Buddy Lazier has become the fourth former winner of the Indianapolis 500 to have an entry submitted for the 97th running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

Lazier Partners Racing, owned by Buddy's father and 1981 "500" starter Bob Lazier, will field the No. 91 Chevrolet with no backup "T" car. It serves as the 34th current entry for this year's race.

In 1996, Buddy won the first "500" of the Indy Racing League (now IZOD IndyCar Series) era. He last ran at the Brickyard in 2008, finishing 17th for Hemelgarn Johnson Racing after breaking into the field on Bump Day, and failed to qualify for the 2009 event.

Buddy has five Top-5 finishes (the most recent of those being a fifth-place effort in 2005 for Panther Racing) over 16 career starts at Indy.

NBC Sports Network's Robin Miller is reporting on SPEED.com that Ed Carpenter Racing team manager Derrick Walker has agreed to become IndyCar's president of racing operations, and that a formal announcement is expected next week.

Walker, 68, has over four decades of racing experience across Formula One, IndyCar and sports cars. He served as Penske Racing's vice president of racing for much of the 1980s, and then created his own CART/Champ Car squad in 1991, where he fielded programs for drivers like Scott Goodyear, Robby Gordon, Gil de Ferran, and Will Power. He also ran an Indy Racing League team in 2000 and 2001, which gave current team owner Sarah Fisher her big break as a driver.

In addition to his duties at ECR, Walker also currently serves as manager of the Falken Tire Porsche team in the American Le Mans Series. Per Miller's report, Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles has been pursuing Walker for months in regards to joining IndyCar management.

He's not the first big cheese to go after Walker, either; Miller writes that former IndyCar leader Randy Bernard tried to get him to work for the series last year before Carpenter managed to acquire his services for his own team.

Takuma Sato was twice reviewed by IndyCar Race Control in the closing laps of Sunday's Sao Paulo Indy 300 for his rather defensive tactics to protect the lead from both Josef Newgarden and James Hinchcliffe.

No action was taken against the A.J. Foyt Racing driver on both counts, who was eventually passed by Hinchcliffe on the final corner and came up second. One would argue that Hinchcliffe's stellar cross-over in Turn 11 to snatch the victory saved the series from a big heap of criticism regarding the rules of blocking (although some drivers, including Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon, still put in their two cents on the topic).

But race director Beaux Barfield has told The Indianapolis Star that Sato was following the curve of Sao Paulo's mile-long backstretch, where he repelled attacks on the inside from both Newgarden and Hinchcliffe leading up to the climatic conclusion of the race. In addition, The Star's Curt Cavin writes that camera angles were unable to give Barfield and his team clear evidence on whether Sato was moving along with his opponents or in reaction to them.

"He was aggressive [and] right on the edge,” Barfield said to Cavin. “We looked at so many clips after the race and to [discuss] specifically, they run together. A couple made it really difficult to call.”

And so, the race played out without impact from the officials -- an extension of Barfield's belief that a "hands-off" approach is working out so far.

32 drivers have been announced for 33 entries that will take part in the 97th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.

The official entry list, which was released yesterday, features 17 Chevrolet-powered entries and 16 from Honda. Topping the list are Dario Franchitti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing/Honda) and Helio Castroneves (Team Penske/Chevrolet), who seek to become the fourth four-time winner of the "500." This year's race will mark the first time since 1987 in which two drivers with three Indy wins seek to join A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears as a "four-timer."

While the entry list can certainly be revised as the month of May goes on, the initial release has only one new arrival: A second Chevy-powered entry from Ed Carpenter Racing, the No. 40.

A report from SPEED.com said that Buddy Rice would drive a third car for Sam Schmidt at Indy, but that is not on the entry list as of now. Other drivers have been rumored for "500" rides including USAC champion Bryan Clauson and both Lazier brothers -- 1996 Indy winner Buddy and one-time IndyCar race winner Jaques.

Practice for the "500' will begin this Saturday and feature Rookie Orientation for the four rookies in this year's field: A.J. Allmendinger, Carlos Munoz, Conor Daly and Tristan Vautier.

