2024 IndyCar Series

The 2024 NTT IndyCar Series will be the 113th official championship season of American open wheel racing and the 28th season under IndyCar Series sanction. Its showcase event will be the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500.

2024 IndyCar season
NTT IndyCar Series
Season
Races17
Start dateMarch 10
End dateSeptember 15
Awards

Spanish driver Álex Palou will enter the season as the defending champion, having obtained his second IndyCar title in 2023, while Josef Newgarden will enter the season as the defending Indianapolis 500 winner.

Background and series news

The 2.2-liter engines used in the series are scheduled to have hybrid technology implemented after the original plans to debut a new 2.4-liter hybrid engine formula were scrapped.[1]

Confirmed entries

The following teams, entries, and drivers have been announced to compete in the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season. All teams will use a spec Dallara IR18 chassis with universal aero kit and Firestone tires.

Team Engine No. Driver(s) Round(s) Ref(s)
A. J. Foyt Racing[N 1] Chevrolet 14 TBA All [2]
TBA TBA All [2]
Andretti Global Honda 26 United States Colton Herta All [3][4]
27 United States Kyle Kirkwood All [5]
TBA Sweden Marcus Ericsson All [6]
Arrow McLaren Chevrolet 5 Mexico Pato O'Ward All [7]
6 United States David Malukas All [8]
7 United States Alexander Rossi All [9]
McLaren-Hendrick 17 United States Kyle Larson  R  5 [10]
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 8 Sweden Linus Lundqvist  R  All [11]
9 New Zealand Scott Dixon All [12]
10 Spain Álex Palou All [13][14]
11 New Zealand Marcus Armstrong All [13]
TBA Cayman Islands Kyffin Simpson  R  All [15][16]
Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet 20 Denmark Christian Rasmussen  R  1–4, 6–9, 12, 14, 17 [17][18]
United States Ed Carpenter 5, 10–11, 13, 15–16 [17]
21 Netherlands Rinus VeeKay All [19]
TBA Denmark Christian Rasmussen  R  5 [17]
Juncos Hollinger Racing[N 2] Chevrolet 77 TBA All [20]
78 Argentina Agustín Canapino All [21]
Meyer Shank Racing[N 3] Honda 06 United Kingdom Tom Blomqvist  R  All [22]
60 Sweden Felix Rosenqvist All [23]
TBA Brazil Hélio Castroneves 5 [22]
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda 15 TBA All [24]
30 Brazil Pietro Fittipaldi All [25][26]
45 Denmark Christian Lundgaard All [27]
Team Penske Chevrolet 2 United States Josef Newgarden All [28]
3 New Zealand Scott McLaughlin All [29]
12 Australia Will Power All [30]
R Eligible for Rookie of the Year

