A champion will be crowned in IndyCar’s final race of 2024, the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.
IndyCar will crown a champion on Sunday, September 15th at Nashville Superspeedway, with series leader Alex Palou seeking his second consecutive championship.
Palou, who won the NTT INDYCAR SERIES title in 2021 and 2023, will start the race with a 33-point advantage over his main rival, Team Penske’s Will Power. Scott McLaughlin, 50 points behind Palou, is still mathematically eligible if Palou for some reason does not start the race.
The 2024 finale was initially set to be held on a revamped street circuit in Nashville, but due to a lack of space caused by construction on a new Titans stadium, the race was moved to Nashville Superspeedway – giving fans a thrilling season finale on an oval for the first time since 2014.
Here’s all you need to know about Sunday’s IndyCar finale:
Sunday, September 15th: Big Machine Music City Grand Prix
The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix will begin at 3:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
All you need to know ahead of the 2024 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.
The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season continues this weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, as the championship contenders return to the track for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.
Alex Palou, the current points leader, will try to defend his Mid-Ohio victory from 2023 and extend his championship lead over Will Power.
Sunday’s race marks the beginning of a new era in the series, as teams will debut a new hybrid technology system. Drivers will be able to deploy the new hybrid assist functionality in combination with the Push to Pass system, providing a boost of more than 120 horsepower.
“The existing 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engine remains. What’s new is an innovative hybrid system comprised of a low voltage (48V) Motor Generator Unit (MGU) and Energy Storage System (ESS) – consisting of 20 ultracapacitors – both of which fit inside the bellhousing located between the Chevrolet and Honda INDYCAR SERIES internal combustion engine and the gearbox.”
Here’s all you need to know about Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.
Sunday, July 7th: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
The 2024 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
2024 NTT INDYCAR Series Standings:
Alex Palou: 285 points
Will Power: 262 points
Scott Dixon: 253 points
Colton Herta: 217 points
Kyle Kirkwood: 210 points
Pato O’Ward: 208 points
Alexander Rossi: 198 points
Scott McLaughlin: 188 points
Josef Newgarden: 181 points
Felix Rosenqvist: 176 points
Remaining 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SCHEDULE:
July 7th: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course)
July 13th: Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend Race 1 (Iowa Speedway)
July 14th: Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend Race 2 (Iowa Speedway)
July 21st: Honda Indy Toronto (Exhibition Place)
August 17th: Bommarito Automotive Group 500 (World Wide Technology Raceway)
August 25th: BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland (Portland International Raceway)
“You never come into [the Indy 500] expecting to win it. It’s so tough to get right.”
Josef Newgarden went from being an elite IndyCar Series driver to the member of some exceptionally exclusive clubs after winning his second straight Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.
Following a four-hour weather delay to begin the race, the Team Penske driver started third, and Newgarden and his No. 2 team had a strong race. But at the end, the 33-year-old put on a racing masterclass in the final laps to take the checkered flag. For a peak Indy 500 finish, he out-dueled Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward in the last few times around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s iconic 2.5-mile oval, pulling off a stunning last-lap pass for the victory.
Newgarden is now the first back-to-back Indy 500 champion since Hélio Castroneves did it in 2001 and 2002, and he’s also now the 11th two-time winner of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
For The Win spoke with Newgarden about his victory, the famous milk celebration afterward and the moment he knew he had the edge over O’Ward.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Congratulations. How are you? Have you slept?
I have not slept, and it was not from a lack of trying. I tried to get back early [Sunday] night. We celebrated a little bit with the team. We also got done very late [Sunday] with the four-hour delay. Everything after that gets pushed, and it’s a long process to go through with this event.
Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden (2) celebrates with his crew members, Sunday, May 26, 2024, after winning the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Alex Martin / Journal & Courier-USA TODAY NETWORK)
How did that four-hour delay affect you, if at all, ahead of the race?
