You don't have to be an IndyCar expert to enjoy the Indianapolis 500.

The big picture: Here's a casual fan's guide to some of the sport's biggest names and those to watch during Sunday's race.

Robert Shwartzman: The rookie driver on the rookie team shocked the sporting world when he took pole last weekend.

• The 25-year-old has never raced on an oval and hasn't led a lap in an IndyCar — yet.

Pato O'Ward: A fan and betting favorite, O'Ward was just two turns from glory last year before he was passed on the last lap to finish second.

• He'll start in the third spot, making him the first Mexican driver to start on the front row of the 500.

Alex Palou: The Spanish driver is starting sixth, but he's won four of the first five races of the season. No one is more dominant in the series than Palou.

• Palou has won on the IMS road course the past three years.

Yes, but: He's never won on an oval track.

Conor Daly: The only Hoosier in the field of 33, the Noblesville native is starting his 12th Indy 500.

• He's not the odds-on favorite to win, but Daly led the most laps of all drivers in the 2021 race and has led as many laps as two-time reigning winner Josef Newgarden — just not the right laps.

Josef Newgarden: The back-to-back defending champ is trying to make history as the first driver to win three Indy 500s in a row.

Yes, but: He's got to drive through just about the entire field to do it.

You can't count him out

Now that you know who the top drivers are, here's what else you need to know about the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

The race is 500 miles — 200 laps around the 2.5-mile track.

• It takes about 3 hours.

Motorsports has its own lingo. Some of the more common terms:

• Chassis: The body of the car, also called the "tub" in IndyCar.
• Loose/oversteer: Not enough grip in the rear tires, so the back of the car is unstable.
• Tight/understeer: Not enough grip in the front tires, so the front wheels want to continue straight through a turn.

Zoom in: Here are the storylines driving the day.

🔋 You'll hear a lot of talk about the "hybrid."

• This is the first Indy 500 using IndyCar's new hybrid power system, which stores energy and allows drivers to strategically deploy and recharge it throughout the race.

👯‍♂️ Kyle Larson is attempting the double again.

• He's a full-time NASCAR driver and, if all goes as planned, he'll drive the Indy 500 and then fly to Charlotte and race in the Coca-Cola 600.

What we're watching: If there's a rain delay on race day, Larson will have to bail on the 500 to get to Charlotte.

✌️ Penske's cheating scandal

Team Penske sacked its top brass just days before the race, meaning two-time reigning winner Josef Newgarden and his teammate Will Power will have different faces running the show Sunday.

Go deeper

Here's everything you need to know to have a successful Indianapolis 500.

🎟️ Gates open at 6am.

🟢 The green flag drops at 12:45 (weather permitting).

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 There's a sellout crowd, so IMS is encouraging fans to arrive even earlier than usual.

💳 The speedway is cashless.

🌥️ Temperatures are forecasted to be pretty mild but that doesn't mean you don't need to drink water.

• Tracy Ballard, clinic operations manager for the IMS infield care center and IndyCar, told Axios they see between 100 and 300 fans every year on race day.
• "Hydration is key," she said, for avoiding a trip to see her.
• Sunscreen, too.

🥤 Pro tip: Bring a cooler (no bigger than 8" x 15" x 15") full of your favorite beer — just no glass.

• A full list of prohibited items can be found here.
• Passes for the parking areas around IMS are sold out for race day, so be prepared to hunt for street parking or haggle with a homeowner for the right to park on their grass.

🚲 Yes, or: Bike to the 500. Bike parking is available at Gates 1, 6 and 9.

Lizzie Todd was 8 years old when she attended her first Indianapolis 500, and it was love at first green flag.

Why it matters: The 27-year-old systems engineer for Pato O'Ward's No. 5 Arrow McLaren is one of few women in the paddock today.

Flashback: She knew she wanted to be part of IndyCar after that first race, she just didn't know how to get there. While attending the race was a family tradition, she grew up in Vail, Colorado.

What she's saying: "I liked math, I liked science, I liked problem solving. Everything kind of pointed me towards … you should be an engineer. It was like, 'Well, can I do this for race cars?'" she told Axios.

State of play: Todd's first year in the paddock, there were a handful of other women.

• Last year, there were 20. Every year, their number grows, she said.

Yes, but: There are still challenges.

• "There's a mentality — less so in the paddock, sometimes you get it with the fans — that's like, you don't deserve to be here. You don't belong here. Let the boys play."

Keep reading

While at the track, check out the reimagined Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

Catch up quick: The museum reopened to the public early last month after closing in November 2023 to undergo its first major renovation in 40 years.

Zoom in: Here are a few museum highlights.

🏁 Start your engines

• The new "Starting Line Experience" is a looping, immersive video experience that lets visitors experience the thrill of being inside IMS on race day, from "Back Home Again In Indiana" to the Snake Pit.

🙌 Going hands-on

• An all-ages interactive area has racing sims, a dedicated STEAM classroom, games to test reaction time and the opportunity to feel like you're actually part of a pit crew.

🏎️ Rad new rides

• Car buffs, rejoice. It's still historic cars as far as the eye can see, with the addition of 14 new cars from Chip Ganassi Racing, including five Indianapolis 500 winners.

More highlights

How many beers could the Borg-Warner hold if the Borg-Warner could hold beers? 115 beers, according to lore.

• Thanks to the Butler University students, circa the 1950s, who figured it out for us and, a couple years later, pretended to drink out of it again for this iconic photo.