The ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ is scheduled for Sunday with the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Storylines abound as former NASCAR champion – and current points leader – Kyle Larson makes his IndyCar debut, Roger Penske looks to add to his rather illustrious trophy case and Helio Castroneves looks for a record fifth Indy 500 victory.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the weekend in Speedway, Indiana:
How do you watch the 2024 Indy 500?
The Indianapolis 500 will air live on Sunday, May 26 on NBC, Peacock, the NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com.
Pre-race show: 11am – 12:30pm ET
Race coverage: 12:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET (Green Flag at 12:45 PM ET)
News and storylines heading into the Indy 500
The dominant story during “The Month of May” at the Speedway is Kyle Larson’s attempt at “The Double”: completing the combined 600 laps and 1,100 miles of the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. The weather can wreak havoc there (more on that later), but if he starts both races he will be only the fifth driver ever to do so.
Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg wrote earlier this week about the top storylines for the Indy 500, including:
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Team Penske looking for 20th win: The series and speedway owner has quite the trophy collection and, after clinching all three front row spots this year, has an excellent chance of taking 20 race wins.
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Honda’s challenge to Chevrolet: Chevys took the top eight spots in qualifying and had a clear advantage when the engines were wide open; a Honda in racing trim can get them out of their seats.
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Former winners in the field: This year’s grid features eight past winners, including four-time winner Helio Castroneves. The Brazilian legend could break the record for most wins ever at the event, which would elevate him above the likes of AJ Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser.
Top drivers and odds for the 2024 Indy 500
Defending champion Josef Newgarden starts third on the grid and has the best odds going into the weekend at 5-to-1 according to BetMGM.
Best odds of winning
Josef Newgarden +500
Scott McLaughlin +550
Kyle Larson +675
Willpower +700
Alexander Rossi +800
Pato O’Ward +850
The top six betting favorites come from the Penske or Arrow McLaren stables, with Indy 500 rookie and current NASCAR Cup Series points leader Kyle Larson having a moneyline of +675 ahead of his first IndyCar start.
What are the traditions of the Indy 500?
Being the longest running auto race in the United States (starting in 1911), numerous traditions have been built up over the years. Most notable are:
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Singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana” just before the order to fire engines.
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The Indianapolis Gordon Pipers bagpipe group plays the Borg-Warner Trophy at the speedway before the race and then plays the winner to victory lane.
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A three-car starting grid (as opposed to the usual two for all other races).
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The winner kisses the three-foot stones that mark the speedway’s finish line.
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The winner drinks (or douses himself with) a liter of milk of his choice: whole, 2% or skimmed milk.
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The winner receives a wreath with 33 orchids, representing the 33 cars entered.
2024 Indy 500 starting lineup
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Scott McLaughlin (3), Team Penske Chevrolet, 374.220 mph
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Will Power (12), Team Penske Chevrolet, 373.917 mph
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Josef Newgarden (2), Team Penske Chevrolet, 373.808 mph
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Alexander Rossi (7), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, 373.090 mph
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Kyle Larson (17), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, 372.846 mph
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Santino Ferrucci (14), AJ Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet, 372.692 mph
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Rinus Veekay (21), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, 372.610 mph
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Pato O’Ward (5), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, 372.584 mph
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Felix Rosenqvist (60), Meyer Shank Racing Chevrolet, 372.305 mph
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Takuma Sato (75), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, 372.171 mph
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Kyle Kirkwood (27), Andretti Global Honda, 38.993 km/h
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Ryan Hunter-Reay (23), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports Chevrolet, 370.567 mph
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Colton Herta (26), Andretti Global/Curb-Abajanian Honda, 372.316 mph
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Alex Palou (10), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, 372.306 mph
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Callum Ilott (6), Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, 372.230 mph
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Marcus Armstrong (11), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, 372.017 mph
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Ed Carpenter (20), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, 372.017 mph
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Kyffin Simpson (4), Chip Ganasi Racing Honda, 371.948 mph
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Marco Andretti (98), Andretti Herta/Marco & Curb-Abajanian Honda, 371.890 mph
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Helio Castroneves (06), Meyer Shank/urb-Abajanian Honda, 371.871 mph
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Scott Dixon (9), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, 371.851 mph
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Agustin Canapino (75), Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, 371.847 mph
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Sting Ray Robb (41), AJ Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet, 371.826 mph
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Christian Rasmussen (33), Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, 371.682 mph
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Tom Blomquist (66), Meyer Shank Racing Honda, 371.578 mph
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Romain Grosjean (77), Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, 371.514 mph
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Linus Lundqvist (8), Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, 371.506 mph
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Christian Lundgaard (45), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, 371.465 mph
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Conor Daly (24), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports Chevrolet, 371.243 mph
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Pietro Fittipaldi (30), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, 371.100 mph
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Katherine Legge (51), Dale Coyne Racing Honda, 370.092 mph
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Marcus Ericsson (28), Andretti Global Honda, 370.027 mph
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Graham Rahal (15), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, 229.974
Weather forecast for the 2024 Indy 500
It’s not pretty. There will be thunderstorms on Sunday with a 62% chance of rain, posing a major threat to Kyle Larson’s attempt to complete all 1,100 miles in one day. Any significant delay to the green flag for the Indy 500 would likely result in Larson flying away from his “day job” driving the No. 5 Hendrick Racing Chevrolet in the series he won outright in 2021.
“Yeah, it doesn’t look too promising for Indy on Sunday… if it’s going to rain, I hope it rains all day,” Larson told reporters earlier this week. “That way it can just be pushed to Monday or something, and then Charlotte won’t rain. I just hope it doesn’t rain, and we can get it in Sunday night and then come here Monday.”
