What Will The Storyline Be?

Call it what you want. Foreshadowing, looking too far into the future, unnecessary. Every driver has a storyline if they win the Indianapolis 500. Now, the race itself will factor into said headline. If last May 1st I told you Dan Wheldon was going to win the Indianapolis 500, many would of looked at the obvious, a veteran driver with  shot at only Indy winning with a team only in their second IndyCar race ever. But throw in the last turn accident by leader JR Hildebrand and the uncertainty of who was second adds to that storyline. Not knowing what the race beholds for us, these storylines only cover what we already know.

Either of the two Lotuses.
If either Lotus wins, let alone get past lap 10, it will be one of the greatest upsets in sports history, period. Especially if Simona de Silvestro wins and becomes the first women to win the Indianapolis 500.Alesi would win in his first oval race and first open-wheel race since 2001.

Ryan Briscoe
After years of being the third driver at Penske and being questioned when Penske gets rid of him, Briscoe wins the race, from pole, and gives Penske his 16th Indianapolis 500 victory, 40 years after Mark Donohue won the Indianapolis 500 to give Roger Penske his first Indianapolis 500 victory.

Marco Andretti
After having a great month and starting from 4th position, Andretti now joins his grandfather as Indianapolis 500 winners. Six years after losing the race coming to the checkers, Andretti has finally done it. Many questioned when Andretti would arrive and become a big star, a 500 victory would do it.

James Hinchcliffe
Remember the last time a Canadian, in he second Indianapolis 500 start raced car number 27? Worked it well for Jacques Villeneuve that day and for Hinchcliffe, with his well-known sponsor, would make one of IndyCar's best personalities one of the most known IndyCar drivers in the United States. And he does it with Greg Moore's glove, how special would that be.

Helio Castroneves
The obvious, fourth, four time winner, joins the three Americans of Foyt, Unser and Mears. He gives Penske his 16th victory, 40 years after his first with Mark Donohue. Castroneves' four will be questioned due to his first coming during the split but either way it is a great accomplishment.

Alex Tagliani
One year after winning the pole, one year after car owner Byran Herta won the race with Dan Wheldon, the little-team-that-could does it again. After the disaster with Lotus, the team comes back and in its first race back with Honda, makes it back-to-back Indianapolis 500 victories.

Josef Newgarden
The new American star has arrived. After being fast all month long, the rookie has won the Indianapolis 500 in his first career start, becoming the ninth to do so. Sarah Fisher becomes the second, second women to win the Indianapolis 500 as a car owner, joining M.A. Yagle who owned the 1929 winning car driven by Ray Keech. This must be a start of a great career for this young driver.

Rubens Barrichello
How about this? Rubinho gets his second win at Indianapolis, first on the oval, and does it while the Formula One teams are in Monaco. Rubinho left Formula One as its most experienced driver and after only running road course for all his life, in his first oval race ever, he wins the Indianapolis 500.

Dario Franchitti
After a tough month, Franchitti now has won his third Indianapolis 500. The defending champion adds even more to his resume as he storied career continues.

Sebastien Bourdais
He's back. Bourdais wins his first race since leaving ChampCar in 2007. The four-time champion gets the engine he needs to compete with the big boys and has now become a threat at the remaining IndyCar races and maybe the championship. Now to mention Jay Penske beats his father for his first Indianapolis 500 victory, 40 years after his father's first.

Will Power
After back-to-back years of losing the championship late in the season, Power has now won four of the first five races. He and Chevrolet now looks unstopable for the rest of 2012. As with the other two, Power gives Penske another 500 victory, 40 years after his first.

Bryan Clauson
After questioning whether USAC drivers could still make it to the Speedway, Clauson answers that question loud and clear. He does from further back for a winner than ever before. The Road to Indy programs gets a huge promotion as it and it's USAC scholarship program has produced what it was kind of set out to do. Giving drivers a road to Indianapolis, where anything is possible.