Here's how the list stacks up. As a reminder, a 'T' car is meant to be a backup for drivers:

IZOD IndyCar Series full-timers

1/1T - Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti/Chevrolet

3/3T - Helio Castroneves, Penske/Chevrolet

4/4T - JR Hildebrand, Panther/Chevrolet

5/5T - E.J. Viso, Andretti+HVM/Chevrolet

6/6T - Sebastian Saavedra, Dragon/Chevrolet

7/7T - Sebastien Bourdais, Dragon/Chevrolet

9/9T - Scott Dixon, Ganassi/Honda

10/10T - Dario Franchitti, Ganassi/Honda

11/11T - Tony Kanaan, KV-SH/Chevrolet

12/12T - Will Power, Penske/Chevrolet

14/14T - Takuma Sato, Foyt/Honda

15/15T - Graham Rahal, RLL/Honda

16/16T - James Jakes, RLL/Honda

19/19T - Justin Wilson, Coyne/Honda

20/20T - Ed Carpenter, ECR/Chevrolet

21/21T - Josef Newgarden, Fisher Hartman/Honda

22/22T - Oriol Servia, Panther DRR/Chevrolet

25/25T - Marco Andretti, Andretti/Chevrolet

27/27T - James Hinchcliffe, Andretti/Chevrolet

55/55T - Tristan Vautier (rookie), Schmidt Peterson/Honda

77/77T - Simon Pagenaud, Schmidt Hamilton/Honda

78/78T - Simona de Silvestro, KV/Chevrolet

83/83T - Charlie Kimball, Ganassi/Honda

98/98T - Alex Tagliani, Barracuda/Honda

Part-timers/One-offs

2/2T - AJ Allmendinger (rookie), Penske/Chevrolet

8/8T - Ryan Briscoe, Ganassi/Honda

17/17T - Michel Jourdain Jr., RLL/Honda

18/18T - Ana Beatriz, Coyne/Honda

26/26T - Carlos Munoz (rookie), Andretti/Chevrolet

40/40T - Driver TBA, ECR/Chevrolet

41/41T - Conor Daly (rookie), Foyt/Honda

60/60T - Townsend Bell, Panther/Chevrolet

TBA/TBAt - Pippa Mann, Coyne/Honda

After battling each other wheel-to-wheel in one of the most electric finishes in IZOD IndyCar Series history, there was nothing left for James Hinchcliffe and Takuma Sato to do but smile, laugh, and share an embrace.

Two of the best this series has to offer in terms of on-track talent and off-track humility brought the Brazilian race fans to their feet in the closing stages of Sunday's Sao Paulo Indy 300 at Anhembi Park. Sato, running on a set of tires that were almost 40 laps old, had managed to turn back attempts on his lead from Josef Newgarden and had similarly repelled moves from Hinchcliffe with tactics that sat right between defense and blocking.

But as the former Formula One driver and the Canadian upstart headed for the final corner of the race, Sato briefly over-drove the corner and allowed Hinchcliffe to go inside of him to take the lead and win the event in grand fashion.

Hinchcliffe could've had a beef over Sato's moves to defend his lead on the backstretch. Sato could've been a sore loser after missing out on a chance to collect back-to-back victories.

Instead, they congratulated each other on their hard-fought efforts that caused the packed grandstands to momentarily forget about the crushing twist of fate that befell their countryman, Tony Kanaan, who had contended for the win himself but ran out of fuel midway through the race.

The Brazilians certainly love their heroes, but they know a great race when they see one.

And Hinchcliffe and Sato gave them, and everyone else that watched around the world, one to remember.

"Once I got around Josef [Newgarden], I knew I had more overtakes than Takuma did and thought, 'This might be possible,'" said Hinchcliffe of his daring move. "He was doing such a good job making it wide, making it difficult to pass going into the last corner, I didn't think we had it. Going into the last corner, he overshot it. It wasn't really until I crossed the line that I realized, 'We got it.'"

