“You can certainly win it from elsewhere but odds are you have a better chance of winning from the lead,” Carpenter said of where he’d like to be positioned on the last lap: leading the field or fighting off the challengers.
Carpenter makes his 11th start in Sunday’s 500-mile race around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s legendary 2.5-mile oval. His best finish was fifth in 2008 for his only top-5 finish. Carpenter finished 10th last year after leading 37 laps.
“If anything I’m a little more relaxed this year than last year, having been in this position last year and the pressure that comes with that,” Carpenter said. “You learn things through that process. I feel prepared but it’s a 500-mile race and a lot of things can happen.”
Another notable still searching for that elusive win is Marco Andretti. He makes his ninth start.
Carpenter is in the driver’s seat as the pole sitter. Kanaan is off the hot seat with his win, one of the most feel-good Indy 500 victories in years.
To kiss the bricks a second time he’ll have to survive the chaos as the field charges into the first turn from his starting spot of 16th.
“I had fooled myself for a couple of years by saying I’d be okay with the fact that I might not win this race in my career,” said Kanaan, who won in his 12th start. “It changed everything when I crossed the finish line last year.”
The 33-car field chases Carpenter and fellow front-row starters James Hinchcliffe and Will Power at the green flag. Three-time winner Helio Castroneves is also racing history. A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears are the only drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 four times. Castroneves is 200 miles from joining them.
“It’s always hard to win no matter the number,” said Castroneves, who won his first two races in 2001-02 and didn’t chug milk again until 2009. “It’s the only race that everyone says, ‘If I can only win one race this is it.’”
The odds could favor Castroneves. In his pursuit of his fourth championship Castroneves starts … fourth.
As for Carpenter, he shouldn’t fret too much if his first Indy 500 win doesn’t come today. He still has 11 attempts to win before matching George Snider. He raced at Indy from 1965 through 1987 and finished a career-best eighth twice (1975, 1978). That’s a span of 22 starts without a victory, the longest winless streak in 500 history.
About the Author