Photo illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios; Photos: SOPA Images, Icon Sports Wire, Robert Laberge, John Maxwell, RacingOne, Owen C. Shaw, The Enthusiast Network, Screen Archives, American Stock Archive, Bettman via Getty Images
When the green flag drops on Sunday, there's a chance we'll see some of the fastest laps ever recorded at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
What's happening: All 33 cars on the starting grid will be using the same Dallara chassis, made with lighter components this year in preparation for the introduction of a hybrid engine system after the Indy 500 race.
Lighter cars mean teams can push the limits and pursue new track records.
We've already seen Scott McLaughlin set the fastest four-lap average speed in history for an Indianapolis 500 pole winner, at 234.220 mph, and the entire field averaged the second-fastest speed in race history.
The bottom line: It's the latest evolution in the iconic IndyCar, which started with Ray Harroun's six-cylinder Marmon back in 1911.
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