"The last few laps was great fun from a driver's point of view," Sato said. "It's a real pity that I lost it on the final lap of the race on the final corner. But that shows how we are competitive, how our series is really fun [for those] watching the race.  I think the fans really enjoyed it...A win would be great, but otherwise I really fought hard on the track today and I'm really proud of the whole team.  The guys did a great job."

Beyond the exploits of Hinchcliffe and Sato, the race was full of dramatic efforts. Marco Andretti continued his transformation into a really good road/street racer with his second podium of the finish, while Oriol Servia came through with a fourth for Panther DRR, which may be forced to bow out of the championship following the Indianapolis 500 due to funding problems. Then there was Newgarden, who started 25th due to an engine change but still challenged for an upset win before worn tires caused him to drop to fifth.

As for Kanaan, his fuel calamity was the biggest hard-luck moment of the race. He started fourth and moved up to the lead on Lap 10, which earned him a hearty roar from the crowd. Another wave of cheers came when he re-took the point later on at Lap 45, but just six laps later, his No. 11 Itaipava Chevrolet slowed down and came to a stop, bone dry, on the frontstretch. His race was effectively ruined.

The other two Brazilians, Helio Castroneves and Ana Beatriz, had days to forget. Castroneves was involved in numerous incidents and came home 13th to fall out of the championship lead (Sato now leads Andretti by 13 points going into Indy). Beatriz had her day end before it really began, as mechanical trouble sidelined her in the opening laps.

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IZOD IndyCar Series - Sao Paulo Indy 300

Final results

Order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (5) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Chevy, 75, Running
2. (12) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
3. (10) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Chevy, 75, Running
4. (13) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Chevy, 75, Running
5. (25) Josef Newgarden, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
6. (2) EJ Viso, Dallara-Chevy, 75, Running
7. (3) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
8. (8) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Chevy, 75, Running
9. (23) Simon Pagenaud, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
10. (17) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
11. (1) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Chevy, 75, Running
12. (15) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
13. (18) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Chevy, 75, Running
14. (7) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Chevy, 75, Running
15. (11) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Chevy, 75, Running
16. (21) Tristan Vautier, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
17. (24) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
18. (6) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 75, Running
19. (20) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Chevy, 75, Running
20. (9) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 73, Running
21. (4) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Chevy, 72, Running
22. (19) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 71, Running
23. (14) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Chevy, 71, Running
24. (22) Will Power, Dallara-Chevy, 17, Mechanical                                                                                                                         
25. (16) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 6, Mechanical                                                                                                  

Race Statistics
Winners average speed: 88.070; Time of Race: 02:09:34.7383; Margin of victory: 0.3463 of a second; Cautions: 7 for 19 laps; Lead changes: 9 among 7 drivers

Lap Leaders
Hunter-Reay 1 - 9, Kanaan 10 - 20, Bourdais 21 - 33, Sato 34 - 37, Hunter-Reay 38 - 44, Kanaan 45, Andretti 46 - 52, Hildebrand 53 - 56, Sato 57 - 74, Hinchcliffe 75

Point Standings: Sato 136, Andretti 123, Castroneves 116, Hinchcliffe 112, Dixon 101, Hunter-Reay 94, Wilson 91, Servia 89, de Silvestro 86, Kimball 80.

It appears that Marco Andretti didn't just work on his driving over the off-season.

Just go back to the IZOD IndyCar Series' most recent round at Long Beach. The third-generation driver was stuck with a 25th place starting position after being penalized for what INDYCAR saw as a blocking penalty during qualifying. Andretti still managed to rise through the field until he sustained front end damage.

Unbowed, he was able to climb back into the Top 10 and came away with a seventh-place finish -- saving the day for Andretti Autosport, who saw their three other drivers, Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe, and E.J. Viso, run into trouble.

"The old me might have gotten really frustrated and ended up not with a decent result, basically taking my head out of it before I was out of it," Andretti admitted on Wednesday. "Instead, I'm like, 'OK, we've got what we got, let's try to get the most from it.' ...Basically, I've just learned to fight. I've learned to be a good fighter."