It’s difficult to keep yourself mentally where you need to be. You wake up, and you’re expecting the intensity of race day and for the moment, and then you see this impending storm that’s barreling down on us, and you sort of already know that the race is gonna be put into jeopardy as far as the timeline.
I ended up taking a nap. I didn’t actually feel that great [Sunday] morning, and my son was scheduled for a nap. So I took one with him. I got about an hour and a half in, and then it stopped raining when I woke up and it seemed like we had an opening. … But just, yeah, roller coaster of emotions and energy and just trying to stay in the program for what we’re about to do. It’s a tough race to get right, and ultimately, it’s the only day that matters this month. We’re here for three weeks; this is the only day that matters.
I’ve visited this very spot the night before the Indy 500 every year since my rookie start in 2012. I sat here Saturday night and could not wait for the opportunity to run this race once again. I love this place so much. The home of speed ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BAGsoWXDzP
You’re the sixth driver to have back-to-back Indy 500 wins, the first in more than 20 years. You’re the 11th two-time winner. You joined a lot of exclusive clubs. Has two-time Indy 500 winner sunk in yet?
It’s crazy. I let go of the fact, last year, that we were ever gonna win this race just because it’s so difficult to win. And to finally break through last year and then to follow it back up with this year, it’s pretty extraordinary. That’s the only way I can put it. It was unexpected. You never come into this race expecting to win it. It’s so tough to get right.
And just really proud of the team. They executed all day, and it’s a team sport, more so than people realize in racing. And every race we go to is a team effort. But nowhere else that we go to exemplifies the team like Indianapolis, and it really is about everyone doing their job perfectly on the day. And we were able to do that two times in a row, which is pretty cool.
Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske, celebrates in Victory Circle after winning the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
It looked like you very politely sipped from your bottle of milk instead of pouring it everywhere. Was that lessons learned from last year, or did this one just feel different and a different celebration followed?
Well, I wasn’t super polite. I still had a bunch dripping all over me, so it wasn’t very clean. But I think you celebrate however you want to. I don’t think there’s a wrong way to celebrate. But a lot of times people will pour the milk over their heads after they have a drink, and I did that last year. It was fun to do. It just seems like you want to do that for some reason. But having already gone through that and done that, I thought, well, we don’t need to do that again. I’m just gonna enjoy the milk this time and savor it. And so that’s what I tried to do.
May 26, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indycar Series driver Josef Newgarden celebrates after winning the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Oh, you didn’t want to sit for six hours in a milk-covered suit?
Yeah, not this time. It definitely helps with the clean up. It wasn’t all over the car. Yeah, it’s a better process it seems like.
Was there a moment before you took the checkered flag where you thought, “Oh, my gosh, I’m going to win this thing again”?
Yeah, right entering Turn 4. When I passed Pato in Turn 3, I saw that I had the momentum on him, and I think it’s because of the nature of that pass. I passed him basically right at the apex is where I cleared him — the middle of the corner in [Turn] 3 — and I could see that he lost momentum because of it. And I felt really good about the fact that I had enough gap now to get to the line, and it’s gonna happen.
It’s crazy when it does. You almost can’t believe it when you’re headed to the line, and you see that it’s gonna be yours, it’s the team’s. But yeah, that was the moment. Definitely, entering Turn 4, I knew we had it.
This is only the fourth time the Indy 500 has been decided with a last-lap pass, and you’re responsible for the last two. Can you explain the strategy with that and why you’re able to make it work so well in such a high-pressured situation?
It’s definitely not my strategy — I promise you. It’s just the circumstance. The race last year was pretty different, but it was intense with a one-lap shootout. So if you were gonna win it, it needed to be a last-lap pass. There was really no choice. And then [Sunday], there was no game plan. I didn’t know how that was gonna ultimately shape up at the end, but I felt like, whatever happens, I’m gonna react to it, and I’m just gonna try and be ready for the moment.
