Verizon IndyCar Series Gears Up for 98th Running of Indianapolis 500

Race Broadcast Sunday, May 25 11 a.m. (ET) ABC (Live)Qualifying Broadcasts Saturday, May 17 4- 6:30 p.m. ABCSunday, May 18 1 - 3 p.m. ABC

Carb Day Broadcast -Friday, May 23 11 a.m. (ET) NBCSN

Track Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval) Distance 200 laps/500 miles

Radio IMS Radio Network XM 209/Sirius 213

2013 Race Winner Tony Kanaan/2012 Pole Sitter Ed Carpenter (228.762 mph)

Pagenaud tries for Indianapolis Sweep

After winning the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Simon Pagenaud of Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports aims to make more history by becoming the first Verizon IndyCar Series driver to win on both the IMS Road Course and Oval. Can Pagenaud continue his history-making Month of May?

Can Kanaan repeat?

After 12 tries, Tony Kanaan finally claimed the Indianapolis 500 last season. Now the 2004 Verizon IndyCar Series champion aims to repeat with Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Helio Castroneves was the last driver to repeat as Indianapolis 500 winner in 2001. Is this the year that Kanaan joins him as a repeat winner?

Power looks to win another 500 miler

With three top-five finishes in four races to start the 2014 season, Team Penske's Will Power leads the Verizon IndyCar Series point standings by one point over 2012 series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay with Simon Pagenaud just six points behind. Power won the last series' 500-mile race. Can he continue his oval success and claim his first win at Indianapolis?

Can Helio win fourth Indy 500?

Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves can join elite company should he win the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. Castroneves, who won in 2001, 2002 and 2009, would join A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears as the race's only four-time winners and he would accomplish the feat faster than any of those racing legends.

Double duty for stock car star Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch will attempt to become the fourth driver to complete the Memorial Day Double by racing in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race. John Andretti, Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon are the only drivers to compete in both races. Can Busch match the feat of his NASCAR team owner Stewart by finishing all 1,100 miles of racing?

Former champions return in search of second win

Four former Indianapolis 500 winners return with eyes on adding a second Baby Borg to their collection. 2008 winner Scott Dixon returns with the formidable Target Chip Ganassi Racing team. Team Penske's Juan Pablo Montoya returns to the 500 for the first time since his 2000 win. Buddy Lazier returns with Lazier Partners Racing and 1995 champion Jacques Villeneuve has teamed with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for his first Indy 500 in 19 years. Can a former winner score a second Indianapolis win?

Can Hunter-Reay add to resume at Indy? 2012 saw the emergence of Ryan Hunter-Reay as a champion race car driver. His next challenge is to etch his image on the Borg-Warner Trophy. Can Hunter-Reay become the first American to win the Indy 500 since 2006?

Penske Seeks History

Team owner Roger Penske has won the Indianapolis 500 a record 15 times and brings three strong entries in 2014 with three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, series points leader Will Power and 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya. Can the three drivers become the first team to lock out the podium and complete the Captain's sweep?

Win the Pole, win the race?

The winner of the pole position for the Indianapolis 500 has also won the race 20 times. Forty-three times, the winner has come from the front row, the last time in 2010 with Dario Franchitti. Who can establish themselves as a race contender by winning the pole position or qualifying on the front row this year?

Generation Next

James Hinchcliffe, Simon Pagenaud and Charlie Kimball all scored their first win in 2013, finished top 10 in the championship standings and established themselves as the next stars of the sport. Will 2014 be the year a new, young star becomes a champion?

Second-generation stars hope to add to family legacy

The latest generation from two of open-wheel racing's most familiar families comes to Indianapolis in hopes of adding to the family legacy. Marco Andretti - the grandson of 1969 winner Mario Andretti and son of Michael Andretti - has finished in the top three at Indy three times in his eight previous starts. He hopes to give his father's team its third Indianapolis 500 win. Another son hoping to return his father's team to Victory Lane is Graham Rahal. The son of 1986 winner Bobby Rahal races for his family's team hoping to improve on his third-place finish in 2011.

Diverse rookie class hopes to make strong impression

A class of seven rookies, including a NASCAR champion, the reigning Indy Lights champion and a winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, hope to make their debut in the Indy 500. Kurt Busch heads the class that features rising stars Mikhail Aleshin, James Davison, Jack Hawksworth, Carlos Huertas, Sage Karam and Martin Plowman, as drivers seeking to make their first start.