That collected approach has brought him to fourth place in the championship as the series heads into Sao Paulo, Brazil this weekend. After a third-place run in the season opener at St. Petersburg, Andretti has finished seventh in the last two events. But like any good fighter, Andretti wants a statement-making knockout, especially before the Indianapolis 500.

"Depending on where everybody else finishes, we're a podium away from leading the points is the way I look at it," said Andretti. "If we're able to do that, it would carry huge momentum into Indy. So instead of looking at [Indy] as a championship itself, I look at it as, you know, this could be a huge year for us if things shake out right.

"This is a very confidence-driven sport. Right now, I think we're all right."

Andretti is one of just three drivers with Top 10 finishes in all three events far this season, with the others being points leader Helio Castroneves (second, third, and 10th) and Justin Wilson (ninth, eighth, and third).

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As reported by NBC Sports Network's Robin Miller on SPEED.com last week, Panther DRR has confirmed a plan to scale back following the Indianapolis 500 due to funding issues.

Dreyer and Reinbold Racing will retain a core group of employees as it develops, in their words, "a strategy to compete in one or more motorsports series in the immediate future and take advantage of new opportunities in the racing and automotive world."

Panther DRR's No. 22 Chevrolet, driven by Oriol Servia, is confirmed to compete this weekend in Brazil and at both this year's and next year's running of the "500."

"We have to thank our great network of partners that have supported us and we want to continue to perform at our highest level for them," said team co-owner Robbie Buhl in a team statement. "We'll be working hard to bring in additional sponsors as we rebuild after Indy this year and look to next season."

The decision to scale back will not impact Panther Racing, which entered a technical alliance with DRR shortly before the 2012 Indy 500.

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Anyone who's seen the IndyCars race in Sao Paulo is well aware of how chaotic the track's Turn 1-2 complex -- known as the S of Samba -- can be.

There's been multiple incidents in recent races at the complex (who can forget the first-turn crash in 2010 with Mario Moraes taking a ride on the top of Marco Andretti's car), and with that in mind, track builder NZR Consulting has made a tweak to it that is designed to make the corners both quicker and safer.

“The biggest change is that we’ve moved the curbing in Turn 1 and 2, particularly in Turn 2, where they have been moved quite a bit to the driver’s right,” NZR's Tony Cotman told IndyCar.com's Arni Sribhen. "[Turn 2 is] about 10 feet wider now and the curbs that are there have been lowered, so the corner will be quicker, without question.

"The goal was to help improve things for double-file restarts and particularly in the rain. We’ve seen how difficult it can be over the years.”

British driver Pippa Mann will join Dale Coyne Racing for next month's Indianapolis 500, joining Justin Wilson and Ana Beatriz to form a three-car team at the Brickyard.

Mann has not been in an IndyCar since finishing 22nd in the 2011 race at Kentucky Speedway. That season, she also competed at Indianapolis (finished 20th), with qualification for that year's '500' making her the first British female racer to accomplish that feat.

“I’m delighted to be able to share this news," Mann said on her website. "I actually first met Dale several years ago, before I came to the US, at what turned out to be the final Champ Car test at Sebring right before the open wheel merger. We’ve sort of had an on-going conversation ever since then, and I actually got very close to getting in one of Dale’s cars on Bump Day last year.

"A year later, we’ve now put this program together, and I cannot wait to be back on track with Honda and running at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May.”

Mann's addition to the field puts the '500' car count at 31, two short of the full field of 33. Further details about her program will be revealed prior to the beginning of '500' practice on May 11.

Michel Jourdain Jr. will return to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for another run at the Indianapolis 500.

Jourdain, who finished 19th in last year's "500" for RLL, will have primary backing from Office Depot Mexico on his No. 17 Honda, as well as associate backing from Grupo Indi and Grupo Multi. He'll be running alongside team regulars Graham Rahal and James Jakes.

