Bumping unlikely for Indy 500 but Doug Boles says, 'We’ve got to make sure' there are 33 cars

Bumping unlikely for Indy 500 but Doug Boles says, 'We’ve got to make sure' there are 33 cars

Question remain about the size of the Indianapolis 500 with qualifying just over a month away.

It’s unclear exactly how the field will get to 33 entries and if there will be more than 33 to trigger bumping during the second day of qualifying. There are currently 31 confirmed entries, with Jacob Abel of Abel Motorsports widely believed to be the 32nd entry.

As May 24 approaches, it’s still fuzzy who will be in the 110th Indy 500. The unofficial deadline to file an entry was April 1, but late entries are granted until 6 p.m. on May 15, the day before qualifying begins.

So, with a little over four weeks left until all entries can be filed, let’s look at who could join the field and why IndyCar is in this position yet again.

Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing driver for the 2026 IndyCar Series season

Santino Ferrucci, 2026 IndyCar Series driver for A.J. Foyt Racing

Will Power, Andretti Global driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Ryan Hunter-Reay, 2025 Indianapolis 500 driver

Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - JANUARY 24: Romain Grosjean driver of The #16 Myers Riley Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 GTD walks on stage during driver introductions before the start of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 24, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Conor Daly (76) makes his way to pit lane Thursday, May 15, 2025, during practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Jack Harvey was announced Monday as the driver of the No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Hy-Vee Honda for 2022 on a multi-year deal.

Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Ed Carpenter, 2025 Indy 500 driver

Rinus Veekay, Juncos Hollinger Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Helio Castroneves walks onto the track Friday, May 23, 2025, On Carb Day ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Takuma Sato (75) suits up for practice on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, during practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher, walks through the pit lane during the first day of the ADAC Formula Four preseason tests in Oschersleben, Germany.

Josef Newgarden, Team Penske driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

David Malukas, Team Penske driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

1 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing driver for the 2026 IndyCar Series season

1 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing driver for the 2026 IndyCar Series season

2 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Santino Ferrucci, 2026 IndyCar Series driver for A.J. Foyt Racing

3 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Will Power, Andretti Global driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

4 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

5 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

6 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

7 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

8 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

9 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Ryan Hunter-Reay, 2025 Indianapolis 500 driver

10 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

11 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

12 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

13 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - JANUARY 24: Romain Grosjean driver of The #16 Myers Riley Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 GTD walks on stage during driver introductions before the start of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 24, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

14 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

15 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Conor Daly (76) makes his way to pit lane Thursday, May 15, 2025, during practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

16 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Jack Harvey was announced Monday as the driver of the No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Hy-Vee Honda for 2022 on a multi-year deal.

17 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

18 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

19 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Ed Carpenter, 2025 Indy 500 driver

20 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Rinus Veekay, Juncos Hollinger Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

21 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

22 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Helio Castroneves walks onto the track Friday, May 23, 2025, On Carb Day ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

23 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

24 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

25 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

26 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

27 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Takuma Sato (75) suits up for practice on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, during practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

28 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher, walks through the pit lane during the first day of the ADAC Formula Four preseason tests in Oschersleben, Germany.

29 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Josef Newgarden, Team Penske driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

30 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

31 / 31

Indy 500 confirmed drivers

David Malukas, Team Penske driver in 2026 IndyCar Series

How will the field get to 33 cars?

There’s no doubt that the entry list will reach 33, but the means of reaching it are still to be determined. Teams haven’t been willing to commit to entering an extra car in the 500, causing a bit of a standstill.

For months, that extra entry was believed to be Colton Herta returning to Andretti Global for the Indy 500. But when Formula 2 added two May races, one in Montreal on May 24, hopes of the Hitech TGR driver returning to his old team ended. Rather than entering a fourth car, as it’s done every year since 2003, Andretti Global is now opting to focus on its three full-time drivers — Kyle Kirkwood, Will Power and Marcus Ericsson — for the race.

Will Prema enter the Indy 500?