"Little Team That Could" seeks another Indy 500 win

BHA/BBM with Curb-Agajanian scored an improbable upset in 2011, going from the last team to qualify for the 500 in 2010 to race winners as Dan Wheldon took the team to Victory Lane. The team, owned by former Indy car driver Bryan Herta and Steve Newey, returns to Indianapolis in 2014 with impressive rookie Jack Hawksworth as its driver. Can the rookie take his road racing prowess to the oval and bring the team back to Victory Lane?

Qualifying format spices up "Race Before The Race"

An exciting new qualifying format for the Indianapolis 500 will make its debut for the 98th Indianapolis 500. The 33-car field will be determined through traditional four-lap attempts during Saturday qualifying with the top nine cars advancing to a Fast Nine Shootout at 2 p.m. on Sunday with all of those competitors guaranteed to start no worse than ninth in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Positions 10-33 will also be determined through additional qualifying runs on Sunday.

Points and Prize Money also on the line on Pole Day

A substantial increase in prize money also will be offered to the pole winner, with money also awarded to rest of the Fast Nine Shootout participants. Verizon IndyCar Series points also will be awarded after qualifying to all 33 drivers who earn a spot in the starting field. The winner of the Verizon P1 Award will earn $100,000. The second-fastest qualifier will earn $30,000, with the final front-row starter earning $25,000.

Carpenter showcases versatility: One of the top oval racers in the series, Ed Carpenter is considered a threat to win the Fuzzy's Triple Crown in 2013. The only owner/driver in the IZOD IndyCar Series won the last oval event of 2012, a 500-mile race at Auto Club Speedway, and moved through the field in last year's Indianapolis 500 before a spin ended his chance for a top finish. Can Carpenter claim a win in his hometown?

Third time the charm for Newgarden?: Josef Newgarden and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing are on the brink of a breakthrough win in the Verizon IndyCar Series. The young Tennessean has found more consistency on the track with a pair of top-10 finishes in the first four races and hopes to add the Borg-Warner Trophy to his trophy case.

Can Munoz score Indy 500 win?: Carlos Munoz had grand opening to his Verizon IndyCar Series career by claiming Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors after he finished second last season. He returns to the track as a series regular for Andretti Autosport. Can Munoz take advantage of the team's success at Indianapolis and finish as the team's next Indianapolis 500 champion?

Race Notes:

· The 98th Indianapolis 500 is the 19th Verizon IndyCar Series event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Since 1911, the Indianapolis 500 winner has gone on to win the series championship 34 times, most recently in 2010 with Dario Franchitti.

· Since the inception of the Verizon IndyCar Series in 1996, Scott Dixon (2008) and Sam Hornish Jr. (2006) are the only Indianapolis pole winners who went on to win the season championship.

· The event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the fifth race on the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. Since 1993, the winner of the fifth race of the season has gone on to win the series championship 11 times. The drivers are: Scott Dixon (2008 - Indianapolis), Dario Franchitti (2007 - Indianapolis), Dan Wheldon (2005 - Indianapolis), Sebastien Bourdais (2004 - Cleveland), Tony Kanaan (2004 - Texas 1), Cristiano da Matta (2002 - Laguna Seca), Gil de Ferran (2000 - Nazareth), Greg Ray (1999 - Pikes Peak), Juan Pablo Montoya (1999 - Rio de Janeiro), Al Unser Jr. (1994 - Milwaukee) and Nigel Mansell (1993 - Milwaukee).

· There are six former Indianapolis 500 winners entered: Jacques Villeneuve (1995) Buddy Lazier (1996), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000) Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009), Scott Dixon (2008) and Tony Kanaan (2013). Between them, they have eight victories. The record for most former winners in the field is 10, in 1992. The fewest, other than the inaugural race in 1911, is zero in 1912.

· There are seven Rookie of the Year candidates entered. This year's rookies: Mikhail Aleshin, Kurt Busch, James Davison, Jack Hawksworth, Carlos Huertas, Sage Karam and Martin Plowman. Last year there were four rookies in the field.