"I am very happy to compete in the Indianapolis 500 again," the 36-year-old Mexican driver said in a team statement. "It has been a year since I have been in the car, but I will take the same strategy as last year and build up speed little by little. We have good confidence because we ran pretty well last year, especially Takuma [Sato]. I’m sure the car will be really good and with it being a three car team we should be able to progress much faster."

Team owner Bobby Rahal is hopeful that things will turn out better for Jourdain this year at the Brickyard.

"I think that last year for his first race back after a number of years out of an IndyCar, he did a very good job," he said. "We made a bad pit call last year and let him down frankly, which put him a lap down. He quickly got with the program at Indy and was running competitively in the race, and I think that one year later most of the rust is off and he will be much more prepared because he knows what to expect.

"From a car standpoint, we should be even more competitive than we were last year, so I am really pleased to have Michel back."

RLL came close to an upset victory in last year's "500" with Sato, who was running second to Dario Franchitti with one lap remaining. But Sato's attempt to pass Franchitti in Turn 1 ended badly as the Japanese racer instead spun out and crashed into the wall, ensuring Franchitti's third Indy triumph.

Jourdain raced full-time for RLL in Champ Car during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. In the latter campaign, he finished third in the championship on the strength of two victories (Montreal and Milwaukee), six podiums, and 11 top-5 finishes.

Taku comes through -- finally

As intriguing as A.J. Foyt Racing's hire of ex-Formula One racer Takuma Sato was, I had trouble believing that it would work out.

Three years into his IndyCar career, Sato had developed a reputation that can be tough to shake for a racer: Exciting to watch, but not good at bringing home the result. To me, the "No Attack, No Chance" philosophy that guides Sato meant nothing if he couldn't starting bagging wins, podiums and Top-5s on a regular basis. With the series boasting a staggeringly high level of competition, you need a reliable driver and I wasn't sure he was it for A.J. and Larry Foyt, the team director.

Consider me a believer now. Sato's fearless style has injected new life into the franchise and on Sunday, he became the first Japanese driver to win in IndyCar. He did it in grand fashion too, taking the checkered flag at Long Beach and joining the galaxy of stars that have won North America's most beloved street race.

The last time a Foyt car was in Victory Lane came in 2002, when Airton Dare of Brazil captured the checkered flag at Kansas Speedway. Back in those days, the IZOD IndyCar Series was still the all-oval Indy Racing League -- an entity far, far different than what it is now. As the series morphed multiple times over the decade, A.J. Foyt Racing fell back into the pack and while recent drivers such as Mike Conway and Vitor Meira always served as dark horses (particularly on road and street circuits), the team desperately needed a jolt going into 2013 after Conway's departure.

I figured Sato could certainly deliver a bit of "fighting spirit" to the team. It was the consistency that I worried about. While it's early yet, Sato's delivering in that regard. One win and two Top-10s in the first three events have pulled him within six points of leader Helio Castroneves in the championship.

When the Foyts and Sato joined together, some of us didn't know what to make of it. But after Sunday, we do now.

It's a partnership that both sides needed to have.

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Andretti, Penske teams struggle

Honda delivered a lockout of the top four positions at the checkered flag, a result that the manufacturer really needed after losing the first two events to Chevrolet. But the Bowtie Brigade's efforts were severely hampered by its two biggest teams, Andretti Autosport and Team Penske, falling on hard times.

Three of the Andretti drivers -- James Hinchcliffe, E.J. Viso and Ryan Hunter-Reay -- saw their races severely impacted on Lap 35, when Hinch tried to pass Tony Kanaan on the inside of Turn 1. But the Canadian hit TK instead and then went into Viso. Hunter-Reay, who won the most recent round at Barber Motorsports Park, sustained damage in the incident as well and eventually saw his day end in the tire barriers on Lap 49 after overshooting Turn 8 while passing Ana Beatriz.

The luck was just as sour for the Penske trio of Will Power, Helio Castroneves and A.J. Allmendinger. Power's race was marred by a Lap 51 pit road incident under yellow with Tristan Vautier, who exited his pit box just as Power was coming into his. The two collided, but while Power escaped serious damage, his car subsequently stalled and needed to be re-started. He wound up 16th at the finish.

