Race day morning update from the Indy 500

The Pagoda before the sun came up
The Pagoda before the sun came up

The sun is up over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this morning on a bright sunny day. But already you can feel the heat building in the air – the enemy to drivers and engineers looking for every pound of downforce they can find.

Gates at IMS opened at 6 a.m. following the traditional cannon blast.

Warm, humid conditions are forecasted so fans are encouraged to begin hydrating well before they arrive at the track and continue to drink as much water as possible at the track. Fans are permitted to bring coolers no larger than 18" x 14" x 14", with the reminder that no glass bottles are allowed.

"We want to make sure that everybody here is safe," IMS Director of Medical Services Dr. Geoffrey Billows said. "What we recommend is you make sure you hydrate. Don't wait till the day of the event. Start a day or so before. You want to keep your tank full.

"When you're here, make sure you're drinking plenty of water, some type of electrolyte solution, as well. When you come here, we recommend that you would wear very lightweight, light-colored clothing."

Drivers participating in the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 await the green flag shortly after noon ET in a race expected to be dominated by the Chevy powered cars

“Race how you want to be raced and take a moment to look around you," the first-year race director said. “You are surrounded by the best drivers on the planet. Good luck, be safe and let’s put on a great show for the best fans in the world."

The 102nd Indianapolis 500 will be broadcast live on ABC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network, with prerace shows beginning at 11 a.m.

Many of the teams are preparing the backup cars for the road course races in Detroit next weekend.

AutoRacing1.com staff are onsite to bring you all the updates throughout the day.

Lineup

Pos Car Driver Name Engine
1 20 Carpenter, Ed Chevy
2 22 Pagenaud, Simon Chevy
3 12 Power, Will Chevy
4 1 Newgarden, Josef Chevy
5 18 Bourdais, Sebastien Honda
6 21 Pigot, Spencer Chevy
7 13 Patrick, Danica Chevy
8 3 Castroneves, Helio Chevy
9 9 Dixon, Scott Honda
10 14 Kanaan, Tony Chevy
11 4 Leist, Matheus (R) Chevy
12 98 Andretti, Marco Honda
13 19 Claman De Melo, Zachary (R) Honda
14 28 Hunter-Reay, Ryan Honda
15 23 Kimball, Charlie Chevy
16 30 Sato, Takuma Honda
17 32 Kaiser, Kyle (R) Chevy
18 6 Wickens, Robert (R) Honda
19 33 Davison, James Chevy
20 59 Chilton, Max Chevy
21 29 Munoz, Carlos Honda
22 88 Chaves, Gabby Chevy
23 25 Wilson, Stefan Honda
24 24 Karam, Sage Chevy
25 26 Veach, Zach Honda
26 64 Servia, Oriol Honda
27 66 Hildebrand, JR Chevy
28 7 Howard, Jay Honda
29 10 Jones, Ed Honda
30 15 Rahal, Graham Honda
31 60 Harvey, Jack Honda
32 27 Rossi, Alexander Honda
33 17 Daly, Conor Honda

(R) Rookie