndyCar Garage gives you several headlines heading into this years 500 mile race.

1. Well… answer the question…. Who ya got to win?

Helio for # 4? Briscoe or Power for #1? Dixon or Franchitti for # 2? Vegas gives all five of those drivers favorable odds heading into the race, and the bottom line is that a non Penske/Ganassi team hasn’t won on an oval since June of 2008. IndyCar Garage sees Helio Castroneves taking his fourth Indy 500 checkered flag.

2. Well name a sleeper then…

Dan Wheldon for #2? Ed Carpenter shocks the world and wins? Graham Rahal shows everyone up? Andretti bucks their May trend and puts one of their five drivers into victory lane? Any driver not driving for Penske or Ganassi that wins the race on Sunday, would be a big upset. IndyCar Garage likes Ed Carpenter as the sleeper pick.

3. IZOD , IZOD , IZOD

Like or love it, the IZOD title sponsorships has provided the most exposure the IndyCar Series has experienced since the pre-split years. IZOD will be in full motion this coming weekend with Celebrities, parties, Golf outings, VIP’s around the track, and of course the debut of the two seater pace car. Michael Andretti will drive celebrity Mark Walhberg around three pace laps prior to the start of the race, and then catch up to the field as they are taking the green flag, they will then pull in the pits as the green flag waves. Topping it off will be famous actor Jack Nicholson waving the green flag, yes this is a new Indy 500 and IZOD has a lot to do with it!

4. There is a buzz building within the series

Four women in the Indy 500 for the first time, new and old sponsorships coming on board (Sunoco & Boost mobile), The 20 million proposed double (Indy 500 & Coke 600), Randy Bernard, Pole Day attendance, Bump Day drama, and of course Robin Miller writing positive things about the IndyCar Series. The only thing that IndyCar Garage sees as a problem this weekend is the AWFUL timing of the Ed Hinton article’s on ESPN.COM, about the history of the split. Message to ED: Let it go buddy and go cover the NASCAR series, we don’t want you over in the IndyCar Series.

5. A new era of the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Indy 500.

The Indy 500 once stood for everything American’s knew about motor sports: Speed, Tradition, Rivals, Fans, and History. The 2010 Indy 500 will mark the second year of the centennial celebration at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and with last years black eye of Tony George behind them, IMS is moving in a new direction that could lead to one of the most talked about Indy 500’s (2011) in almost twenty years. The 2010 Indy 500 has the potentional to be just appetizer for the 2011 Indy 500!