The Indy 500, also known as the Indianapolis 500, is one of the most well-known motorsport races around the world. 2019 will be the 103rd running of this historic race at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 103rd Indy 500 running is set to take place on the 26th of May, 2019. The Indy 500 race consists of 200 counter-clockwise laps around the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, each lap around the oval is 2.5 miles for a total of 500 miles, thus the name Indy 500.
The Indy 500 is an event not be missed, besides the main attraction of the 103rd running of the Indy 500 there are also numerous other action-packed items on the schedule for fans to enjoy. Ticket applications for the 2019 Indy 500 are now open.
The Indy 500 is the premier event on the IndyCar Series schedule and it is a coveted title that all drivers want on their resume. Past winners of the Indy 500 include Juan Pablo Montoya who initially made a name for himself as a Formula 1 driver. Montoya isn’t the only F1 driver that has Indy 500 aspirations, Fernando Alonso, who currently drives for F1 team McLaren, has high hopes to compete at the 2019 Indy 500.
Alonso recently announced that he will not be racing in Formula 1 in 2019. Alonso who recently won the 24 Hour Le Mans race with Toyota will have his sights set on winning the “triple crown” of racing if he takes to the starting line at the 2019 Indy 500.
The “triple crown” includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Monaco F1 Grand Prix and the Indy 500 Indy Cart race. If Alonso is successful in his quest he will become only the 2nd man in the history of motorsport to win all 3 of the triple crown races. The first driver to win the ‘triple crown” was Graham Hill and he completed this feat nearly 50 years ago in 1972.
It is unclear at this point which car Alonso will be competing in at the Indy 500 if he does the race but his quest of winning the “triple crown” is crystal clear. If Alonso takes to the starting line of the 2019 Indy 500 he will be facing off against stiff competition and a win is definitely not a made-out fact. Will Power, the 2018 champion for one will look to go back to back in 2019.
Word on the street is that McLaren is considering entering IndyCar on a full-time basis with a two-man team. The original plan was to have Alonso and Scott Dixon as their drivers, but Dixon has since confirmed a new deal with Ganassi.
Alonso’s recent decision to step down from F1 for the 2019 season has had the rumor mill spinning at full speed again. McLaren is in a race against time if they are to enter onto the IndyCar circuit in 2019, but an affiliation with a current team hasn’t been ruled out either.
At this point in time, Alonso’s 2019 Indy Car hopes are very much up in the air and only time will tell if 2019 will be the year when he wins the third and last race to complete the coveted “triple crown”. Alonso will also have a shot at becoming the first Spaniard to win the Indy 500 if he does compete, historically the Indy 500 has been dominated by American drivers.
It will be interesting to see how Alonso’s IndyCar journey unfolds, one thing is certain though if he does compete all eyes will be on him leading up the 103rd running come May next year.