Pato chose his point to go, and I just tried to basically rebuttal pretty quickly. And it ended up being the right place, right time, right moment. So it worked out for us. I think he’s a great champion too. He’s a great driver. He drove me with a lot of respect, and that’s ultimately what made the move possible. You can’t just drive with everyone like that. Pato is a really hard racer, but he races clean.
One of the most dramatic finishes in #Indy500 history.
Can you expand a little bit on how if it were a different driver or you were raced differently, why you might not have been able to pull that off?
I don’t know that I would have done anything different. The likelihood of it being pulled off, I think, is higher with someone like Pato because he’s a fierce competitor, but he’s very clean. He’s gonna race you fairly, and that was on full display. He raced me incredibly fair, and I didn’t know if it was gonna work out with him. But I think the likelihood is much higher with someone like Pato.
He’s definitely someone I have a lot of respect for, and he deserved to win this race just as much as me. I think he drove a great day. His team did a great job, and it just fell our way. And sometimes that’s the way it rolls. It’s heartbreaking for him. I know it is. I would have been heartbroken on the other end of it, but that’s the Indy 500. That’s why it’s so gratifying when you get it right.
May 26, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indycar Series driver Pato O’Ward (5) passes Josef Newgarden coming to the white flag during the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
When you and Pato and Alexander Rossi were trading for the lead and racing hard at the end, the broadcast described it as a “220-mile-an-hour game of chess.” Is that what it felt like?
Yeah, pretty much. We were all sizing each other up, trying to understand. No one was gaming it. We were all just trying to lead and show who’s the superior car at the very end. It was a 30-lap shootout for sure, and you’re just trying to study everybody on the fly. There’s not enough time to study everything and come up with an articulate plan for how it’s all gonna unfold, so you’re just reacting within the learnings that you have throughout those laps.
But it was definitely a chess fight just trying to see where you’re gonna be positioned and when you’re gonna make the move at the right time. There’s no perfect recipe. It’s really hard to understand what the right thing to do is. So that’s why I always say it’s reactionary because, in a lot of ways, it’s not planned. You can’t plan exactly how it’s gonna go, so you’re just trying to understand how it’s flowing and then react accordingly.
In these few hours since you won, what has been the best celebration moment for you?
Oh, it’s the traditions. When you win the race, you get to come back. You can celebrate differently — everyone does — but I like to go back to the Yard of Bricks, right on the start-finish line. I like to celebrate with the crowd, and then it’s everything that comes after that. It’s the milk, it’s the wreath, it’s the kiss from one of the [500 Festival] Princesses.
There’s so many little details that this race has accumulated over the years that have just built tradition, and it’s fun to go through that whole process. There’s nothing like it. There’s no other race that rivals it. So I just cherish all of that. That hour period right after the win is really cool here.
What was it was a different running in the stands this time? Did you know you were going do that or was it like, let’s run it back and do it again?
Well, I always wanted to do that [and did] last year. Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve been dreaming of going into the crowd. And I knew where to go, and I was maybe thinking of something different but I couldn’t come up with a good scenario. So I thought, “Well, I’m gonna do that again, but I’m gonna go into a different spot.”
I think I was a little filled with adrenaline, to be honest with you. It was so unexpected to win the race again that I didn’t really have a plan. I just wanted to get into the crowd as quickly as possible. So, yeah, still pretty nuts and cool to do.
Kyle Larson tried, but Mother Nature wouldn’t cooperate.
The NASCAR star attempted to pull off two races in one day — he was a rookie in the Indy 500 and finished 18th. Then, he flew to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600 for an attempt at The Double, but because the weather in Indianapolis delayed the start of that race, he didn’t get into Charlotte until the middle of the NASCAR race.
Then, weather stopped that race, giving Larson a chance to replace Justin Allgaier… but it was eventually called due to rain.