Michel Jourdain Jr.
After being away from Indianapolis since 1996, Jourdain wins for Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing and joins Pedro Rodriguez and Memo Rojas as Mexico's greatest drivers.

Wade Cunningham
He wins at Indy, after three victories in the Freedom 100. He give AJ Foyt a sixth victory at the Speedway.

Mike Conway
After missing the race in 2011, Conway in his first 500 since he was injured in the 2010 races wins from deep in the pack and gives AJ Foyt his sixth victory.

Katherine Legge
She becomes the first women to win the Indianapolis 500 in her first career start. After years away from American Open-Wheel racing and racing German Touring Cars, she wins in only her second career oval start. Just like her teammate and two other cars, she wins in her first races with an engine other than Lotus.

Takuma Sato
After great races at Long Beach and Sao Paulo, Sato wins his first races in over a decade. After years of promise and showing quickness, the former Formula One driver finally wins and does it for Honda and Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing.

Scott Dixon
Same as his teammate Franchitti in a way. Had a poor qualifying day and come back to win his second Indianapolis 500.

 EJ Viso
After his first few years were filled with crashes, Viso wins after a month that started slow but turned around qualifying weekend. He wins just after fellow Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado won his first Formula One Grand Prix at Spain and Maldonado has a great record at Monaco in GP2. He could easily win the Monaco Grand Prix, and if Viso then goes on to win Indy that would be a great day for Venezuela.

Ana Beatriz
She becomes the first women to win the Indianapolis 500 and does it for Andretti Autosport with a partnership from Conquest Racing. She had success in Lights but never found her stride in IndyCars until now.

James Jakes
From missing the race to winning the race. Someone who many thought to be a ride-buyer proves them wrong and wins as a rookie.

Justin Wilson
He comes back to the Speedway and wins the second race ever for Dale Coyne Racing. After missing the back half of 2011, Wilson finally has his best career race on an oval.

Sebastian Saavedra
In his third time to the Speedway, Saavedra wins. After being bumped in his first year, only to end up back in when Paul Tracy and Jay Howard both pulled times good enough to make the field and not making the race in 2011, the young Colombian joins Juan Pablo Montoya as Colombia's only two 500 winners.

Oriol Servia
After starting on the front row in 2011 and leaving Lotus for Chevrolet at the beginning of the month, Servia becomes the first Spaniard to win the Indianapolis 500 and, as a Maldonado-Viso wins would be great for Venezuela, a Alonso-Servia pairing of winning Monaco and Indy would be great for Spain.

Simon Pagenaud
After a great start to 2012, Pagenaud joins fellow Frenchmen Jules Goux and Rene Thomas as rookie winners. Sam Schmidt gets his first Indianapolis 500 victory a year after winning his first Indianapolis 500 pole with Tagliani.

Townsend Bell
This Indy one-off finally does it. After years after great races at Indy, Bell beat the full-timers and give Sam Schmidt his first Indianapolis 500 victory.

Charlie Kimball
A year after being the goat if you will for being at the wrong place at the wrong time, Kimball beats his experienced teammates and wins, what many would consider a upset for the American driver.

Graham Rahal
Rahal gets his second career win and joins his father Bobby as an Indianapolis 500 winner. He gives Chip Ganassi another Indianapolis 500 victory and gets Honda's first victory of 2012.

Ed Carpenter
Becomes the first Hoosier since Wilbur Shaw to win the 500 and does it with his own team.

Ryan Hunter-Reay
One year after buying his way in, Hunter-Reay makes up for it by winning for Andretti Autosport from the front row.

Tony Kanaan
One year after one of his best friends Dan Wheldon won, Kanaan wins, honors his late-friend and joins his three teammate from the great 2004-2005 Andretti Green Racing teams as Indianapolis 500 winners.

JR Hildebrand
One year after coming so close, Hildebrand seals the deal and gives Panther Racing it first Indianapolis 500 victory after four straight second place finishes.