INDIANAPOLIS — Zach Veach wishes the fans could be here this month. It’s not the same without them. But, the Ohio native also knows just how big this race is for his sponsor (Gainbridge) to at least have his No. 26 Honda with their black, yellow and blue colors speeding around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Without this race, the sponsor isn’t here. If the sponsor isn’t here, he’s likely not either. So, there’s an added importance for Veach.

“In a way I think the adrenaline once you get in the car, it’s still going to be the same,” Veach said on racing here without fans. “At the end of the day, we’re still racing for that glass of milk. If you win the Indy 500 this year, it’s not going to mean any less. It’s just going to be lacking at the end of having that experience on having the people to celebrate with that are just on the other end of the straightaway.”

Veach, said that he had one moment in practice when he got off the pit lane limiter and looked up and saw the empty stands and thought, ‘this is what it’s going to look like on race day.’ That made him sad.

He said though that this is what they have to do right now.

“A lot of us are just happy to have this event this year,” Veach continued. “To just give everyone that 3 1/2 hour distraction from all the craziness going on in this world right now and just bring some people peace from people watching it.”

Veach, rolls off on the Middle of Row 6. While it’s frustrating to not be up front with his other Andretti Autosport teammates, he said that the pace is still there.

“From a chassis standpoint, it was the best handling race car I’ve ever had, for a qualifying car I should say,” Veach said of his Saturday qualifying effort. “We just couldn’t figure out and were trying to diagnose where we lost speed on the straightaway. We weren’t able to get through the gears like our teammates were and it had us puzzled. We trimmed it out all we could there at the end and went out and we slower which doesn’t make any sense.

“I’m super proud of our team and know our car is capable.”

Veach, says that this is the most confident and prepared that he’s ever been heading into this fourth Indy 500 try and expects to compete for the win.

“I think so,” said Veach. “This has been the most, I don’t want to say prepared, but I’ve known what to expect each step of the way. I think that’s just experience. It’s definitely been weird. I’m feeling really good. It’s still my best starting spot for the Indy 500.

“Coming into it from the years past, I think this is the most prepared I’ve been for sure.”