Preseason
  • On January 12, 2023, Arrow McLaren confirmed reports that 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson would drive for the team in the Indianapolis 500, with the entry to be co-owned by Larson's Cup Series car owner Rick Hendrick.[10]
  • On August 11, 2023, Meyer Shank Racing confirmed reports that its IMSA driver Tom Blomqvist would drive for its No. 06 entry full-time in 2024, with 4-time Indianapolis 500 winner Hélio Castroneves moving to an Indy-only role for the team, as well as receiving an ownership stake in the team.[22]
  • On August 23, 2023, Andretti Autosport confirmed reports that 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson would join the team, departing Chip Ganassi Racing after four seasons. Ganassi stated on social media the same day that it would announce driver updates "in due course".[6]
  • On August 31, 2023, Chip Ganassi Racing confirmed reports that 2022 Indy Lights champion Linus Lundqvist would join the team on a full-time basis, replacing Ericsson. No car number was confirmed at the time.[11]
  • On September 2, 2023, NBC Sports reported that Romain Grosjean told them that he would be departing Andretti Autosport after two seasons with the team.[31]
    • On October 4, 2023, Grosjean released a statement confirming his departure from Andretti, and that he has commenced an arbitration proceeding in Indiana against the team, saying that he had expected to continue racing with the team "in the coming years."[32]
  • On September 5, 2023, Meyer Shank Racing confirmed reports that Felix Rosenqvist had signed to drive the No. 60 entry in a multi-year deal. Rosenqvist departs Arrow McLaren after three seasons.[23]
  • On September 5, 2023, 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2016 IndyCar Series champion Simon Pagenaud released a statement confirming his departure from Meyer Shank Racing after two seasons, saying that he is focusing on his recovery from injuries sustained in a crash during practice at Mid-Ohio in 2023.[33]
  • On September 7, 2023, Chip Ganassi Racing confirmed reports that Marcus Armstrong had re-signed with the team on a full-time basis with a multi-year contract, having served as road/street course driver alongside Takuma Sato in 2023.[13]
  • On September 8, 2023, Arrow McLaren confirmed reports that David Malukas had signed to drive the No. 6 entry full-time in 2024, departing Dale Coyne Racing after two seasons.[8]
  • On September 18, 2023, Chip Ganassi Racing announced that development driver Kyffin Simpson would join the team full time in 2024, expanding the team to 5 cars. At the time of the announcement, no number has been confirmed.[15]
  • On October 23, 2023, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced that Haas F1 Team reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi will drive the team's No. 30 entry full-time in 2024, making his first start in the series since the 2021 season. The same day, RLL confirmed that Jüri Vips, who drove the No. 30 entry in the final two races of 2023, will remain under contract with the team, with the possibility of part-time competition in a fourth entry, testing duties and opportunities in IMSA competition.[26][34]
  • On October 25, 2023, Ed Carpenter Racing announced that 2023 Indy NXT champion Christian Rasmussen will drive the team's No. 20 entry on road and street courses in 2024, and in a third entry at the Indiandapolis 500. Team owner/driver Ed Carpenter will compete in all oval races in the No. 20, having driven for the team's third entry for the last two seasons.[18]
  • On October 26, 2023, Juncos Hollinger Racing announced that they had mutually decided to part ways with driver Callum Ilott after three seasons together.[35]

Preseason
  • On September 5, 2023, Andretti Autosport announced a rebrand that would take effect for the 2024 season, with all of its race teams running under the Andretti Global banner.[36]
  • On October 3, 2023, Arrow McLaren and Juncos Hollinger Racing announced the formation of a strategic alliance that "may evolve over time," beginning with a "commercial and strategic focus" and "talent development opportunity."[20]

Schedule

The schedule was released on September 25, 2023.[37]

Rd. Race name Track Location Date
1 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg  R  Streets of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg, Florida March 10[38]
NC The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge  R  The Thermal Club Thermal, California March 24[39]
2 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach  R  Streets of Long Beach Long Beach, California April 21[38]
3 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama  R  Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham, Alabama April 28[40]
4 GMR Grand Prix  R  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Speedway, Indiana May 11[38]
5 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500  O  Indianapolis Motor Speedway May 26[38]
6 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix  R  Streets of Detroit Detroit, Michigan June 2[38]
7 Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America  R  Road America Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin June 9[40]
8 Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey  R  WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California June 23
9 Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio  R  Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio July 7
10 Iowa Speedway Race 1  O  Iowa Speedway Newton, Iowa July 13
11 Iowa Speedway Race 2 July 14
12 Honda Indy Toronto  R  Exhibition Place Toronto, Ontario July 21[40]
13 Bommarito Automotive Group 500  O  World Wide Technology Raceway Madison, Illinois August 17
14 Grand Prix of Portland  R  Portland International Raceway Portland, Oregon August 25
15 Milwaukee Mile Race 1  O  Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin August 31[41]
16 Milwaukee Mile Race 2 September 1[41]
17 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix  R  Nashville Street Circuit Nashville, Tennessee September 15[42]

NOTE: Race names are preliminary and subject to change.

