Cars and the people who design, engineer and race them have a rich history in California. So it's no surprise you'll find a few Californians on the 33-car starting grid for Sunday's Indianapolis 500.
The green flag is set to drop at 9:45 a.m. PT Sunday on the 500-mile race, aka "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Scroll down for a look at drivers on the starting grid with connections to California and how to watch.
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How to watch the Indy 500
All coverage will air on NBC and Peacock. Here's the TV and streaming schedule for Sunday.
- Indy 500 Pre-Race: 8 a.m. PT, NBC and Peacock
- 108th running of the Indianapolis 500: 9:30 a.m. PT, NBC and Peacock
Indy 500 drivers with California connections
Colton Herta, Santa Clarita
Herta, the youngest driver ever to win an INDYCAR Series race and qualify on pole, will start on Row 5 in the No 26 car. There were promising signs for the Andretti Global Honda driver when he posted the second-fastest lap during the second-to-last practice session before Sunday's race.
"I definitely felt very good. I felt very confident in the car and what I was able to do," Herta said. "The car just felt solid. It was right underneath me. I was happy."
At just 24, Herta also is a two-time winner of the storied Rolex 24 at Daytona, a sports car race with a rich history. The seven-time IndyCar winner also has a 2024 Sebring 12 Hours win to his credit.
He's looking for his first win after five Indy 500 starts.
Kyle Larson, Elk Grove
Larson has a busy day ahead of him.
He will start fifth in the No. 17 Arrow McLaren at the Indianapolis 500 and plans to fly to North Carolina after the race concludes to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race. Larson is the points leader midway through the regular season in the NASCAR Cup Series, so there's a lot on the line. Only one driver, Tony Stewart in 2021, has completed both races in the same day.
If successful, he'll have completed 1,100 miles of racing in one day.
The weather could throw a wrench into those plans. The forecast includes the possibility of rain at Indianapolis, and there's no racing on this high-speed track in wet weather. Worst-case scenario for Larson: the race is delayed by rain instead of postponed.
"If it’s going to rain here Sunday, then I just want it to rain all day and the (Indy 500) to be on Monday," Larson said. "I don’t even want to think about what could happen if we’re sitting in the rain Sunday."
Larson, 31, will drive a joint entry between Arrow McLaren Racing and Hendrick Motorsports in his Indy 500 debut. He is the fifth driver to attempt to compete in both the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
Alexander Rossi, Nevada City
Rossi was born in Auburn, California, and raised in Nevada City. He'll start alongside Larson on Row 2 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren.
Rossi has raced in several different series, but landed an IndyCar Series seat in 2016 and promptly won the Indy 500 in his first try. Rossi started 11th as the top rookie qualifier. He took the lead late in the race and held on as cars ahead of him ran low on fuel and pitted. Rossi managed his fuel masterfully, needing a tow to victory lane with his tank on empty.
Rossi worked his way up through the ranks in Formula BMW, the GP3 and GP2 series and World Series Renault before breaking into Formula 1, where he spent some time as a reserve driver. He made his debut in 2015 at the Singapore GP with the new Manor Marussia F1 Team. He also has a lengthy record behind the wheels of sports cars, racing with Team Penske and Wayne Taylor Racing.
Sunday with be the 32-year-old Rossi's ninth Indy 500 start.
Californians who have won the Indianapolis 500
Seven drivers born in California have won the Indy 500, tying Indiana for the most of any state. They include three drivers from the Los Angeles area and the great Bill Vukovich Sr., a two-time Indy 500 winner from Fresno.
- San Francisco: Jimmy Murphy (1922)
- Los Angeles: Johnnie Parsons (1950), Bob Sweikert (1955), Jim Rathmann (1960)
- Fresno: Bill Vukovich Sr. (1953-1954)
- Glendale: Pat Flaherty (1956)
- Auburn: Alexander Rossi (2016)
