2024 Indianapolis 500
108th running of the Indianapolis 500 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2024 Indianapolis 500, branded as the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge for sponsorship reasons, was a 500-mile (804.5 km, 200 lap) race in the 2024 IndyCar Series, that happened on Sunday, May 26, 2024 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States. The month of May activities formally began on Saturday, May 11 with the Sonsio Grand Prix on the combined road course. Practice on the oval began on Tuesday May 14. Time trials were held on May 18–19, and Carb Day, the traditional final day of practice, along with the Pit Stop Challenge, happened on May 24.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |||||
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Indianapolis 500 | |||||
Sanctioning body | IndyCar | ||||
Season | 2024 IndyCar season | ||||
Date | May 26, 2024 | ||||
Winner | Josef Newgarden | ||||
Winning team | Team Penske | ||||
Average speed | 167.763 mph (269.988 km/h) | ||||
Pole position | Scott McLaughlin | ||||
Pole speed | 234.220 mph (376.940 km/h) | ||||
Rookie of the Year | Kyle Larson | ||||
Most laps led | Scott McLaughlin (66) | ||||
Pre-race ceremonies | |||||
National anthem | Jordin Sparks[1] | ||||
"Back Home Again in Indiana" | Jim Cornelison | ||||
Starting command | Roger Penske | ||||
Pace car | Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray 3LZ[2] | ||||
Pace car driver | Ken Griffey Jr.[3] | ||||
Starter | Aaron Likens | ||||
Honorary starter | Austin Butler and Jodie Comer[4] | ||||
TV in the United States | |||||
Network | NBC (including WTHR, blackout lifted 2:30pm ET) | ||||
Announcers | Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell, James Hinchcliffe | ||||
Nielsen ratings | 2.6 (5.344 million viewers)[5] | ||||
Chronology | |||||
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Josef Newgarden of Team Penske entered the race as the defending winner. Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske, won the pole position with a four-lap average speed of 234.220 miles per hour (376.941 km/h), the fastest pole speed in Indy history. Team Penske swept all three spots on the front row (McLaughlin, Will Power, Josef Newgarden), the first time that had been accomplished since Penske did so in 1988. For the first time since 2014, a driver attempted to pull a "Double Duty". Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, qualified 5th and attempted to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. However, a lengthy rain delay led to a start time of 4:44 p.m. ET, with Larson deciding to commit to racing at Indianapolis regardless of when the race ends, which due to the rules involving lights, would have ended after 8:15 p.m. ET even if the race still had laps to run. In addition, NASCAR would end up ending the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 early due to rain before Larson could get into the car.
Newgarden won the race after passing Pato O'Ward in turn three on the final lap for his second Indianapolis 500 victory in a row. It was the fourth Indianapolis 500 to end in a last lap pass after 2006, 2011, and 2023. He became the first driver to win the race two years in a row since Hélio Castroneves won in 2001 and 2002. [6]