The event was originally planned in May, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. This is the first time that the Indy 500 will be held without spectators.
NASCAR has already held a number of races without spectators, so this is nothing new. Despite the lack of spectators, the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ is still one of the biggest races of the year.
The 500-mile race spreads over 200 laps and takes nearly three hours to complete.
How to see
Pre-race coverage begins at 1pm ET on NBC on Sunday, August 23rd. You can also stream it via the NBC Sports app and NBC Sports Gold, the TV service for streaming TV subscriptions.
Pilots will be given the command to start their engines at 2:23 pm ET, and the green flag to start the race will drop at 14:30
Race coverage is expected to end at 6 p.m.
What you need to know
The ‘curse of Andretti’
Marco Andretti, the grandson of legendary driver Mario Andretti, won the Indy 500 pole position of 2020 – the first position at the start of the race typically assigned to the racer with the highest qualifying time.
This is the first time a member of the Andretti family has won the pole position in 33 years, when Mario did it in 1987.
Close competition at the top
Scott Dixon will be right on the heels of Andretti, starting from second position after missing 0.017 seconds on the pole position. Dixon has been hot in 2020, winning the first three races of the season along with two finishes of top 5.
Behind Dixon is Takuma Sato, who won the Indy 500 in 2017.
While Simon Pagenaud, who won the event last year, will start from the 25th position, he is still dangerous and could easily recover.
Chase for the Triple Crown of motorsports
The triple crown of motorsport includes three of the most prestigious races in the sport: the Indy 500, F1’s Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
While several pilots have won two of the three legs of the triple crown, only one driver has won all three races: Graham Hill.
Fernando Alonso, who won F1’s Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, qualified for the Indy 500 this year.
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