Will Buxton reacts to Takuma Sato's confirmation for the Indy 500's 2025 edition

IndyCar commentator Will Buxton has welcomed legendary driver Takuma Sato's return for the 109th Running of the Indy 500 in May. The driver will return with the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team, as he did in last season's edition of the legendary race.

Sato spent seven years competing in F1 before making the shift to IndyCar in 2010 with KV Racing Technology. While he was unable to win a championship in the American series, he did manage to etch his name in motorsports history by claiming victory at the Indy 500 twice in 2017 and 2020.

The Japanese driver also returned for the Indy 500 last year, with his former team, and managed to qualify in a respectable 10th place, starting on the fourth row. But the race delivered an underwhelming result for Sato, who ended up finishing 14th.

Now that the 48-year-old veteran has been announced as a confirmed entry for this year's Indy 500, FOX Sports commentator Will Buxton took to X to share his delight about the news. He wrote:

"Awesome to see Taku back. That’s 34 confirmed entries already. Meaning at least one car won’t make it into the Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

What Buxton is referring to is the Indy 500 qualification rules, which mean that one out of the 34 confirmed entries will not be able to compete in the final race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The qualification rules state that only 33 cars can compete in the race, meaning at least one car will be bumped from the field.

Last season also saw 34 entries for the Indy 500. DCR's Nolan Siegel failed to qualify after he crashed in his final attempt during the Last Chance Qualifying.

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Takuma Sato reacts after his Indy 500 return with RLL Racing is confirmed

Takuma Sato driving the #75 AMADA at the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Takuma Sato shared his excitement to return to the grid for the 109th Running of the Indy 500 with RLL Racing. The Japanese driver raced for the team full-time in five seasons, with four of them continuously between 2018 and 2021.

Replying to RLL's X post announcing his return for the Indy 500 in May, Sato shared:

It’s time! Very excited to return to the #INDY500 once again with @RLLracing👊🏻

The two-time Indy 500 winner began his senior career in motorsports in F1 with the Jordan team in 2002. After an underwhelming time in F1, he moved over to IndyCar in 2010.

During his 13-year full-time career in the series, he became the first Japanese driver to win an IndyCar race and also the first to win the Indy 500. He claimed a total of six career wins during his time in the sport, making him the most successful Japanese driver ever in the series' history.