INDIANAPOLIS — Almost everyone has a favorite.
We asked the drivers entered in this year’s Indianapolis 500 one question: “Not counting yourself or any of your teammates, who would you most like to see win this year’s Indy 500?”
The majority of the answers were obtained before qualifying was completed.
Felix Rosenqvist got a lot of love, as the Swede was mentioned by six of his fellow drivers.
Here are their answers, in alphabetical order:
Marco Andretti: “[Scott] McLaughlin. He’s a good guy.”
Marcus Armstrong: “Scott Dixon, because he’s the man!”
Tom Blomqvist: “That’s a hard choice. I’d probably go with Nolan Siegel just because it would be a feel-good story for him to win.”
Agustin Canapino: “Will Power, because he’s a really good driver and he deserves another win.”
Ed Carpenter: “That’s really hard. I’ll go with Ryan Hunter-Reay. He’s a good man and he works very hard. He was a good teammate when we were teammates.”
Helio Castroneves: “That’s a tough question. I guess I’ll pick Katherine [Legge], because it would show that the women can beat the guys.”
Conor Daly: “Scott McLaughlin. I think he’d be a great representative for the series. He’s a great guy.”
Scott Dixon: “That’s a tough one. I’ll say Felix Rosenqvist, because he’s my good friend.”
Marcus Ericsson: “Felix Rosenqvist, because he’s my buddy, he’s been around for a long time, and he deserves it.”
Santino Ferrucci: “[Kyle] Larson. He’s a good friend of mine, and he’s doing The Double. I’d like to see that.”
Pietro Fittipaldi: “I’ll say Helio Castroneves because to get into that five-wins club would be good.”
Romain Grosjean: “Helio [Castroneves]. Five [wins] would be fun!”
Colton Herta: “Sorry; I can’t answer that one. I don’t really care about any of them other than myself.” (Smiling)
Ryan Hunter-Reay: “Ed Carpenter.”
Callum Ilott: “My good friend Marcus Armstrong. I lived with him when we were racing Formula 2.”
Kyle Kirkwood: “Conor Daly. He’s a hometown hero, and a Hoosier hasn’t won this race in 84 years. Everyone loves him.”
Kyle Larson: “I’m a huge fan of Scott Dixon.”
Katherine Legge: “That’s a tough question! Can I pick more than one? Christian Lundgaard, Graham Rahal or Alexander Rossi.”
Christian Lundgaard: “That’s a good question. I’ll go with Felix Rosenqvist. He’s a good guy and he deserves it.”
Linus Lundqvist: “Felix Rosenqvist. He deserves it. He’s a good guy.”
Scott McLaughlin: “That’s a hard question. One of A.J. Foyt’s cars, because that would be cool for the sport.”
Josef Newgarden: “He’s not in the show this year, but I’d like to see J.R. Hildebrand. Can I pick him? Hopefully he’ll be back next year. And my other choice would be Helio [Castroneves]. To get number five….who wouldn’t want to see that?”
Pato O’Ward: “Felix [Rosenqvist], because he is one of my best friends.”
Alex Palou: “Probably Marcus Ericsson. He was my teammate last year and he works very hard, and he’s a great guy.”
Will Power: “Ed Carpenter, because he’s done it so long without a win. It would be good to see him win it.”
Graham Rahal: “Dixie [Scott Dixon]. I think he’s a great dude. He’s a legend in the sport and I think he’s a deserving guy.”
Christian Rasmussen: “Christian Lundgaard. I’d like to see a fellow Dane win it.”
Sting Ray Robb: “Any three of the Penske drivers. They’re aligned with us, and it would be nice to have a Chevy on top.”
Felix Rosenqvist: “If I had to pick only one, I’d pick Pato [O’Ward]. He’s my best buddy on the grid. And he does well here at IMS, and I think he deserves it.”
Alexander Rossi: “Colton [Herta]. He’s one of my best friends.”
Takuma Sato: “That is a very good question! I’d like to see one of the A.J. Foyt cars win. A.J. and Larry and I have a special relationship, and I would like to see an American team owner and an American driver win it. Nothing against Roger Penske; they’re great too, but I’d like to see one of the Foyt cars win.”
Nolan Siegel: “Sting Ray Robb, because he’s a nice guy and an underdog winning would be a nice story.”
Kyffin Simpson: “That’s a hard one. I’ll choose Felix Rosenqvist. I’m pretty good friends with him. He’s a great driver and a great guy.”
Rinus VeeKay: “Ryan Hunter-Reay. It would be really cool for not only him, but his team and also for Chevy!”