When Does the Indy 500 Start?

For some, it's just that Sunday before Memorial Day. For others, it's an incredibly important day with a certain amount of near-spiritual significance. Yep, tomorrow is the Indianapolis 500, easily one of the most most important (and certainly most iconic) automotive race in the world. As you rush to finish gathering beer and pretzels for your marathon race-watching session, make sure you know the most important thing: when it starts!

The pre-show is set to start at 11:00 am ET on ABC, but the race itself won't get going until around noon. Still, make sure you sit down early early enough to make sure you don't miss the start. Oh, and remember those beer and pretzels you were gathering? Make sure you have a whole bunch of 'em: the race will last upwards of three hours.

It's going to be an interesting year for racing fans, particularly with popular drivers such as Richard Petty and Danica Patrick sitting this one out. Which drivers should you keep an eye on? Some experts (AKA, people who know more about racing than "Vroom! Vroom! Cars go fast! Cool!") recommend watching Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe and Marco Andretti (yep, the grandson of Mario).

Are you going to watch the Indy 500? Who are you rooting for?