•Colton Herta and Sebastien Bourdais lead 18-driver Honda field

•Honda victory on Sunday would be 13th since 2003

A powerful lineup that includes four previous Indianapolis 500 winners – three of them also IndyCar Series champions – will lead the 18-driver Honda field when it takes the green flag Sunday for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500. Nine race veterans and an impressive crop of five fast '500' rookies complete the Honda lineup, as the manufacturer seeks an unmatched 13th Indianapolis 500 triumph in the last 17 years.

'Honda has a long history of success at Indianapolis, and everyone at Honda Performance Development has played an important role in our 12 previous wins,' said Ted Klaus, HPD president. 'Honda's commitment to innovation through motorsports, remains just as strong today as when the company was founded in 1946. We're proud of Honda's success at Indianapolis, and our long history of participation in this great race. We are looking forward to an exciting race on Sunday, and to ending the day in Victory Circle for the 13th time!'

Seven previous winners of the '500' are in this year's field of 33, and four of them race with Honda power. The list includes five-time and defending IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, who is seeking a second Indy triumph in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to go with his 2008 win. Dixon will start 18th, on the outside of the sixth row. Alexander Rossi, winner of the historic 100th running of the Memorial Day classic in 2016, is looking for his second trip to Victory Circle on Sunday, and will start on the outside of the third row, ninth. His Andretti Autosport teammate, 2014 Indy winner and former series champion, Ryan Hunter-Reay, will start on the inside of the eighth row, 22nd.

Honda's most recent Indy winner in 2017, Takuma Sato, will start his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda from the middle of the fifth row, 14th. Dale Coyne Racing's Sebastien Bourdais, a four-time series champion, will attempt to add Indy to his already long list of accomplishments starting from the inside of the third row, seventh.

Veteran Honda racers seeking their first Indy victory include third-generation Marco Andretti, who will take the green flag on Sunday in a dayglow red Andretti Autosport Honda in tribute to grandfather Mario's win at the Brickyard in 1969. Second-generation racer Conor Daly and Zach Veach complete the five-car Andretti Autosport lineup at this year's race.

Like Andretti, Graham Rahal is also seeking to continue his family's success at Indianapolis. Father and Rahal Letterman Lanigan team principal Bobby won here in 1986. Fan favorite James Hinchcliffe will once again feature for the Arrow Schmidt Peterson effort, along with veteran Oriol Servia. Coming off a strong third-place run at the INDYCAR Grand Prix road race earlier this month, Jack Harvey will drive for Meyer Shank Racing Honda, while James Davison returns with Dale Coyne Racing.

In addition, to Herta, four other rookies will make their first '500' start with Honda on Sunday. Marcus Ericsson will make his Indy debut with the Arrow Schmidt Peterson effort, while fellow Swede Felix Rosenqvist runs as Dixon's teammate at Chip Ganassi Racing. Young American Santino Ferrucci has shown impressive speed throughout practice and qualifying for Dale Coyne Racing, with Jordan King completing the Honda-powered rookie field in a third Rahal Letterman Lanigan entry.

Honda is the most successful major car manufacturer at the Indy 500, winning more races, having more starts and completing more laps than any other automaker in the 102 previous editions of the event. Since 1994, Honda has taken part in 17 Indianapolis 500 races, and powered 12 race winners at The Brickyard.

During 25 years of IndyCar competition, Honda has won 13 Manufacturers' Championships, with Honda drivers winning 240 races and 16 series championships – a record unmatched by any other car company since Honda entered the series in 1994.

Photo credit: Honda
posted on conceptcarz.com

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