By Noah Poser, Staff Writer
Robert Shwartzman is a former Formula 3 champ, having defeated current Formula 1 drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson to claim the title.
Nolan Siegel won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class last year in his first attempt at 19 years old.
Louis Foster is the reigning champion of the Indy NXT series, having dominated the competition to the tune of winning eight of 14 races.
And now, all three drivers are set to make their debut in motorsport’s most prestigious race Sunday when they take the green flag for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Shwartzman, who claimed a shocking pole position this past Sunday to become the first rookie to sit on pole for the race since Teo Fabi in 1983, is equally excited about the achievement and focused on what awaits him in the first corner of not only his first Indy 500, but first ever oval race.
“It’s still an unbelievable thing that happened (this past) Sunday,” Shwartzman said. “But we’re all trying to focus now on the race and try to get our best from the car to have the most comfortable environment starting the race. On Sunday, I’ll have two experienced guys, one guy who’s already won twice and one guy who really wants to win, next to me so it’s going to be a big challenge for me.
“It’s quite a big responsibility, you know, when you see 350,000 people and you’re the first one to go there (into the corner). It’ll be quite impressive.”
For Siegel, who starts 24th on Sunday, he’s all too familiar with being up front during big races as evidenced by his Le Mans class win, but his level of anticipation for the race this weekend may be even higher than that of Shwartzman.
Considering he missed out on making his Indy 500 debut last year after a qualifying crash on his final run, his eagerness for Sunday isn’t something he’s hiding.
“I feel very, very lucky to be here,” Siegel said. “It’s cool being here and looking back on all the great things that have happened in the past year. I just want to make the most of all the opportunities I’ve been given and that’s my goal here (at Indy) so I’m grateful to have another shot at this race and it’s been my goal for a long time to be here and to be full time in INDYCAR.”
Foster, like Shwartzman and Siegel, is also in the midst of his first full-time season in INDYCAR. The campaign hasn’t quite gone to plan for the British driver who sits 23rd in the standings after five races, but he feels he’s beginning to turn the corner after a career-best 11th place finish at the Indy Grand Prix and is ready to take on the Indy oval from his 20th place starting spot.
“It’s the biggest race in the world and it’s the biggest race of my career,” Foster said. “I’ve got my whole family out here to support me so I think taking some momentum from the Sonsio Grand Prix is going to be key. We’ve got a good racecar and I’ve watched the gameplan of how the race is going to go so we’re going to have to take what we’ve got on race day and try to get the best result possible.
“For me, it’s all about finishing the race and getting through my first Indy 500 with experience that we can build on for the future.”
Before those future Indy 500 appearances can take place for Foster, Siegel and Shwartzman, they will first have to conquer their debut, which is no easy task, but one they’re ready to face head-on.
And and one they don’t want to take for granted.
“I want to learn and I want to experience,” Shwartzman said. “From what I’ve seen, the race is decided on the last lap so hopefully I’ll be there at the end, battling with the guys for the win.”
The rookie’s active approach to making that dream a reality?
“Whenever there is a green flag, it’s just going to be full focus on the front.”