Everything you need to know for a busy May in Indianapolis

Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Ind.) – Come May. The biggest month for racing in Indianapolis is upon us. He brings enthusiasm and pageantry to a city known as the “Crossroads of America.” The road moves quickly toward the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 (May 24, 12:45 p.m. ET on FOX). Here’s a preview to get you up to speed on what will be an eventful month of racing: What’s the first race? The first race on the speedway is technically a foot race — the annual Indianapolis Mini-Marathon, which takes place Saturday, May 2, and includes the 2.5-mile oval as part of the course. What was the first car race? The month opens May 9 with the Indianapolis Grand Prix, an 85-lap race on a 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course that uses much of the front stretch and part of the back stretch and Turns 1 and 2. The cars go in the opposite direction from the Indianapolis 500. Why this road race? It’s twofold. When INDYCAR needed races, it was an easy race to add because the course was already built for Formula 1. And testing and qualifying for the Indy 500 lasted two weeks – there were two qualifying weekends of two days each – but that was condensed into a week of testing and qualifying, then a week of racing. For those accustomed to a full month of on-track activity, the Grand Prix weekend offers just that. So how many days are the drivers on the track? INDYCAR drivers will practice and qualify for the Grand Prix on Friday, May 8 with the race the following day. The facility will take two days to transition from the road course to the oval configuration with practice days for the Indy 500 on May 12, 13, 14 and 15, then qualifying days on May 16 and 17 (pole will be determined on May 16). Then there will be practice on May 18, a short “Carb Day” practice (with the pit stop competition and the Wienie 500) on May 22, and then the 500 mile race on May 24. Do the same drivers participate in the Grand Prix and the 500? There are 25 full-time drivers (with car numbers) who will compete in the Grand Prix, then eight additional drivers for the 500. The 25 full-time drivers: 2-Josef Newgarden, 3-Scott McLaughlin, 4-Caio Collet, 5-Pato O’Ward, 6-Nolan Siegel, 7-Christian Lundgaard, 8-Kyffin Simpson, 9-Scott Dixon, 10-Alex Palou, 12-David Malukas, 14-Santino Ferrucci, 15-Graham Rahal, 18-Romain Grosjean, 19-Dennis Hauger, 20-Alexander Rossi, 21-Christian Rasmussen, 26-Will Power, 27-Kyle Kirkwood, 28-Marcus Ericsson, 45-Louis Foster, 47-Mick Schumacher, 60-Marcus Armstrong, 66-Felix Rosenqvist, 76-Rinus VeeKay and 77-Sting Ray Robb. The eight drivers competing only in the Indy 500: 06-Helio Castroneves, 11-Katherine Legge, 23-Conor Daly, 24-Jack Harvey, 31-Ryan Hunter-Reay, 33-Ed Carpenter, 51-Jacob Abel and 75-Takuma Sato. [INDYCAR POWER RANKINGS: Alex Palou Remains In Familiar Spot] Is there anything new with the song? The speedway removed and resurfaced an area between turns 1 and 2 where a bump had begun to impact the handling of the cars. Drivers reported no problems with the zone during last fall’s testing or during the April 28-29 open test. What did we learn during the open test? We have learned that most drivers and teams seem relatively calm. There wasn’t much anxiety as they went through their test plans. No car hit the wall. With only five sets of tires, they could take their time and make the necessary adjustments. Daly and Harvey, driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, showed speed for a team that only competes in the Indy 500. AJ Foyt Racing rookie Caio Collet was fastest overall. As two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden said in a team press release after testing: “This is just the first step in getting back here next month and trying to win another Indianapolis 500. Where is NASCAR champion Kyle Larson? He’s not here. There are no drivers competing in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 this year like Larson tried it for the last two years. Who’s performing? Oh yes, the concerts On Carb Day, Counting Crows and Switchfoot will take the stage. On the day of the race, the concert will feature artist Zedd, joined by Crankdat, Wooli, It’s Murph and Wax Motif. [INSIDE THE GARAGE: Attention Shifts to Upcoming Indy 500] What is the atmosphere like? The atmosphere is great. The track plans to announce a sellout within a week. The only thing different from last year is that the 500 isn’t sharing the stage with an Indiana Pacers team making the playoffs. Those hopes were likely dashed before the INDYCAR season began in March. Speaking of the season, is Alex Palou still the man to beat? Yes, Palou remains the man to beat. Palou, who owns four INDYCAR titles, including the last three, has won three of five INDYCAR races this year, leads the points standings and is the reigning winner of the Indy 500. So, will Palou win? It’s the Indy 500. It’s unpredictable. It’s merciless. And it’s exhausting. Accumulation has begun as the monthly calendar reverses. It’s the month of May.