It won’t be long before the Indy 500 of 2022 takes place, which is set for Sunday, May 29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with 33 drivers vying for the title of race champion.
Of these 33 pilots there are five that represent the Hispanic and Latin American community, and we invite you to discover who they will be.
Hélio Castroneves
After 22 years on the track, the 47-year-old Brazilian is still going strong and will fire up the engines to defend his title as the reigning Indy 500 champion.
Castroneves will be more than motivated to remain champion in this race as another first place would see him become the driver who has won the race the most times in all of history, as he is currently tied for four wins with other drivers such as Al Nuser, Rick Mears and AJ Foyt.
However, it will not be easy for him as he will start 27th after experiencing complications during qualifying.
Tony Kanaan
Another experienced Brazilian like Tony Kanaan will be competing in the race as he seeks his first title in it at 47 years of age, and will start sixth, so he has very good chances.
Despite not having a title, Kanaan holds the record for the highest speed recorded in the race, as he reached 187.433 mph in 2013, so the race has his name engraved after a long career as a racer.
Juan Pablo Montoya
The 46-year-old Colombian will seek his third title as champion of the Indy 500 in this edition, having won for the last time in 2015 and being the last Hispanic American to achieve this feat.
However, Montoya lost his place in the line on the first day due to complications in passing technical inspections and has qualified 30th, so he will have a tough road ahead if he wants to win again.
Pato O’Ward
Patricio “Pato” O’Ward will be the youngest Hispanic to compete in the race in 2022, since at 23 years old he qualified as seventh.
Pato was selected as the “Rookie of the Year” in 2020 by finishing sixth in that edition of the Indy 500 and will seek to impress again.
Alex Palou
Lastly, we have Spaniard Alex Palou, who finished second in the 2021 Indy 500 and won the IndyCar Series that same year.
Palou will start the race in the middle of the front row, so it is expected that he will get a good result again.