Indy 500 calls upon 2 MLB Hall of Famers to wave the green flag

The crossover between Major League Baseball and IndyCar continues at the fabled Indy 500. Two MLB Hall of Famers, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, have been given the honorary roles to wave the green flag for the elusive Indy 500 on the upcoming raceday.

Ahead of the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar has announced various honorary roles, attributing revered sports figures to various duties for the fabled race. Tom Brady and Jimmie Johnson would be at the helm of the Fastest Seat in Sports on Sunday, while Michael Strahan would drive the pace car to lead the field to green flag.

Though the major roles were given to people from the NFL and racing spheres, MLB has landed its share in the whole ordeal with Jeter and Rodriguez in the mix. The two former New York Yankees teammates will be waving the green flag at the Indy 500 to commence the racing action for a magnificent 200 laps of the IMS.

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What can we expect from the 109th edition of the Indy 500?

Robert Shwartzman at the front row photoshoot for the 109th Running of The Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Indy 500 is the premier race in the IndyCar calendar, and the schedule of the Grand Prix extends to almost two weeks in duration.

With most of the activities already done and dusted, a myriad of storylines are in play at the upcoming race. For the first time in 43 years, a rookie driver will be starting on pole at the Indy 500.

Moreover, this feat was achieved by a driver who is running his first oval race in the series with a team that came into existence a few months ago. Sharing his thoughts on leading the field to green, the Indy 500 pole-sitter, Robert Shwartzman, said, via IndyCar:

"I just probably take it easy. I guess I need to just analyze and see what the others are doing because, you know, it’s very easy to make a big mistake here. It can cost a lot. I just want to make it a smooth ride … then we’re just going to race."

On the other hand, this year's pole lap speed was higher than last year's attempt by Scott McLaughlin. This increment has been a result of the hybrid engines, as Doug Boles shared ahead of the 109th edition of the elusive race, via MSN:

"I've had some really interesting conversations with drivers about how of all places where the hybrid is going to make a huge difference, it's going to be at Indianapolis. asked why and they say, 'Well, you think about Indianapolis, how trimmed out we are — especially in qualifying — any incremental difference in horsepower makes a difference."

Meanwhile, Shwartzman will be accompanied by Takuma Sato and Pato O'Ward on the front row.