O Oval track
R Road/street course

NC Non-championship race

Schedule changes
  • On August 3, IndyCar announced that the Music City Grand Prix will host the season finale from 2024 onwards. The 2024 race will feature a new layout that runs through Broadway in Downtown Nashville, but still features the Korean War Memorial Bridge.[43] Laguna Seca's date has been moved to June to accommodate this.
  • On September 25, IndyCar released the 2024 schedule. The Texas race, which had been a feature of the schedule from the 1996-97 season, will not return in 2024. Besides Texas, the Gallagher Grand Prix will not return in 2024 thus this removes the IndyCar-NASCAR weekend (where both series raced at the same venue on the same weekend) established back in 2020. Both races were replaced by the Milwaukee Mile Doubleheader.[44]
  • The races held at Gateway and Iowa will be night races again.

Points standings
Further information: List of American Championship car racing point scoring systems
  • Ties are broken by number of wins, followed by number of 2nds, 3rds, etc.; then by finishing position in the previous race; then by random draw.[45]
Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th   11th   12th   13th   14th   15th   16th   17th   18th   19th   20th   21st   22nd   23rd   24th   25th+ 
Points 50 40 35 32 30 28 26 24 22 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5

Driver standings
  • At all races except the Indy 500, the pole position qualifier earns 1 point (unless qualifying is not held).[46] The twelve Indy 500 qualifiers who qualify for the fast 12 session receive points based on the results of that session, descending from 12 points for first place.[47]
  • Drivers who lead at least one race lap are awarded 1 point.[48] The driver who leads the most laps during a race scores an additional 2 points.[48]
  • Entrant-initiated engine change-outs before the engine reaches their required distance run result in the loss of 10 points.[49]

See also
  • 2024 Indy NXT
  • 2024 USF Pro 200 Championship
  • 2024 USF2000 Championship
  • 2024 USF Juniors

Footnotes
  1. Technical partnership with Team Penske.
  2. "Strategic alliance" with Arrow McLaren.
  3. Technical partnership with Andretti Global.

