Indy 500 Entry List Update: Tony Kanaan Joins Arrow McLaren
*March 15 Update*
The 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 now has a full field of 33 cars and drivers. With two months remaining until practice opens in the Month of May, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing confirmed the driver for their second car this year. Another former winner was added to the field as Ryan Hunter-Reay will return to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing after missing the race last year. The 2014 Indy 500 winner will pilot the No. 23 Chevrolet, alongside Stefan Wilson. The two drivers were teammates for two years at Andretti Autosport, and will work together again in May as they try to earn the elusive victory for the Indy-only team.
There is still the open possibility of bumping this year, but a 34th entry is not expected to happen. While many team owners, drivers, and sponsors continue to pull their resources to field an entry, both Chevrolet and Honda seem to be maxed out on engines. Nine former winners will be entered in the race this year, with Marcus Ericsson set to defend his 2022 victory in his No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing machine.
Original Article
The 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 is still more than six months away, but the majority of the field is already set. Typically, the field of 33 drivers isn’t unveiled until January or February, but with limited engines available for next year, the available seats are drying up quickly.
Earlier this week, Arrow McLaren SP announced that veteran Tony Kanaan will be driving a fourth car for them in next year’s race. The 2013 Indy 500 winner joins their three full-time drivers Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, and2016 winner Alexander Rossi.
How dangerous can this lineup be? All four of those drivers finished inside the top-five in this year’s race.
Several teams have already finalized their lineups for 2023. Team Penske will return with just their three full-time drivers, and Ed Carpenter Racing will have their same three as well.
Chip Ganassi Racing was the dominant team in this year's race, with Marcus Ericsson taking the victory, although all of their cars were capable of winning. Ericsson and series champions Scott Dixon and Alex Palou return, and their fourth car will have a two-time Indy 500 winner in Takuma Sato. Running a fifth car remains a possibillity. Jimmie Johnson would like to come back, but his return to NASCAR next year may complicate those plans.
RLL Racing will have their same three drivers, but will also be adding a fourth entry in the race next year. Team Owner Bobby Rahal has stated that funding has already been secured for that car, which means they will be able to pick the driver they want. Ryan Hunter-Reay and Johnson are two names to watch there.
Andretti Autosport will have five cars once again, with Marco Andretti set to make his 20th Indy 500 start. The team's four full-time drivers are headlined by Colton Herta, who is the only one to have won an IndyCar race. Kyle Kirkwood comes over to replace Rossi in the No. 27 car after an up-and-down rookie season this past year.
2023 Indianapolis 500 Projected Lineup | |||
Team | Engine | No. | Driver |
AJ Foyt Racing | Chevrolet | 14 | Santino Ferrucci |
AJ Foyt Racing | Chevrolet | 55 | Benjamin Pedersen |
Andretti Autosport | Honda | 26 | Colton Herta |
Andretti Autosport | Honda | 27 | Kyle Kirkwood |
Andretti Autosport | Honda | 28 | Romain Grosjean |
Andretti Autosport | Honda | 29 | Devlin DeFrancesco |
Andretti Autosport | Honda | 98 | Marco Andretti |
Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet | 5 | Pato O'Ward |
Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet | 6 | Felix Rosenqvist |
Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet | 7 | Alexander Rossi |
Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet | 66 | Tony Kanaan |
Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 8 | Marcus Ericsson |
Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 9 | Scott Dixon |
Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 10 | Alex Palou |
Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 11 | Takuma Sato |
Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 18 | David Malukas |
Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 51 | Sting Ray Robb |
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevrolet | 23 | Ryan Hunter-Reay |
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevrolet | 24 | Stefan Wilson |
Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 20 | Conor Daly |
Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 21 | Rinus VeeKay |
Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 33 | Ed Carpenter |
Juncos Hollinger Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | Callum Ilott |
Juncos Hollinger Racing | Chevrolet | 78 | Agustin Canapino |
Meyer Shank Racing | Honda | 60 | Simon Pagenaud |
Meyer Shank Racing | Honda | 06 | Helio Castroneves |
RLL Racing | Honda | 15 | Graham Rahal |
RLL Racing | Honda | 30 | Jack Harvey |
RLL Racing | Honda | 44 | Katherine Legge |
RLL Racing | Honda | 45 | Christian Lundgaard |
Team Penske | Chevrolet | 2 | Josef Newgarden |
Team Penske | Chevrolet | 3 | Scott McLaughlin |
Team Penske | Chevrolet | 12 | Will Power |
Meyer Shank Racing returns with their two Indy 500 winners, Simon Pagenaud and four-time winner Helio Castroneves. AJ Foyt will only field their two full-time cars next year, with rookie Benjamin Pedersen and the electric Santino Ferrucci. Dale Coyne Racing will likely field three cars at Indianapolis, possibly with Linus Lundqvist.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing remains the only Indy-only team for now, but they will likely have two new drivers next year. Sage Karam has driven for them in each of the last six years but will not be returning in 2023. Juncos Hollinger Racing is adding a second car for Agustin Canapino to go along with their primary driver Callum Ilott.
A number of talented drivers are trying to find their way into the field of 33 next year. Hunter-Reay, Johnson, Karam, Simona de Silvestro, JR Hildebrand, and Ed Jones are all actively pursuing available rides. Others like Kyle Busch and Nicholas Latifi, and are less likely, but remain a slim possibility.