Indianapolis 500 rundown

TV: 10 a.m. on ABC

Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (rectangular oval, 2.5 miles, 9 degrees banking in turns).

Race distance: 500 miles, 200 laps.

Last year: Dario Franchitti gambled on the rain and won the Indy 500, another bittersweet day for the Andretti family at America’s richest race. The Scotsman inherited the lead by staying on the track when the leaders pitted for fuel. He then drove slowly to the checkered flag in a downpour when the race was stopped 10 laps later after 415 of the scheduled 500 miles. Franchitti won the race under a caution light brought out when teammate Marco Andretti crashed three laps from the abbreviated end. Scott Dixon was second, followed by Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr.

Fast facts: The race has taken place every year since 1911, except for when the United States was in World War I (1917-18) and World War II (1942-45). … The closest finish in Indy 500 history came in 1992, when Al Unser Jr. edged Scott Goodyear by 0.043 seconds. … Each winner receives an 18-inch sterling silver replica of the Borg-Warner Trophy. The original stands 5-foot-4 3/4 , weighs 150 pounds and has a bas-relief bust of each winner. It is valued at $1 million. … Scott Dixon, who qualified two weekends ago, won the pole at 226.366 mph. He will be joined in the front row by Dan Wheldon and Ryan Briscoe. Danica Patrick will start in Row 2. … The final field includes former Indy winners Wheldon, Helio Castroneves, Buddy Rice and Buddy Lazier, as well as 11 rookies, led by 19-year-old Graham Rahal, one of the drivers making the transition from the defunct Champ Car World Series to the recently unified IRL IndyCar Series.