When will the 109th Indianapolis 500 start? How to catch the ‘greatest spectacle in racing' live?

The most awaited race of the entire IndyCar season, the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500, is right around the corner. The race will be held in Indianapolis and is the oldest running race in the United States.

The 'greatest spectacle of racing' will kick off on Sunday, May 25. The green flag signalling the start of the race will wave at 12:45 pm ET. The fans can catch the live telecast on FOX TV Channel. FOX will start their pre race coverage at 10 am ET.

The Indianapolis 500 is also a part of the 'Triple Crown of Motorsport', which consists of three races that take place on the same weekend. The Monaco Grand Prix in Formula One, the Indy 500 in IndyCar and the 24-hours of Le Mans.

The first Indianapolis 500 or as it was known as International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race, first took place in 1911 on May 30. The first ever Indy 500 was won by Ray Harroun with Marmon Wasp.

The event takes place on a 2.5 miles asphalt tarck. It was previously paved with several bricks hence gaining the nickname 'brickyard'. The banked Oval features four turns with two straights along with two shorter straights famously known as the 'short chutes'.

Team Penske has been the most successful team at the track as they have 20 wins and 19 poles at this track. The most wins by a driver have been four and this feat has been achieved by four drivers so far, one of whom will be participating this year, Helio Castroneves. Josef Newgarden will be attempting to create history by becoming the first driver to win the Indy 500 three times in a row.

The event is a huge deal for Indianapolis residents, as the preparations begin a month in advance, with various competitions and activities held throughout the areas around the track. The race is known to have one of the highest attendances, with numbers hitting anywhere between 350,000-400,000 people in a single day.

Unfortunately, the Indianapolis region is also notorious for the heavy rains during the race weekend.

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Weather forecast for the Indianapolis 500

Last year, the start of the event was delayed due to the heavy rains and ended Kyle Larson's hopes of attempting the Indy-Charlotte double. He will be looking forward to favourable weather conditions this time around so that he can run all the laps of both the races this year (Indy 500 and Coca Cola 600). This year, the chances of rain interrupting the race are unlikely.

According to reports, the weather will be cloudy and cool, with winds going up to 8-9 miles per hour. There may also be gusty winds at 22 miles per hour, but so far there's no chance of rain at the track. The tempratures will constantly remain at the 60's, hitting 68 degrees after the end of the Indianapolis 500.