Sans fans, Indy 500 day likely to belong to Dixon

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen on this blog and in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Editor's note: Since 1961, Mark Glover has attended 57 Indianapolis 500s, as both a spectator and a working journalist. Due to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's fan restrictions related to the COVID-19 virus, Glover will miss the 104th running of the Indy 500 on Sunday, breaking a streak of race attendance dating back to 1977. However, he still has some thoughts on how things will go Sunday at IMS. His take:

Sacramento, California -- How strange it will be watching 33 bullet-like race cars ripping around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval on Sunday ... before some 275,000 empty seats and a nearly deserted infield.

This is totally unprecedented in the history of the world-famous race that has been run continuously -- with the exception of six years in the World War I and WWII eras -- since 1911. Like millions of race fans, I will be watching the "greatest spectacle in racing" on television, from the comfort of my family room chair.

It will be a bittersweet day. So much of what makes Indy a spectacle is the presence of some 300,000 fans on race day. The place buzzes with excitement and anticipation, amid the familiar traditions that date back more than a century.

When it's over, I believe that Scott Dixon of New Zealand will be drinking the winner's milk, celebrating his second Indy 500 triumph, his first coming in 2008. It's somewhat amazing that he's won only one Indianapolis 500 to date. Besides being a five-time IndyCar Series champion, he has a boatload of top-five finishes at IMS.

Strange fortune and occasional bad luck have kept him out of Victory Lane at Indianapolis, and those factors always loom large in a 500-mile race.  It could happen again.

But Dixon is the ultimate technician and tactician, with an additional boost of high-speed driving skill. I like his chances.  If someone handed me $100,000 today with the restriction that I could bet all of it on only one driver in Sunday's field of 33 drivers, I'd put it on Dixon.

But what about Marco Andretti, the pole-sitter for Sunday's race and the fastest car at the speedway all month?  Wouldn't it be something if he won the race and broke the so-called Andretti curse that saw his grandfather, the legendary Mario Andretti, win only one time ... and father Michael never win the 500 despite numerous golden opportunities that were foiled by hugely painful setbacks?

I love a good story.  And yes, Marco winning would be great.  It could happen.  For that matter, I was cheering on 19-year-old rookie Marco to win the 2006 Indy 500, only to see the dream crushed when he was passed in the last couple hundred yards of the race by winner Sam Hornish Jr. No one will be smiling wider than me if Marco pulls it off this time.

This being Indy, I figure there are at least a dozen -- and probably, more -- who could win it.  Race set-up is a galaxy removed from qualifying trim, and Sunday's winner could come from far back in the starting field.  In fact, the eighth-through-tenth rows of starters are loaded with all-star talent, including three-time winner Helio Castroneves, 2018 champ Will Power, 2013 winner Tony Kanaan and defending race champion Simon Pagenaud.

Two-time IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden is driving the fastest of the Roger Penske-prepared cars, and he seems to be flying under the radar.  He could step into the bright spotlight on race day.

Or a relatively unknown rookie could win it, and become rich and world-famous overnight.  There are some very talented young folks in the field.

If I had to choose one dark horse to win autoracing's biggest event, I'd go with 2016 winner Alexander Rossi of Nevada City.  He starts ninth in a strong ride prepared by Andretti Autosport, and he has demonstrated exceptional ability at Indianapolis over the past couple of years.

Rossi felt that horsepower was the difference between his second-place finish and Pagenaud's win last year.  This year, the Honda engines driving Rossi and his Andretti Autosport teammates appear to have the horsepower edge over the Chevy power plants.  Rossi has the juice he needs this time around.  The Northern California driver could be celebrating Indy 500 win No. 2 when it's all said and done on Sunday.