Music: {allcanada} Franchitti, Hinchcliffe favoured at Indy 500

The 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 happens this Sunday and with 33 drivers competing it can be difficult to keep track of everyone. It's for that very reason why we've come up with a handy list of competitors that you should keep your eye on Sunday.

Programming alert: Catch coverage of the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sportsnet at 11 a.m. Sunday | TV schedule

CONTENDERS

Dario Franchitti
Age: 40
Country: Scotland
Team: Chip Ganassi Racing
Engine: Honda
Overall standing: 15th
Vegas odds: 17/2

The Skinny:
Franchitti is the prohibitive Las Vegas favourite for a reason. He's won the Indianapolis 500 twice in the past three years and three times overall. The Scotsman has been the most dominant driver over the past six years, capturing four IndyCar titles, including three-in-a-row from 2009-2011. As such, his pedigree is great enough to make him a favourite despite his sluggish start to the season.

James Hinchcliffe
Age: 26
Country: Canada
Team: Andretti Autosport
Engine: Chevrolet
Overall standing: 4th
Vegas odds: 10/1

The Skinny:
The charismatic Canadian is in the midst of a breakout year, having already won two races this season. Road courses have traditionally been Hinchcliffe's strength, but the Indy 500 isn't just any race, and with the way his season has started it wouldn't be a surprise to see him at the top of the podium on Sunday.

Hélio Castroneves
Age: 38
Country: Brazil
Team: Team Penske
Engine: Chevrolet
Overall standing: 3rd
Vegas odds: 8/1

The Skinny:
There have only been two men who have won the Indy 500 three times. Franchitti is one, Castroneves is the other. "Spiderman" is always a threat to chug a bottle of milk on Memorial Day weekend and this season he's looking as dangerous as he's ever been with a legitimate shot to finally add an IndyCar overall championship to his sparkling resumé.

Takuma Sato
Age: 36
Country: Japan
Team: A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Engine: Honda
Overall standing: 1st
Vegas odds: 28/1

The Skinny:
Similar to Hinchcliffe, Sato is also in the middle of a career year. The Tokyo native has had a middling IndyCar career, finishing 21st, 13th and 14th in the overall points standings. This season however, he's currently sitting at the top of the standings after capturing his first IndyCar race victory at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. In fact, so great has his leap been that the 72 laps he's led so far this season is only four off of the 76 he led all of last season.

Ryan Hunter-Reay
Age: 32
Country: United States
Team: Andretti Autosport
Engine: Chevrolet
Overall standing: 6th
Vegas odds: 10/1

The Skinny:
The reigning IndyCar champ is right in the mix of things again this year. Hunter-Reay is a remarkably adaptable driver with excellent instincts on both ovals and road courses. This two-way threat makes him a great fit for IndyCar and also positions him well to potentially win "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" on Sunday.

Will Power
Age: 32
Country: Australia
Team: Team Penske
Engine: Chevrolet
Overall standing: 18th
Vegas odds: 12/1

The Skinny:
Quite possibly the most talented driver in IndyCar, Power's career arc has taken an early 90′s Buffalo Bills feel as he's finished second in the overall standings for the past three seasons. He's been slow coming out of the gate this year but an Indy 500 victory would get the Aussie back on track.

Scott Dixon
Age: 32
Country: New Zealand
Team: Chip Ganassi Racing
Engine: Honda
Overall standing: 5th
Vegas odds: 7/1

The Skinny:
During last year's Indy 500, Dixon was in a dog fight with Franchitti for first place on lap 199 but ultimately came up just short. This year Dixon will hopefully have learned from his mistake because there's a very good chance he could find himself in a similar situation on Sunday. He also shouldn't bank on Sato spinning out on the final lap like last year.

Ed Carpenter
Age: 32
Country: United States of America
Team: Ed Carpenter Racing
Engine: Chevrolet
Overall standing: 23rd
Vegas odds: 10/1

The Skinny:
Carpenter definitely hasn't been the best driver on tour this season but that doesn't matter because he was able to win the pole position for the Indy 500, a starting point of great strength historically. Of the 97 times this race has been officially run, 20 of those times the driver that's started from the pole position has ended up winning the race.

DARK HORSES

A.J. Allmendinger
Age: 31
Country: United States
Team: Team Penske
Engine: Chevrolet
Overall standing: 26th
Vegas odds: 15/1

The Skinny:
Allmendinger's career arc is an interesting one. He began in Champ Car in 2004 before switching to NASCAR in 2006 followed by a return to American open-wheel racing this year in IndyCar. He hasn't shown much in the way of results but he drove well in the practices and he's backed by the powerful Team Penske meaning that if he's on, he'll have the support of Power and Castroneves.

Carlos Munõz
Age: 21
Country: Colombia
Team: Andretti Autosport
Engine: Chevrolet
Overall standing: T-35th
Vegas odds: 20/1

The Skinny:
Andretti Autosport's golden rookie Munõz tore up qualifying, finishing second to Carpenter in the Fast Nine Shootout. He hasn't done anything yet but he's smart and fearless and there's no better coming out party in racing than the Indianapolis 500.

Alex Tagliani
Age: 40
Country: Canada
Team: Barracuda Racing
Engine: Honda
Overall standing: 19th
Vegas odds: 40/1

The Skinny:
Tagliani has previously captured a pole position at the 2011 Indy 500. He's not an overly flashy driver but he's consistent. If he took a few more risks he could find himself in a favourable position.

NOTABLE LONGSHOTS

Simon Pagenaud
Age: 29
Country: France
Team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan
Engine: Honda
Overall standing: 12th
Vegas odds: 75/1

The Skinny:
The 2012 IndyCar rookie of the year's 2013 campaign has not gone according to plan. After dazzling with a fifth overall finish in 2012, Pagenaud just hasn't looked like the same driver, lacking the confidence he exuded before. A good showing at the Indy 500 could be a remedy for all of that.

Katherine Legge
Age: 32
Country: England
Team: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
Engine: Honda
Overall standing: T-35th
Vegas odds: 250/1

The Skinny:
Legge's path to the 97th Indianapolis 500 is an interesting one. She was hired by Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for the race just a few days before qualifying, meaning there were 34 drivers competing for 33 spots. On Bump Day, Legge squeaked into that 33rd and final spot out-battling Michel Jourdain Jr. of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.