Season to Date:

Will Power won the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. It was the 22nd win of his Indy car career, tying Tony Bettenhausen and Emerson Fittipaldi for 19th all time.Mike Conway won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for the second time in his career. It was his third Indy car win.Ryan Hunter-Reay won the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama for the second consecutive season.Simon Pagenaud won the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis, becoming the fourth different race winner in as many races.Mikhail Aleshin, Jack Hawksworth and Carlos Huertas started their first career Verizon IndyCar Series race at St. Petersburg.Milestones & Records:

· Should Scott Dixon win the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series championship, he will join A.J. Foyt, Dario Franchitti, Sebastien Bourdais and Mario Andretti as the only drivers to win four Indy car titles in his career. Foyt won seven championships in his career, while Andretti, Bourdais and Franchitti each won four titles.

· With his next victory, Scott Dixon will tie Al Unser Jr., for sixth on the all-time wins list. Dixon, the active leader for wins, won his 33rd race at Houston's Reliant Park in October 2013.

· With a victory in 2014, Scott Dixon will extend his streak of consecutive seasons with a win to 10.

· Will Power 's win at St. Petersburg extended his streak of consecutive seasons with a win to eight.

· With his next victory, Sebastien Bourdais will move into sole possession of eighth place on the all-time wins list. Bourdais is tied with Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy with 31 wins.

· With his next victory, Helio Castroneves will tie Rick Mears for 11th place on the all-time wins list. Castroneves won his 28th race at Texas Motor Speedway on June 8, 2013.

· Helio Castroneves needs two earned poles to reach 40 career poles in his Indy car career. Castroneves is the active leader with 38 pole positions.

· With one pole in 2014, Scott Dixon will extend his Verizon IndyCar Series streak to eight consecutive seasons.

· Tony Kanaan will attempt to make his 220th consecutive start, which would extend his all-time record. Scott Dixon with 161 straight starts (sixth all time), Marco Andretti with 137 straight starts (11th all time) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (16th all time) with 112 straight starts are the only active drivers with a streak of more than 100 consecutive starts.

· Helio Castroneves is the active leader in starts with 281, which is eighth on the all-time list.

Tony Kanaan has 280 starts, which is ninth on the all-time list.

· Helio Castroneves is the active leader in top-five finishes with 113, which is eighth on the all-time list.

· Tony Kanaan is tied with Bobby Unser for ninth on the all-time list with 112 top-five finishes.

At-Track Schedule (all times local):

Wednesday, May 14

9-11 a.m. - Pit Stop Competition Time Trials

12 - 6 p.m. - Verizon IndyCar Series practice

Thursday, May 15

12 - 6 p.m. - Verizon IndyCar Series practice

Friday, May 16

12 - 6 p.m. - Verizon IndyCar Series practice

6:05 p.m. - Fastest Lap of the Day Award, Base of the Pagoda

Saturday, May 17

8 - 9 a.m. - Verizon IndyCar Series practice (Two Groups, 30 minutes each)

9 - 10 a.m. -- Verizon IndyCar Series practice (All cars)

11 a.m. - 5:50 p.m. - Indianapolis 500 Qualifications (Cumulative time of four laps), ABC (4 -6 p.m., Live)

Sunday, May 18

8:30 - 9:30 a.m. - Verizon IndyCar Series practice

10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. - Indianapolis 500 Group 1 Qualifying (Pos. 10-30)

12:45 - 1:30 p.m. -- Indianapolis 500 Group 2 Qualifying (Pos. 31-33 + any unqualified cars)

2 - 2:45 p.m. - Indianapolis 500 Fast Nine Shootout (Pos. 1-9), ABC, 1-3 p.m. (Live)

3:15 p.m. - Front Row Photo Shoot

Monday, May 19

Noon - 5 p.m. - Verizon IndyCar Series practice

Friday, May 23

11 a.m. - Verizon IndyCar Series final practice, NBCSN (Live)

1:30 p.m. - Pit Stop Competition, NBCSN (Live)

Sunday, May 25

10:15 a.m. - All Cars to the Grid

10:50 a.m. - Engine Warmup

11:33 a.m. - Driver Introductions

12:04 p.m. - "Drivers, Start Your Engines," Mari Hulman-George

12:12 p.m. - Green Flag, 98th Indianapolis 500 (200 laps/500 miles), ABC (Live).