Everything you need to know for today’s 100th running of the Indianapolis 500:

START TIME: Green flag at 12:17 p.m. ET

TV SCHEDULE: ABC. Coverage begins at 11 a.m. ET

DEFENDING RACE WINNER: Juan Pablo Montoya

POLE-SITTER: After a brutal crash in practice before last year’s Indianapolis 500 almost killed James Hinchcliffe, he bounced back to win this year’s starting spot.

NATIONAL ANTHEM SINGER: Darius Rucker — of Hootie & the Blowfish fame and a three-time Grammy winner — was chosen because he “has a unique set of skills as a musical artist and connects on a personal level with fans across the globe,” IMS President Doug Boles said.

“(BACK HOME AGAIN IN) INDIANA” SINGERS: Josh Kaufman, a resident of Indianapolis and winner ofThe Voice, will sing the standard with backup by the Indianapolis Children’s Choir. Kaufman takes over from Straight No Chaser, which sang it in 2015. Jim Nabors became part of the fabric of prerace festivities and popularized the song with his rendition, sung live 35 times from 1972 to 2014.

FOYT: A.J. Foyt, the first four-time winner, will stand at the front of the grid and instruct the pace car and Row 1 to pull away to begin the parade laps. Foyt then will salute each of the 33 drivers. Foyt won in 1961, ’64, ’67 and ’77.

IF YOU’RE GOING, GO EARLY: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has announced a complete sellout for the race, both grandstands and infield tickets. That means you’ll be competing with about 350,000 other folks for parking. Gates opened at 6 a.m.

WILSON: Stefan Wilson, 26, will honor older brother Justin when he drives the No. 25 for KV Racing Technology. Justin Wilson died a day after suffering a head injury during a race at Pocono Raceway in August. His organ donations assisted five people. Stefan is driving the same car number Justin did at Indy in 2015, in partnership with the Indiana Donor Network in its Driven2SaveLives campaign. It will be the second IndyCar start for Stefan, who finished 16th in the 2013 Grand Prix of Baltimore.

STEFAN: Carries on brother Justin’s legacy

MILK TOAST: Ever heard of a champagne toast? Of course you have. But what about milk? IMS will provide milk for 100,000 fans seated in the frontstretch grandstands who want to join in toasting the winner. Fans also can purchase the milk ahead of time in 16 oz. servings. It has been customary for the winner to quaff milk in victory lane since Louis Meyer began the trend with buttermilk after his third win, in 1936.

Emerson Fittipaldi famously broke from the mold when he won in 1993, opting for orange juice as he owned groves in his native Brazil. This angered many, including the American Dairy Association, which has been involved in the marketing of the celebration for years.

PACE CAR: None other than Roger Penske will have the honors of leading the field to green. Penske is celebrating his 50th year in motor sports as a driver and team owner. He turned down a rookie test at IMS in 1964 (Mario Andretti took his seat instead). Penske, 79, will drive a Chevrolet Camaro SS.

He leads all owners with 16 Indy 500 victories, won by these drivers: Rick Mears (1979, ‘84, ‘88, ‘91), Helio Castroneves (2001, ‘02, ‘09), Mark Donohue (1972), Bobby Unser (1981), Danny Sullivan (1985), Al Unser Sr. (1987), Emerson Fittipaldi (1993), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Gil de Ferran (2003), Sam Hornish Jr. (2006), Juan Pablo Montoya (2015).

No other team owner has more than five Indy 500 wins.

Helio Castroneves climbs the fence to the delight of fans after winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2001.

Helio Castroneves climbs the fence to the delight of fans after winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2001.

GOING FOR FOUR: Helio Castroneves continues his quest to win a fourth Indy 500, which would put him in rare company. Three other drivers have accomplished the feat: A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears.

POET: Bloomington, Ind., native Adam Henze was tapped as the first official poet – yes, poet – since the early 1900s. Henze, a doctoral candidate at Indiana University, read his piece For Those Who Love Fast, Loud Things during qualification weekend, and it appears in today’s race program.

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