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Indianapolis 500: How to watch, what to look for, odds, starting grid and more

The “greatest spectacle in racing” returns for its 106th running with the Indianapolis 500 set for Sunday. Six-time series champion and 2008 race winner Scott Dixon won the pole for this edition with a track record four-lap average speed of 234.046 mph.

How can I watch the 2022 Indianapolis 500?

The Indianapolis 500 will be broadcast live Sunday on NBC, Peacock, the NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com.

Pre-race show: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET

Race coverage: 12:30 - 4 p.m. ET (Green flag at 12:45 p.m. ET)

Who are the top drivers and teams in the 2022 Indianapolis 500?

There are eight past winners in the field including Dixon, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Tony Kanaan, defending champion and four-time winner Hélio Castroneves, two-time winners Takuma Sato and Juan Pablo Montoya, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud and Alexander Rossi.

Longtime Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean and seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson make their Indianapolis 500 debuts, starting 10th and 12th, respectively.

Power and teammates Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin will be looking to add to owner Roger Penske’s impressive trophy case and capture a 19th Borg-Warner Trophy. There would be even more special meaning for Penske as it would mark his first win since he purchased Indianapolis Motor Speedway in early 2020 and this year’s race will be the first since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak to be contested in front of a full house of 240,000 fans.

Dixon (+500) has the best odds at BetMGM to claim his second win, followed by defending series champion and Ganassi teammate Alex Palou (+700), Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward (+800), Newgarden (+1000) and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay (+1000).

What are the traditions of the Indianapolis 500?

Being the longest continually running auto race in the United States (beginning in 1911), there are plenty of traditions that have built up over the years. Most notably they are:

  • Singing of "Back Home Again in Indiana" just prior to the command to fire engines.

  • Indianapolis Gordon Pipers bagpipe group plays the Borg-Warner Trophy into the speedway before the race and plays the winner to victory lane afterward.

  • Winner kisses the three feet of bricks marking the speedway’s finish line.

  • Winner drinks (or douses themself with) a quart of milk of their choice: Whole, 2% or skim.

  • Winner is presented with a wreath featuring 33 orchids, representing the 33 cars entered.

May 30, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; IndyCar Series driver Helio Castroneves celebrates after winning the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Defending Indianapolis 500 champion Hélio Castroneves looks to become the first driver ever to win the event five times. (Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports) (USA Today Sports / reuters)

What will the weather be like for the 2022 Indianapolis 500?

Warm and partly cloudy. The projected high is 81 degrees with a 0% chance of rain which should make for some interesting pit strategy as higher temperatures mean more tire wear.

What is the Indianapolis 500 starting grid?

  1. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 234.046 mph four-lap average

  2. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 233.499

  3. Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet, 233.385

  4. Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet, 233.08

  5. Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 232.764

  6. Tony Kanaan, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 232.372

  7. Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren SP, Chevrolet, 232.705

  8. Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP, Chevrolet, 232.182

  9. Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport, Honda, 231.999

  10. Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda, 231.67

  11. Will Power, Team Penske, Chevrolet, 231.534

  12. Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, 231.264

  13. David Malukas, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda, 231.607

  14. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, Chevrolet, 231.58

  15. Santino Ferrucci, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Chevrolet, 231.508

  16. Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda, 231.275

  17. J.R. Hildebrand, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet, 231.112

  18. Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet, 230.999

  19. Callum Ilott, Juncos Hollinger Racing, Chevrolet, 230.961

  20. Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport, Honda, 230.812

  21. Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda, 230.766

  22. Sage Karam, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Chevrolet, 230.464

  23. Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport, 230.345

  24. Devlin DeFrancesco, Andretti Autosport, Honda, 230.326

  25. Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport, Honda, 230.235

  26. Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, Chevrolet, 230.154

  27. Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda, 229.63

  28. Kyle Kirkwood, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet, 229.406

  29. Dalton Kellett, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet, 228.916

  30. Juan Pablo Montoya, Arrow McLaren SP, Chevrolet, 228.622

  31. Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda, 227.053

  32. Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda, 226.851

  33. Stefan Wilson, DragonSpeed/Cusick Motorsports, Chevrolet, no laps