Larson posted on X (formerly Twitter) and sounded so heartbroken. You’ve got to feel for him:
What I thought could be one of the best days of my life quickly turned into one of the most disappointing ones I’ve ever experienced. I hate it for Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, HAG, Hendrick Motorsports, everyone a part of the 5 team, everyone on the 17 indycar for speeding, my…
So much time, money, and effort went into this experience and it just kills me to have it all end the way it did. I feel like I let so many people down. We knew all along weather could throw a wrench into things but seeing it come to reality is a horrible feeling.
Up until Sunday it was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life. I can’t describe how appreciative I am of everyone’s support of me to live out a dream. I hope it’s not the last opportunity I have to try the Double but if it is I guess it was memorable.
Thank you to everyone at Arrow McLaren, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and all the competitors there for making me feel welcomed.
Ready to get back on track now and get refocused on winning a 2nd championship for our team.
With the 108th Indy 500 delayed about four hours because of inclement weather, Larson couldn’t make it to Charlotte in time for the start of the NASCAR race. So Justin Allgaier started behind the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, waiting for Larson to arrive.
After starting fifth following an impressive qualifying round last weekend, Larson finished 18th in his first Indy 500 behind the wheel of the No. 17 Arrow McLaren/Hendrick Chevrolet. His best lap speed was 223.584 miles per hour, and he led four laps.
“I would definitely love to be back next year. I feel like I learned a lot throughout the race. I made a couple of mistakes early there with the restart. I’m not sure what I did wrong there, but I somehow got myself in a third, and then I felt like I did a really good job on the restarts and was able to learn a lot.
“And definitely feel good about knowing what I would need different for the balance, I think, coming back to help runs and stuff. And then, yeah, obviously I smoked a left-front [tire] or something into the green-flag stop and killed our opportunity. So proud to finish, but pretty upset myself. So I just could have executed a better race.”
After the interview, Larson took a helicopter to the airport and a jet to Charlotte. As Fox Sports’ Coca-Cola 600 broadcast noted, Larson landed in Charlotte at 9:19 p.m. ET and should be able to take over for Allgaier when he gets to the track, weather permitting.
In a thrilling and dramatic Indianapolis 500 finish, Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward duked it out on the final laps, trading the lead with each other. But Sunday’s 108th race ended, again, in absolute heartbreak for O’Ward, who finished second behind now-back-to-back winner Newgarden.
O’Ward has come close to winning The Greatest Spectacle in Racing in past years too, finishing second in 2022, fourth in 2021 and sixth in 2020.
And in the Arrow McLaren driver’s post-race interview, his devastation was painfully obvious, and he appeared to be holding back his emotions while speaking with NBC. Still, O’Ward gave a classy, yet heartbreaking interview as the 2024 Indy 500 runner-up.
Pato O’Ward reacts to a runner-up finish at the #Indy500.
“It’s hard to put it into words,” O’Ward said. “I’m proud of the work that we did today. We recovered, we went back, we went forward, we went back. Some people are just driving like maniacs. We had so many near-race-enders and just so close again. So [expletive] close.”
When asked about battling with Newgarden at the thrilling end of 200 laps, O’Ward continued:
“I put that car through things I never thought he was going to be able to do. sometimes I said, That’s it. And somehow I came out the other side of the corner. I just — oh, man. This is so painful when you put so much into it, and then two laps short, I guess. Two corners short. …
“[Indianapolis Motor Speedway] owes me nothing, but just, yeah. I’d much rather obviously finish the race rather than compared to last year [when he didn’t finish]. But it’s always a heartbreak whenever it just is so close, especially when it’s not the first time and you just don’t know how many opportunities like that you have.”
A crushing runner-up finish in the biggest race of the year is always tough, and you’ve gotta feel for O’Ward.
Jumping into the stands at the Indy 500 is becoming a habit for Josef Newgarden!
On Sunday, Newgarden finished first in a thrilling Indy 500 race after overtaking Pato O’Ward on the final lap to take home the grand prize. The Team Penske driver is the first in 22 years to win back-to-back Indy 500 championships thanks to his spectacular move on the track.
