Insider: 5 things I think about the Indianapolis 500

Here are five things I think ahead of Sunday's 101st running of the Indianapolis 500

I think not enough people are talking about Ryan Hunter-Reay and JR Hildebrand. The world is enamored with Fernando-mania; Alexander Rossi is the reigning champion and starting on the front row; and Takuma Sato and Marco Andretti earned spots in the Fast Nine. The headlines detailing the exploits of Andretti Autosport abound, yet none seem to be about the race’s champion of just three years ago. Hunter-Reay is heading into Sunday the forgotten man on his own team and a favorite no one is talking about.

Not only has he won this race before, but his qualifying effort May 21 — he posted the fourth-fastest four-lap average speed at 231.442 mph — demonstrated he’ll be driving one of the top cars for the top team in the field.  

NOTEBOOK: Alonso is still the hot topic

Hildebrand is the other contender flying under the radar. The Californian has been overshadowed by the stellar performance of his teammate and adopted Hoosier Ed Carpenter. Carpenter, who will be starting in the middle of Row 1, has more than earned the attention he’s garnered, but Hildebrand was only slightly slower on Pole Day than his boss and has an Indianapolis resume that can’t be ignored.

Hildebrand would already have his face on the Borg-Warner Trophy if not for the heartbreaking last-lap crash he endured in 2011 as a rookie. Instead, he settled for runner-up and has had three more top-10 finishes. Starting on the outside of Row 2 — the best starting spot of his career — and with one of the top Chevrolets in the field, Hildebrand is poised to pull down victory lane on Sunday afternoon.

I think Fernando Alonso has made fans of all of us. This could have gone very differently. A rock star from the world’s premier open-wheel series, Alonso could have crossed the Atlantic and gone full-on prima donna. He could have been a diva and turned his back on an American fan base and media that craved access. But Alonso has embraced the madness from the moment he stepped off the plane in Indianapolis.

What’s more, there have been no whispers that the smile he readily flashes for American cameras disappears behind closed doors. Or that his enthusiasm for the race is anything but genuine. So he’s either simultaneously one of the world’s greatest drivers and actors or he’s legitimately enjoying himself and the hoopla surrounding this race. And all evidence points to the latter.  

BUSY DAY: Race day schedule

“At no point, it seems has he said, 'I’m Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion, and I’m above all of this,'” said NBC IndyCar and Formula One play-by-play announcer Leigh Diffey. “He got here and said, ‘Count me in. I’ll do whatever you want me to do.’

“He’s been a terrific lesson for everybody on how you handle yourself with grace. I know he’s not a huge fan of media commitments, but the way he’s handled this 500 campaign has been wonderful for the young drivers watching him.”

Oh and by the way, he’s got a legitimate shot and leaving Indianapolis a champion.

I think Team Penske will not go away quietly. They’re not happy. This is a team and an owner that are never happy, never satisfied until they’ve won everything there is to win, but Pole Day was bad, and it has IndyCar’s perennial power in somewhat uncharted territory.

During a media luncheon Thursday, every single member of Penske’s fearsome fivesome mentioned their disappointment with how qualifying went down — only Will Power occupies a spot in the first three rows.

LINE 'EM UP: 11 rows of race qualifiers

But it would be a mistake to count out a group this talented. It just seems impossible to imagine that a garage that includes a three-time 500 winner (Helio Castroneves), a two-time winner (Juan Pablo Montoya), the defending series champion (Simon Pagenaud), the hottest driver in the series (Power) and one of the best young drivers in the sport (Newgarden) won’t have a say in how this race shakes out.

Pagenaud told IndyStar on Thursday that while he’s unhappy about not having the speed of some rival Honda drivers, he’s confident his team and those of his teammates will have strategies that will help them close the gap.

Doubt him at your own risk.

I think a couple Honda car are destined for (engine) failure. There’s no way to know which car it will strike or when, but it’s going to happen. A Honda engine will fail during the 500. It seems almost inevitable, as the manufacturer has seen several engines blow up in May — from those of Charlie Kimball and Sebastien Bourdais at the IndyCar Grand Prix to Graham Rahal, Bourdais again and Oriol Servia during 500 practice — and it has yet to understand the root causes of the failures.

DIVERSITY: There have been few black drivers in the race

Rossi, Hunter-Reay, Andretti and other Honda drivers each said Thursday there’s nothing they can they do but hope it doesn’t happen to their car during the race. Each said Honda is working hard to address the issue, but none could say with certainty that the problem has been fixed. Meanwhile, a few Chevrolet drivers are pleased that a few of the faster Hondas might be taken out of the race.   

“The Hondas seem to lack some durability to a degree,” Newgarden said. “How’s that going to play out in the race? I don’t know. I mean hopefully they’re not too reliable. We feel comfortable with Chevrolet that we have a good reliable package. It’s been very consistent, so we know what we’ve got. But with Honda, yeah, it could be very difficult. Maybe they have an incident that puts out a couple of their cars. For us, that’s not a bad thing.”

I think IndyCar and IMS deserve a ton of credit for making 101 the success that it is. Forget Alonso. This race didn’t need Alonso. Don’t misunderstand. IndyCar and IMS are extremely happy and proud to have the two-time world champion here, but they didn’t need him to make this race a success. Remember, IMS President Doug Boles predicted the race would exceed 300,000 fans well before the Alonso deal came together. Months later, he stated that race will be the most well-attended 500 in the past 15 years with the exception of last year. That’s quite an achievement following the massive success of the 100th running of the 500.   

LABOR OF LOVE: Boles packs a lot into his day

The credit belongs, of course, to Boles, Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles, Senior VP of Hulman Motorsports Allison Melangton and their teams. With their myriad programs and initiatives, they have successfully turned May into the “Greatest Month in Racing.”

Last year, three-time 500 champion Bobby Unser spoke for many when he said, “I’ve never seen excitement like this for the race in my life. But you know what I’m worried about? I’m afraid this is just going to be a flash in the pan, a one-year thing. I’m really worried about next year.”

No need to worry, Mr. Unser. Before the 101st running of the 500 even begins, it’s already been a huge success.

Follow IndyStar Motor Sports Insider Jim Ayello on Twitter and Instagram: @jimayello.