INDIANAPOLIS -- We know James Hinchcliffe and the two other drivers who qualified on the front row for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 (Sunday, 11 a.m. ET, ABC) are going to be fast on race day.
We know Team Penske will be a factor, even though its fastest qualifier will line up sixth and defending Indy 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya is starting way back in 17th.
But who in the 33-driver field are we overlooking? Who might surprise this year's front-runners and the traditional powerhouses who dominate at the Brickyard?
Key an eye on these five drivers; they haven't topped the time charts anytime in the lead up to this year's race, but history shows they'll show up when it counts.
Graham Rahal
Qualifying has never been Graham Rahal's forte. But, man, can he race. On numerous occasions over the last year and a half, Rahal and the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team run by his father, Bobby, have shown that when the green flag drops, you can never count them out.
In just the last few weeks, Graham Rahal raced from sixth to second in the GP of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park, battling wheel to wheel with Simon Pagenaud for the win. Then at the GP of Indianapolis, Rahal qualified a season best third but was put to the back of the 25-car grid for an underweight car. He charged through the field to finish fourth.
Rahal was unhappy with his car in qualifying trim and will line up 26th. But he was delighted with his car in race trim during the final extended practice session, even though he ran more than 2 mph slower than pace setter (and middle of front row qualifier) Josef Newgarden.
"We ran on old tires, and I could pass everyone I wanted to pass," Rahal said. "I'm pretty pleased with the Steak & Shake Honda and legitimately, I felt like there was nobody that I was around that I couldn't pass, and I don't think I've ever said that on the Monday before the race." Rahal finished a career-best third at Indianapolis in 2011, when he started 30th. He added a top-five finish last year but has finished 25th or worse on four of his eight Indy starts.
Carlos Munoz
Some drivers love racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway immediately. Others never come to terms with the unique, four-corner layout that is more akin to an ultra-fast road course than a traditional oval.
Carlos Munoz is thought of as a top ten runner in the IndyCar Series who made the most of perfect pit strategy in changing conditions to claim his only race win at Detroit last year. But at Indianapolis, the 24-year old Colombian is always fast and confident. He qualified and finished second as a rookie in 2013, then backed it up with a fourth-place finish a year later. This year, he made his third appearance in the Fast Nine pole position shootout in four years and will line his Andretti Autosport Honda up fifth for Sunday's race.
"For sure, it would've been nice to be on the front row for the race, but qualifying is what's nice for the show," he said. "The race is the most important thing, and I think we have a good car for the race."
Scott Dixon
It's strange to think of a four-time IndyCar Series champion (and 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner) as a dark horse. But Indianapolis, despite the win eight years ago, has never been the best of tracks for Scott Dixon.
The New Zealander has a solid record at IMS, with eight starts from the first two rows of the grid and nine finishes in the top eight. But for all his championships and wins in other Indy car races, many believe Dixon needs to become a multiple winner at Indianapolis to cement his legacy as one of the sport's best of all time.
A hallmark of his career is that Dixon often comes through when people least expect it. Lining up midpack in 13th place, the Ganassi Racing Chevrolet is easy to overlook.
"Definitely not where we want to be starting, but I think the 'lightning bolt' Team Target Chevy has been strong especially in race running," Dixon said. "It's going to be a tough start to the 100th, but we can definitely get to the top spot."
Oriol Servia
A consummate pro, veteran Oriol Servia stepped into Schmidt Peterson Motorsport's third car for the Indianapolis 500, and his engineering expertise helped qualify all three cars in the top ten, including pole position for James Hinchcliffe.
Servia will start the race from 10th place, having paced the Group 2 qualifiers vying for grid positions 10-33 in Sunday action. "I'm the fastest of the slow guys," he joked.
All joking aside, the 41-year old Spaniard is capable of a surprise on race day. He subbed at very short notice for an ill Will Power at Team Penske in the season opener and has improved his physical conditioning since then.
"I'm very happy," Servia said after the final practice session. "The best case scenario happened, which was that I was the happiest with the car on my last run. I'm looking forward to May 29th. I think we have good cars, and I couldn't be happier with the whole team and what we have in store for the race."
Marco Andretti
This one is a bit of a long shot, because Marco Andretti was the only driver in this group who came out of Monday's final practice unhappy with the handling of his car.
"We were all over the place setup-wise," he admitted. "I think we have a direction, but we weren't able to confirm it so we need to watch how much we read into Carb Day. Looking forward to getting back out there at the end of the week."
Andretti's place on this list is a result of his record of running at the front on race day. He finished second as a rookie in 2006, snookered by Sam Hornish Jr. on the final lap, and has added three third-place finishes and a fourth since then.
If the team can somehow translate some of the speed his teammates found in qualifying (three of the five Andretti Autosport cars made the Fast Nine pole shootout) into Marco's race day setup, the 29-year-old could finally put an end to his family's 'IMS Curse.'