And after his win, Newgarden replicated his move from last year by jumping into the stands with the fans to celebrate his hard-earned win! Here’s how the moment played out on the broadcast, with Newgarden excitedly jumping out of his car and sprinting to the stands.
For the first time in 22 years, an Indianapolis 500 champion successfully defended his title for back-to-back championships after Josef Newgarden put on a racing masterclass on the last laps of Sunday’s weather-delayed race.
The Team Penske driver won his second consecutive Indy 500 after a hard-fought battle against Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward. With about a dozen laps left in the 500-mile race, Newgarden was fighting 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi for the lead, but by the final five laps, it was basically a two-man race between Newgarden and O’Ward.
With five laps left, O’Ward was in front. With four to go, it was Newgarden. O’Ward stole the lead with just one lap around Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and all he had to do was hang on.
Unfortunately for O’Ward, who’s had his heart broken multiple times at Indy, Newgarden pulled off a stunning last-lap move to take the lead and win the 2024 Indy 500.
Former Indy 500 champ Marcus Ericsson’s race was over after it barely started.
Crashing out of the Indianapolis 500 is unfortunate for any driver and their team regardless of when it happens. But crashing out of it before even completing the first of 200 laps — and after waiting out a four-hour weather delay — has to be extra painful.
Not halfway around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile track on Lap 1, Indy 500 rookie Tom Blomqvist went too low on the track, lost control of his No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda and spun. He collected Ericsson and Pietro Fittipaldi in the accident.
That’s so disappointing all around, especially after drivers and their teams had to wait so long Sunday for the weather to clear. And especially for Ericsson’s team, which had to do significant work on the car after the 33-year-old Swedish driver crashed during Indy 500 practice.
All three drivers are OK after being evaluated by the infield care center, per IndyCar.
After being released from the infield care center, Ericsson spoke to NBC Sports’ Dave Burns and appeared to be in total disbelief that his 2024 Indy 500 was already over. Ericsson said:
“I can’t believe it. It’s unbelievable. It’s just so frustrating. I don’t know what to say. We had to work so hard. The team did such a good job rebuilding that car. We fight it all last weekend, we fight it all week to be good and then this happens. It’s just — I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it.”
Marcus Ericsson is OUT of the #Indy500 on lap one!
The latest weather updates ahead of the 2024 Indy 500.
Severe weather will sweep across Indiana on Sunday, which delayed the start of the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Storms hit the Indianapolis area around 12 p.m. ET, 45 minutes before the scheduled start of the Indy 500. According to the IndyStar, rain accumulation could reach three quarters of an inch, which means it could be hours until the track is dry enough.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway has at least a 34% chance of rain every hour through midnight, so it’s possible that there won’t be any dry window to begin the race on Sunday. Monday’s forecast calls for a cloudy day with less potential for rain.
Lightning could also be an issue for track officials. The track announced that fans will be asked to leave the grandstands if lightning is approaching, even if the immediate area around the track is clear.
What would a weather delay mean for Kyle Larson’s attempt at The Double? The IndyStar reports that Larson will remain in Indianapolis through the weather delays, and that Rick Hendrick is “committed” to Larson’s run in the 500.
Storms chasing a boundary towards Indianapolis. Good news is development ahead of that line appears to be limiting severe potential. I think track drying could get underway as early as 2:30 EST pic.twitter.com/fUqmf6PIZy
UPDATE 11:25 a.m. ET: Indianapolis Motor Speedway is clearing the grandstands and other spectator areas because of the weather, and the start of the 2024 Indy 500 will be delayed.
Given the proximity of lightning moving toward the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a decision has been made to pause the pre-race ceremonies and move fans out of the grandstands and Snake Pit.
Spectators are encouraged to follow the instructions of IMS team members. They should… pic.twitter.com/Yk9W2AVOpr