To get to 33 cars, IndyCar continues to wait for a resolution on Prema Racing. Prema’s ownership, DC Racing Solutions, is looking to sell the IndyCar team after its first year in the series in 2025. The team, which still has dozens of employees and is working on cars at its Fishers shop, is aiming to complete the process in time for the Indy 500, but there’s no guarantee that happens.

For Prema to make it to the grid, it would have to complete its sale, have IndyCar approve its new ownership group and potentially rebrand the team in a month. It’s not an impossible task, but it’s certainly not an easy one either.

Will A.J. Foyt Racing enter a third car in the Indy 500?

If Prema can enter at least one car, there may not be another team that steps up to file an entry. If Prema can’t get its affairs in order, A.J. Foyt Racing could be a team looking to add to the grid.

Per a team spokesperson, A.J. Foyt Racing has discussed entering an extra car but team principal Larry Foyt hasn’t decided if adding a car is feasible. Right now, the team’s focus is on its two full-time drivers, Caio Collet and Santino Ferrucci. But if nobody else files the 33rd entry, A.J. Foyt Racing could be the team to do so, as it would potentially need support from Team Penske through the teams’ technical alliance with each other.

IndyCar and IMS simply won’t let there be fewer than 33 entries. It has been a drawn-out process but that 33rd entry will come from somewhere.

“I 100% am sure we’ll get to the 33 number,” IMS and IndyCar president Doug Boles told IndyStar in March. “The question is how far over 33 do we get?”

Why is the Indy 500 33 cars?

The first Indy 500 in 1911 had 40 cars but it was felt that was too many for safety reasons. From 1912-15, 30 cars participated before settling on 33 in 1916. According to a Jalopnik.com story, it was determined that each car should have 400 feet of track, on IMS' 2.5-mile oval that's 33 cars. There have been years where it didn't have 33 cars, however.

The 500 also had 40 to 42 during the Great Depression in the 1930s, returning to 33 in 1934. However, the 500 allowed 35 cars in 1979 and 1997.

Does having 34 cars matter?

In the grand scheme of things, not being able to get beyond 33 cars may not be the disaster some fans paint it to be. While bumping in qualifying undoubtedly adds an extra sense of pressure and excitement, its existence (or nonexistence) has little impact on the race.

In the coming weeks, IMS will announce that the grandstands of the Indy 500 will sell out for the second straight year. That’s an announcement that could come before a 33rd entry is even finalized. There’s a chance that general admission tickets to the race will sell out as well.

People are as excited as ever to witness the Indy 500, and the success of the race doesn’t hinge on the drama of qualifying. It’s understandable for racing diehards to want the entire May experience to be thrilling, but for most attending or watching the race on television, one or two drivers being bumped from the race is insignificant.

IMS and IndyCar have centered their efforts on getting to 33 cars and promoting race day. Surpassing 33 cars would be nice, but it’s not a priority for the series, its teams, Fox and the engine manufacturers.

“I think bumping is important,” Boles said. “We can do without it, but bumping adds that next story, that compelling story, to it. It’s always sort of magical when you see who actually gets in and who’s sitting on the sideline. I love bumping … but 33 is the number and we’ve got to make sure we’re there every year.”

It seems that none of the parties involved are concerned over whether the race has more than 33 entries. Teams are fine without the stress of wondering if all their entries will make the race, which, outside of one odd driver out, has been the trend of recent years.

There haven’t been more than 34 entries since 2021, when there were 36. This year could end up like 2022, when there were exactly 33 entries.

This could change with a potential addition of a third engine manufacturer when IndyCar introduces its new chassis in 2028, but even a new manufacturer seems more like a believe-it-when-you-see-it proposition than a likelihood.

Despite qualifying weekend not being the same, the Indy 500 is still regaining excitement for race day, which matters most. Qualifying is a vital piece to the race’s story, but bumping (especially involving multiple cars) should no longer be expected in this era of the Indy 500.

Zion Brown is IndyStar's motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 field unlikely to include bumping but will include 33 cars