It's Palou versus the rest of the field in Sunday's 500

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

The Indianapolis 500 will be run for the 110th time on May 24, and Mark Glover will be attending his 61st 500. Here's his take on the race to come:

Just so we're on the same page: Picking a winner of the Indianapolis 500 before it happens is pure folly.

You can have the fastest car by far, and the best team to boot, and still fall short of winning the world-famous race.  It has happened before. I've seen it. Numerous times.

There are about a thousand variables that can ruin a favorite's day ... cut tires, botched pit stops, a collision with a careless driver, a rain delay, any one of a hundred mechanical failures, an ill-timed caution period ...

I could go on all night.

Knowing all that, I believe that 29-year-old Alex Palou of Spain will win the 500 for the second year in a row. The four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion is, in my mind, as solid a favorite as there has ever been. But what about all those nasty variables?

The variables exist, but Palou has so much repel them.

He has been dominating the series in his youth, looking like an unbeatable veteran amid all the talent the NTT INDYCAR SERIES has to offer. In last year's 500, Palou seemed to be toying with the field, drafting along when he needed it, running away when it was go time.

And then there's the Chip Ganassi Racing team for which he drives. Ganassi has excelled at Indy at the highest level for someone not named Roger Penske, and he has brought Palou along with admirable excellence.  This team knows its business.

Sunday's qualifying session was a prime example.  In the first round of qualifying, Palou barely made the "Fast 12," with the 11th-fastest time.  Mere hours later, Palou was sitting on the pole with a sparkling four-lap average speed of 232.248 miles per hour. That's a remarkable leap in such a short time, a tribute to the team's talent top to bottom.

If not Palou, who else might be drinking the winner's milk on Sunday?

(Writer's note: When this piece was being written on May 18, I noted that Nevada City's own Alexander Rossi and Mexico's Pato O'Ward were my secondary picks to win the race. A couple hours later, both were involved in a violent crash in Turn 2 during pre-race practice. And while both intend to race on Sunday, I believe their chances of winning have been reduced. Consequently, for my money, it's Palou versus the rest of the field. And so, as I was saying ... )

And then there's the rest of the field, loaded with skilled pilots and past 500 winners.  Could one of them win it?  See above, i.e. "variables."