Talented youngsters, veterans set to clash at Indy

The Indianapolis 500 will be run for the 106th time on May 29, and Mark Glover will be attending his 58^th 500. Here's his take on the race to come.

Who is Rinus VeeKay? How about Alex Palou? Are you familiar with Felix Rosenqvist or Pato O'Ward?

Who are these guys? Overseas soccer stars perhaps? In truth, they're among a super-talented group of twentysomethings currently driving in the NTT IndyCar Series.

And believe this: It's quite possible that one of these young men -- a relative unknown even among people who call themselves sports buffs -- will win Sunday's 106th running of the Indianapolis 500, jumping onto the world stage and attaining auto racing immortality.

The young guns are part of  the fastest starting field in the storied history of the race. The average qualifying speed for all 33 starters is a whopping 231.023 mph. Seemingly everyone is capable of breaking out a 232 mph lap.

The youngsters seem fearless, oblivious to the dangers of Indy, where one tiny slip or gust of wind can find you scraping along the Speedway's white walls.

Among the recent series arrivals, Palou stands out.  The 25-year-old Spaniard won the IndyCar series championship last year and starts second Sunday with a qualifying speed of 233.499. Palou finished second last year to four-time winner Helio Castroneves and readily admitted that his inexperience in late-race traffic likely cost him the win.

He's a year older, and wiser.  Among the young crowd, Palou is my pick to come out on top Sunday.

Mixed in with the youthful pilots is an all-star group of veterans with nearly a dozen Indy 500 wins among them, making this one of the most intriguing 500s in years.

Much of the pre-race anticipation has been centered on 47-year-old Brazilian driver Castroneves, gunning for an unprecedented fifth Indy 500 triumph.

It could happen. Castroneves adapted to the Speedway from the start, more than 20 years ago. But frankly, I'm not sure his car is quite up to the task this time around. He starts way back in 27th.

Six-time series champion Scott Dixon has only one Indy 500 win under his belt (2008), and hard luck has derailed his chances multiple times over the years.  He's been my favorite before, and he's on the pole for Sunday's race with a four-lap qualifying average of 234.046 mph. I believe he puts bad luck to rest this year and wins the race.

Dark horse: How about two of them, both extremely popular? Indianapolis hometown favorite Ed Carpenter has won the pole three times and come agonizingly close to winning before. He's in a very good car, as is crowd favorite and 2013 winner Tony Kanaan, a pro's pro behind the wheel.

NASCAR great Jimmie Johnson surprised many with strong qualifying speed in his maiden Indy voyage, but I think his potentially incredible storyline will be canceled out by Johnson's inexperience in a high-speed, open-wheel race of this kind.

In the final analysis, there are 20 drivers with a better than fair chance to win Sunday. With so many variables in a 500-mile race -- crashes, bad pit stops and bad luck among them -- it has been said that the track chooses the winner. It will be interesting to see what the grand old Speedway has in store this time: youth or experience.

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."