Indy 500 drivers

Mann stood out from the rest of the field—and not just because of her car’s highlighter-pink hue. Mann was the only female driver to cross the Yard of Bricks, the first time in eight years the race hasn’t fielded multiple female competitors.

Superstition runs rampant in autoracing. Some teams never wear new clothing on race day, others always put a certain tire on first before mounting the rest.

Highlights: Susie Wheldon, a tender moment between Will Power and wife Liz, teen and future-face-of-IndyCar Sage Karam, Tony and Lauren Kanaan, and more.

See what car number has been most victorious over the year, plus how many gallons

“It is so nice to have a virgin experience at this stage in my life,” says Michael Feinstein. “And so I will be coming with great expectations but no attachment to any particular driver.”

Whatever “it” is, every year it captures the imaginations of the 33 drivers who compete for the Borg-Warner Trophy. And they all have this in common: At one point in their lives, something drew their attention to the Indianapolis 500.

Why did Villeneuve decide to return to Indy after all these years? “That’s the question I get the most,” he says. “And, you know, why not?”

Only by winning a major (non-athletic) contest does one force Andrew Luck to play second fiddle during this parade, but Josh Kaufman did just that.

They’ll start the race behind everyone else. As an added insult (literally), they dutifully attended the Last Row Party—an annual Indy tradition that returned yesterday evening after a hiatus last year.

In attendance were Ryan Hunter-Reay’s fellow IndyCar stars also starting in this year’s Indy 500, including 2013 winner Tony Kanaan, a dapper bow-tied J.R. Hildebrand, and James Hinchcliffe, plus members of rock band Live.

“When I won my first race, I wasn’t allowed to spray champagne because I was underage. So Dave [Letterman, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing] decided to send me some.”

Check out Shoup’s photos for up-close looks at some of IndyCar’s biggest stars—Helio Castroneves, Marco Andretti, James Hinchcliffe, Simon Pagenaud, Bronte Tagliani, and more.

“I’ve sprained a wrist; I’ve separated cartilage between a rib,” says Hinchcliffe. “Even when I flipped a car, I walked away. This has been by far the most dramatic accident, I guess.”

Via @colefarrell: “Walking downtown, I heard an older man refer to the farmers market as ‘that weekly veggie festival.’ I’m into it.”

Pretty in pink, IndyCar driver Pippa Mann stooped down for a conversation with a similarly dressed 7-year-old fan.