Will Sunday's Indy 500 be the Sato and Santino Show?

Looking for a good bet, as well as a great dark horse? Keep your eyes on Takuma and Ferrucci

With 33 drivers in the starting field in Sunday's 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500, there are plenty of storylines -- not to mention drivers to cheer for.

I'm going to do something I don't do very often unless I feel really compelled about it. And today is one of those days. Call it the guttiest of gut feelings.

I'll get back to that in a bit, but first:

* Lots of eyes will be on Scott Dixon, wondering if he'll finally break the bad luck he's had that has kept him from winning more than one 500 (back in 2008), has had several runner-up and third-place finishes, but also has had misfortune that has kept him from a return visit to victory lane a number of other times. It's time for the "Ice Man" to thaw his bad luck.

I mean, come on, 15 years without winning the 500 for a second time, is long enough to wait, isn't it?

* And then there's defending IndyCar champion and 2018 500 winner, Will Power. He's ready to earn No. 2 if Dixon doesn't.

* What about Tony Kanaan, who will be making the final Indy 500 and 389th IndyCar start of his illustrious career?

* Will Scott McLaughlin, who has had a buzz about him this year, give Roger Penske yet another Indy 500 trophy?

* Will pole-sitter Alex Palou sustain for 200 laps and bring home a win in the 500 in his final season racing for team owner Chip Ganassi? If you've forgotten, Palou is leaving CGR after this season to race for Team McLaren, either in IndyCar or Formula One.

* And what about two guys who have shown a great deal of skill in their relatively young careers, are destined for greatness, and both have a good chance of winning Sunday, as well, namely Pato O'Ward and Colton Herta.

* What about Graham Rahal, who after failing to qualify for the 500 last Sunday, became a great example of manufacturer cooperation, as Honda allowed Rahal to replace the injured Stefan Wilson in the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet. If you need a good example of great sportsmanship on the part of manufacturers and teams, there you have it.

* And let's not forget Helio Castroneves. His electrifying win in 2021, allowing him to join the sport's most exclusive fraternity -- that of four-time winners of the 500 -- was arguably one of the biggest highlights at the Brickyard in the last 30 years. Does the 48-year-old Brazilian still have it inside of himself to win No. 5?

Now it's time to talk about my gut feeling. I am making two of what perhaps may be surprising picks to some to wind up in victory lane Sunday afternoon:

* First, my favorite to win the race is two-time 500 winner Takuma Sato. He has kept somewhat under the radar most of this month, but a week ago Friday, he recorded the fastest practice lap since 1996!

And then Sato, who will start eighth in the race, was at the top of the speed charts in Friday's Carb Day final practice. While he may be 48 years old and closing in on the end of his career, Sato has proven without a doubt that with great equipment -- he's competing in five races (all ovals) for Chip Ganassi Racing this season -- he can still be a potent powerhouse to win the 500 for a third time on Sunday.

And if Sato DOES win, even though retirement has been speculated about for him after this season, you just KNOW he'll be back to try for a fourth 400 win next year.

* And then there's my dark horse, Santino Ferrucci. Starting fourth, he has a VERY realistic chance of putting A.J. Foyt Racing back in victory lane at Indianapolis for the first time since Kenny Brach did so in 1999.

And let's not forget that Foyt was the first of four drivers to win the 500 four separate times, one of the most difficult achievements in IndyCar racing.

Can Santino Ferrucci finally put his past behind him and look ahead to a great future with a strong finish -- if not a win -- in Sunday's Indy 500? Photo courtesy IndyCar

Sure, Ferrucci has had problems both on and off the track in the past, but his act is cleaned up and he's very serious about making this a breakout year for himself, while also racing for arguably the greatest legend in IndyCar racing.

Sometimes, it takes time to mature and grow up, and what we've seen both this month as well as this season thus far is a much more mature and grown-up Ferrucci. There's no question he has talent, but sometimes talent isn't enough when you have problems with things like attitude, teamwork and remembering there is no "I" in "Team."

We don't need to rehash all that, but rather, let's focus instead on what's ahead of Ferrucci, and Sunday could be the Connecticut native's coming out party that finally matches his talent with maturity and focus in the greatest auto race in the world. Or as Indianapolis Motor Speedway likes to bill the 500: The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.

And indeed it is.

I'll say this about both Sato and Santino: if they can both stay out of trouble and also work their way to the front of the pack early on to stay in clean air and have optimal performance in their 200 laps, don't be surprised if one of them takes the checkered flag -- or better yet, if they finish 1-2, which is a very realistic possibility.

And if any of that happens, don't forget who told you so.