When the 33 drivers take the green flag tomorrow for the 96th Indianapolis 500, they will be behind the wheel of brand new race cars, powered by turbocharged V6s and the defending champion will be there in spirit only.

Dan Wheldon won last year’s race charging flat out down the front straightaway while fourth turn leader J. R. Hildebrand was crashing into the retaining wall. Hildebrand slid across the finish line for second place and Wheldon became a two-time Indy winner. He is also the only driver in Indy history to only lead the final lap of the race.

Wheldon did not have a full-time ride in the racing series, but was recruited by Dallara and Indy Car to be the test driver for the new chassis Dallara was developing to be introduced this year.

Tragically, Wheldon died during a multi-car crash, but his legacy lives on with the new car, the Dallara DW12, bearing Wheldon’s initials and the date of release.

The look of the cars is dramatically different than last year, with a more pointed and longer nose piece, and the side of the car is wider, with swooping flares leading to the rear wheels. For the first time, there is also aerodynamic bodywork behind the rear wheels, serving two functions: greater stability and reducing the chances of wheel-to-wheel contact, causing the cars to become airborne. This feature was designed early in the process, and it’s ironic that Wheldon’s death can be somewhat linked to his car touching wheels with another and being launched into the catch fence.

While all of the cars are the same, and all are wearing Firestone tires, behind the drivers are new engines. For the past six years, Honda has been the only supplier of engines, which were normally aspirated V8s. Today, Chevrolet and Honda are battling head to head for supremacy, while British builder Lotus is also in the fray, but with only two entries.

The new engines are 2.2-liter (134 cubic inches) turbocharged V6’s, producing somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 horsepower. The Chevrolet uses a dual turbo, while Honda uses a single. So far, the Chevy seems to have the upper hand, especially in terms of straight-line speeds. At the end of the straightaway, during qualifying, Ryan Briscoe was clocked at 233 MPH as he entered the turns, and Briscoe put four laps together at an average speed of 226.484 MPH to capture the pole for the race.

The Chevrolet brigade captured nine of the top ten positions; the leading Honda driven by rookie Josef Newgarden claimed the 7th starting position.

As you settle down to watch the race on ABC Sunday at noon, or head for the track to join the quarter of a million other fans, you can expect to hear a different engine note as the turbos have a high pitched whine as they climb to 12,000 RPMs, and if practice is any indication, the aerodynamics of the new cars creates a lot of passing.

It should be exciting, and hopefully, safe. While Dan Wheldon will never visit Victory Lane again, his legacy and spirit is alive and well.