Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the rest of the Constitutional Crew would be rolling over in their graves if they knew what had happened to the Indianapolis 500.

The Framers of the Constitution and Founding Fathers of this bloodthirsty nation of ours tossed off the shackles of British bureaucracy. They did so in part to their firm belief in the inalienable right of human beings to fulfill their appetite for speed and death-defying feats. The Indianapolis 500, the perfect mixture of acceleration and annihilation, has become an American institution and has become synonymous with Memorial Day weekend.

However, those limey British bastards have taken the checkered flag at The Brickyard for three straight years and four of the past six. In fact, the last American to sip the sweet victory milk at Indy was Sam Hornish Jr. back in 2006.

But this weekend The Greatest Spectacle in Racing will give our country another chance to fend off the foreign invaders. The 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, May 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

There are 10 Americans in this year’s field, led by Row 1 starter Ed Carpenter. Carpenter, who lives in Indianapolis, is the feel-good story heading into the weekend. He has been dynamite in the run-up to the race and is leading the charge for those that want to see American dominance restored to this race.

However, this year’s field is as wide-open as it has been in a decade. And Carpenter and the rest of the American riders will have to best a field that includes three-time winners Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti.

The favorite coming into the weekend is Marco Andretti. The third-generation speed merchant is from one of history’s greatest racing families, Andretti will also start in the first row. He is second in the standings and is off to the best start of his career.

However, while Andretti has the pedigree and has been hot, he also has just two wins in 118 career starts. And while his family is one of the most revered in racing, they also own just one Indianapolis 500 win, and that came back in 1969. I think that his 7-to-1 odds are a little light of a driver with such limited experience.

A.J. Allmendinger, somewhat of a prodigal son in open-wheel racing, will be making his first Indy 500 start. But the Penske racer has been generating a lot of buzz this week and is someone with medium odds (15-to-1) to watch for.

Tony Kanaan (14-to-1) is always a threat, and Graham Rahal (33-to-1) is another driver to watch for. Current IndyCar points leader Takuma Sato is a reasonably priced 28-to-1 one to score at The Brickyard.

Last year’s runner-up, Scott Dixon, is among the favorites at 7-to-1.

Finally, there is a stunning four women in this year’s field: Simona De Silvestro, Ana Beatriz, Pippa Mann and Katherine Legge. However, none of those drivers are starting before Row 8, and none are expected to compete for the checkered flag.

Here is a look at the odds to win the Indianapolis 500, courtesy of Bovada:

Marco Andretti 7/1
Scott Dixon 7/1
Helio Castroneves 8/1
Dario Franchitti 17/2
Ed Carpenter 10/1
James Hinchcliffe 10/1
Ryan Hunter-Reay 10/1
Will Power 12/1
Tony Kanaan 14/1
A.J. Allmendinger 15/1
Carlos Munoz 20/1
E.J. Viso 20/1
J.R. Hildebrand 20/1
Ryan Briscoe 20/1
Oriol Servia 25/1
Takuma Sato 28/1
Graham Rahal 33/1
Alex Tagliani 40/1
Justin Wilson 40/1
Josef Newgarden 66/1
Sebastien Bourdais 75/1
Simon Pagenaud 75/1
Charlie Kimball 100/1
James Jakes 100/1
Sebastian Saavedra 100/1
Simona De Silvestro 100/1
Townsend Bell 100/1
Tristan Vautier 100/1
Ana Beatriz 250/1
Buddy Lazier 250/1
Conor Daly 250/1
Katherine Legge 250/1
Pippa Mann 250/1

All stated, my pick is A.J. Allmendinger to take the checkered flag.

Read more articles by Robert Ferringo