References
  1. Pruett, Marshall (December 6, 2022). "IndyCar drops plans for new 2.4l engine". Racer.com. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  2. Pruett, Marshall (26 August 2023). "IndyCar silly season update, August 26: Chasing The Phoenix and Faux Palou". RACER. Retrieved 26 August 2023. Foyt's new link with Team Penske has a lot of drivers scrambling to learn more about the opportunity. Santino Ferrucci is believed to be unsigned, which could stay that way as the team fields inquiries about the No. 14 Chevy. Benjamin Pedersen's known to have signed a multi-year deal to drive the No. 55 Chevy, but I keep hearing that he's searching throughout the paddock for something different. Like the fate of Malukas, I can't say exactly where this team will end up on the driver front, but it feels like 100-percent carryover or 100-percent change is possible.
  3. Fryer, Jenna (October 25, 2022). "Herta signs 4-year Andretti IndyCar extension through 2027". AP NEWS. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  4. Pruett, Marshall (7 July 2023). "Andretti Autosport restructuring IndyCar program for 2024". RACER. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  5. Pruett, Marshall (26 September 2023). "Kirkwood extends deal with Andretti". RACER. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  6. Benyon, Jack (23 August 2023). "Ericsson to leave Ganassi for IndyCar rival Andretti". The Race. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  7. "O'Ward signs contract extension with AMSP". racer.com. May 27, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  8. Pruett, Marshall (8 September 2023). "Malukas joins Arrow McLaren for 2024 IndyCar season". RACER. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  9. "Rossi confirmed for Arrow McLaren SP move in 2023". racer.com. June 2, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  10. Malsher-Lopez, David (12 January 2023). "Kyle Larson to race for McLaren-Hendrick in 2024 Indy 500". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  11. Pruett, Marshall (31 August 2023). "Ganassi confirms Lundqvist for 2024 IndyCar season". RACER. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  12. Pruett, Marshall (31 July 2023). "Ganassi in no rush to lock down 2024 IndyCar drivers". RACER. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  13. Pruett, Marshall (7 September 2023). "Armstrong signs multi-year IndyCar deal with Ganassi". RACER. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  14. Bradley, Charles (12 September 2023). "IndyCar champ Palou sets sights on 2024 Indy 500, could race #1". Autosport. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  15. "Chip Ganassi Racing promotes development driver Kyffin Simpson, will run 5 cars in 2024". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  16. Wood, Ida (19 September 2023). "What you should know about IndyCar's new driver and his case for a seat". Formula Scout. ...Simpson added, before confirming that he is set to race under a Cayman Islands licence next year.
  17. "Rasmussen to Race Partial Schedule for ECR in 2024". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  18. Wood, Ida (25 October 2023). "Indy Nxt champion Christian Rasmussen gets IndyCar seat with ECR". Formula Scout. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  19. Brown, Nathan. "Rinus VeeKay signs new multi-year deal with Ed Carpenter Racing". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  20. Barnes, Joey (3 October 2023). "Arrow McLaren, Juncos Hollinger Racing joining forces to create strategic alliance". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  21. "Juncos Hollinger Extends Canapino for 2024 Drive". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  22. Pruett, Marshall (11 August 2023). "Blomqvist gets full-time MSR IndyCar drive for 2024 as Castroneves goes Indy 500-only". RACER.
  23. Pruett, Marshall (September 5, 2023). "Rosenqvist signs multiyear IndyCar deal with Meyer Shank Racing". Racer.com.
  24. Pruett, Marshall (24 October 2023). "Rahal nearing return to family team". RACER. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  25. alison, markus (2023-10-23). "Pietro Fittipaldi To Drive The No. 30 Entry For Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing In The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season". Rahal Letterman Lanigan. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  26. Benyon, Jack (23 October 2023). "F1 reserve driver gets full-time IndyCar return for 2024". The Race. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  27. Malsher-Lopez, David (17 August 2022). "Lundgaard signs multi-year deal with Rahal Letterman Lanigan". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  28. Pruett, Marshall (9 September 2022). "New deal for Power next on Penske checklist". RACER. Retrieved 8 July 2023. "We just did Scotty and we're on a long-term contract with Josef right now," Penske told RACER.
  29. Malsher-Lopez, David (September 7, 2022). "McLaughlin, Penske sign multi-year contract extension". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  30. Martin, Bruce (31 March 2023). "Power Signs Multi-Year Extension With Team Penske". SPEED SPORT. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  31. Martin, Bruce (2 September 2023). "Andretti Autosport could downsize to 3 cars in 2024; Romain Grosjean says he won't return". NBC Sports. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  32. Benyon, Jack; Khorounzhiy, Valentin (4 October 2023). "Grosjean taking action against Andretti following IndyCar exit". The Race. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  33. Newbold, James (5 September 2023). "Rosenqvist joins Meyer Shank Racing for 2024 IndyCar season, Pagenaud departs". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  34. Pruett, Marshall (23 October 2023). "Vips retained by RLL; fourth IndyCar entry possible for 2024". RACER. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  35. "Ilott splits with Juncos Hollinger Racing". RACER. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  36. Pruett, Marshall (5 September 2023). "Andretti Autosport becomes Andretti Global". RACER.
  37. "INDYCAR ANNOUNCES 17-RACE 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SCHEDULE". IndyCar.com. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  38. "More 2024 IndyCar event dates locked in". Racer.com. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  39. Khorounzhiy, Valentin. "IndyCar Adds $1Million Non-Points Heat-Format Event For 2024". the-race.com. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  40. "IndyCar's 2024 schedule is proving tough to put together. Here's where things stand". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  41. Martin, Bruce (September 25, 2023). "2024 IndyCar Schedule Features Milwaukee Return, Texas Depart". SpeedSport. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  42. "Nashville To Host NTT INDYCAR SERIES Finale Sept. 13-15, 2024". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  43. "Nashville To Host NTT INDYCAR SERIES Finale Sept. 13-15, 2024". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  44. Dejewski, Kevin (September 25, 2023). "The NTT IndyCar Series has released the schedule for the 2024 season, featuring a few drastic changes compared to recent years". motorsportweek.com. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  45. Rulebook 2022, Rule 12.4.1..
  46. Rulebook 2022, Rule 12.6.3.1..
  47. Rulebook 2022, Rule 12.6.4..
  48. Rulebook 2022, Rule 12.6.2..
  49. Rulebook 2022, Rule 16.6.2.2..

Sources
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