With the 'Dinger suffering a terminal mechanical failure in that same caution period, it was left to Castroneves to salvage the day. But he too had to rally from damage on his car, which required him to get a new nose cone during early service on Lap 12. He soldiered home to a 10th place finish.

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Hard luck for Mike Conway

You had to feel bad for Mike Conway, who was a threat to win throughout the weekend in his one-off ride for Rahal Letterman Lanigan. Conway, a former winner at Long Beach, qualified fifth but fell back into mid-pack early after a rough first restart of the race. He managed to climb back up to fourth but just as it appeared that he was in prime position for the second half of the event, an electrical issue developed on his car and forced him into the pits.

A subsequent change of both the battery and power distribution block was not enough to solve the problem, and Conway was forced to retire after 38 laps.

Still, he proved that he was still very much one of the top street course talents in IndyCar. For now, the Englishman will focus on his sports car drive in the World Endurance Championship but I wouldn't be surprised if he returns for another race or two later in the season if funding can be found...

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Dario delivers in 250th start

It's not the ideal result, but a fourth-place finish for Dario Franchitti is a welcome one for the Scotsman and his No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing team after they suffered back-to-back DNFs in the opening couple of rounds. The margin for error in regards to contending for the championship remains slim, but it would've been practically none had Franchitti not converted his pole position into something positive.

If he can get out of Sao Paulo in two weeks' time with another solid finish, then the Indianapolis 500 -- a race he's won three times -- could be his ticket to rocketing back into the title picture.

Dario Franchitti will simultaneously celebrate a milestone and attempt to jump-start his 2013 campaign today at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The three-time Indy 500 winner and four-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion will make his 250th career start this afternoon, but currently sits dead last in the points after back-to-back DNFs at St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park to open the season.

But could a rally be in the cards? It's never wise to count out the 39-year-old Scotsman, and yesterday, he came through in the clutch by bagging the Long Beach pole on his final lap of the Firestone Fast Six.

"(Winning the pole) meant a lot," said Franchitti, who captured the 30th pole of his storied career. "We had a very fast race car in Barber, but man, we really made a mess of qualifying. Today, it was nice to go out there and really have a great car and get everything out of it. So, thank you to everyone on the Target team because it's been a tough start to the season, especially for the No. 10 but really with everybody."

Barber winner Ryan Hunter-Reay was forced to settle for second on the grid after Franchitti's last-second heroics. Row 2 is slated to feature defending Long Beach champ Will Power and Takuma Sato from A.J. Foyt Racing, while Row 3 will have one-off dark horse Mike Conway on the inside and current points leader Helio Castroneves on the outside.

Going to the rear of the grid, we'll find Marco Andretti and Scott Dixon starting 26th and 27th respectively after being penalized during the first round of qualifying; Andretti for interference and Dixon for causing the red flag in his session. Oriol Servia was also penalized for playing a role in the Dixon incident, but his infraction was later taken back by IndyCar after an appeal from his Panther DRR team and he'll start 18th.

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Starting Lineup

Row 1
10-Dario Franchitti
1-Ryan Hunter-Reay

Row 2
12-Will Power
14-Takuma Sato

Row 3
17-Mike Conway
3-Helio Castroneves

Row 4
27-James Hinchcliffe
11-Tony Kanaan

Row 5
83-Charlie Kimball
5-E.J. Viso

Row 6
15-Graham Rahal
4-JR Hildebrand

Row 7
16-James Jakes
2-AJ Allmendinger

Row 8
7-Sebastien Bourdais
67-Josef Newgarden

Row 9
77-Simon Pagenaud
22-Oriol Servia

Row 10
55-Tristan Vautier
78-Simona de Silvestro

Row 11
6-Sebastian Saavedra
98-Alex Tagliani

Row 12
18-Ana Beatriz
20-Ed Carpenter

Row 13
19-Justin Wilson
25-Marco Andretti

Row 14
9-Scott Dixon