Indianapolis, IN

Get to know the IndyCar drivers and teams for the 2024 Indianapolis 500

Published

2 years ago

May 13, 2024

Get to know the IndyCar drivers and teams for the 2024 Indianapolis 500

The 108th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for May 26, 2024, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Thirty-four drivers are set to compete for the traditional 33 spots on the starting grid. The race is 200 laps on the 2.5-mile oval.

Here are the broad strokes: Fourteen countries are represented, mostly from the United States (13 drivers). Eight former Indy 500 winners are competing. There are seven rookies, the most since 2014, when there were also seven.

Five teams, totaling 18 drivers, use Honda engines; six teams, also totaling 16 drivers, use Chevrolet engines.

Here are the details about the Indy 500 hopefuls:

Indy 500 2024 drivers’ ages

The average Indy 500 experience of the entrants is 6.5 starts, and the average age is 31.2.

There are two 19-year-olds this year: Nolan Siegel is one month younger than Kyffin Simpson. (A.J. Foyt IV, who raced on his 19th birthday in 2003, is the youngest Indy 500 starter.)

The oldest driver is Helio Castroneves at 49. (A.J. Foyt is the oldest-ever starter, at 57 years old in 1992. He is the grandfather of the youngest-ever starter.)

Indianapolis 500 2024 teams

Team: Driver (car number)

Team Penske: Josef Newgarden (No. 2), Scott McLaughlin (No. 3), Will Power (No. 12)

A.J. Foyt Racing: Santino Ferrucci (No. 14), Sting Ray Robb (No. 41)

Arrow McLaren: Pato O’Ward (No. 5), Callum Ilott (No. 6), Alexander Rossi (No. 7), Kyle Larson (No. 17)

Chip Ganassi Racing: Kyffin Simpson (No. 4), Linus Lundqvist (No. 8), Scott Dixon (No. 9), Alex Palou (No. 10), Marcus Armstrong (No. 11)

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: Graham Rahal (No. 15), Pietro Fittipaldi (No. 30), Christian Lundgaard (No. 45), Takuma Sato (No. 75)

Dale Coyne Racing: Nolan Siegel (No. 18), Katherine Legge (No. 51)

Ed Carpenter Racing: Christian Rasmussen (No. 20), Rinus VeeKay (No. 21), Ed Carpenter (No. 33)

Dreyer and Reinbold/Cusick: Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 23), Conor Daly (No. 24)

Andretti Autosport: Colton Herta (No. 26), Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27), Marcus Ericsson (No. 28), Marco Andretti (No. 98)

Juncos Hollinger Racing: Romain Grosjean (No. 77), Agustin Canapino (No. 78)

Meyer Shank Racing: Helio Castroneves (No. 06), Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60), Tom Blomqvist (No. 66)

Indy 500 2024 drivers’ nationality

13 drivers are from the United States: Andretti, Carpenter, Daly, Ferrucci, Herta, Hunter-Reay, Kirkwood, Larson, Newgarden, Rahal, Robb, Rossi, Siegel

3 drivers are from England: Blomqvist, Ilott, Legge

3 drivers are from New Zealand: Armstrong, Dixon, McLaughlin

3 drivers are from Sweden: Ericsson, Lundqvist, Rosenqvist

2 drivers are from Brazil: Castroneves, Fittipaldi

2 drivers are from Denmark: Lundgaard, Rasmussen

1 driver is from each of these nations: Argentina (Canapino), Australia (Power), Bahamas (Simpson), Japan (Sato), Mexico (O’Ward), Netherlands (VeeKay), Spain (Palou), Switzerland (Grosjean)

Indianapolis 500 2024 engines

These teams use Honda engines: Andretti, Ganassi, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Meyer Shank, Coyne

These teams use Chevrolet engines: Arrow McLaren, Juncos Hollinger, Foyt, Penske, Carpenter, Dreyer and Reinbold/Cusick

Indy 500 2024 former winners in the race

Eight previous winners are entered in this year’s race: Castroneves (2001, ’02, ’09, ’21), Sato (2017, ’20), Dixon (’08), Hunter-Reay (’14), Rossi (’16), Power (’18), Ericsson (’22), Newgarden (’23).

Indianapolis 500 2024 rookies

These drivers are attempting to make the race for the first time: Armstrong, Blomqvist, Larson, Lundqvist, Rasmussen, Siegel, Simpson.

Indy 500 2024 driver facts

Includes car number, driver name, age, nationality, team, engine, Indy 500 history

No. 98 Marco Andretti: 37 years old from the United States (Nazareth, Pa.); drives for Andretti Global (Honda); 18 Indy 500 starts with a best finish of 2nd in his rookie season of 2006. He was the pole-sitter in 2020.

No. 11 Marcus Armstrong: 23 years old from New Zealand; drives for Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda). He is an Indy 500 rookie.

No. 66 Tom Blomqvist: 30 years old from England; drives for Meyer Shank Racing (Honda). He is an Indy 500 rookie.

No. 78 Agustin Canapino: 34 years old from Argentina; drives for Juncos Hollinger Racing (Chevrolet); he finished 26th as a rookie in 2023.

No. 33 Ed Carpenter: 42 years old from the United States (Indianapolis); drives for Ed Carpenter Racing (he’s IndyCar’s only owner/driver; Chevrolet); 20 Indy 500 starts with a best finish of 2nd in 2018. He is a three-time pole-sitter (2013, ’14, ’18).

No. 06 Helio Castroneves: 49 years old and is from Brazil; drives for Meyer Shank Racing (Honda); 23 Indy 500 starts, winning a record-sharing four times (2001, ’02, ’09, ’21). A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears have also won the race four times. Castroneves is a four-time pole-sitter (2003, ’07, ’09, ’10).

No. 24 Conor Daly: 32 years old from the United States (Noblesville, Indiana); drives for Dreyer and Reinbold/Cusick (Chevrolet); 10 Indy 500 starts with a best finish of 6th in 2022.

No. 9 Scott Dixon: 43 years old from New Zealand; drives for Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda); 21 Indy 500 starts, winning in 2008. He is a five-time pole-sitter (2008, ’15, ’17, ’21-22).

No. 28 Marcus Ericsson: 33 years old from Sweden; drives for Andretti Global (Honda); 4 Indy 500 starts, winning in 2022.

No. 14 Santino Ferrucci: 25 years old from the United States (Woodbury, Conn.); drives for A.J. Foyt Racing (Chevrolet); 5 Indy 500 starts (top-10 finish in all), with a best finish of 3rd in 2023.

No. 30 Pietro Fittipaldi: 27 years old from Brazil; drives for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda); he finished 25th in the 2021 Indy 500.

No. 77 Romain Grosjean: 37 years old from Switzerland, though he was born in France; drives for Juncos Hollinger Racing (Honda); best Indy 500 finish of 30th in 2023.

No. 26 Colton Herta: 24 years old from the United States (Valencia, Calif.); drives for Andretti Global (Honda); 5 Indy 500 starts, with a best finish of 8th in 2020.

No. 23 Ryan Hunter-Reay: 43 years old from the United States (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.); drives for Dreyer and Reinbold/Cusick (Chevrolet); 14 Indy 500 starts, winning in 2014.

No. 77 Callum Ilott: 25 years old from England; drives for Arrow McLaren (Chevrolet); 2 Indy 500 starts with a best finish of 12th in 2023.

No. 27 Kyle Kirkwood: 25 years old from the United States (Jupiter, Fla.); drives for Andretti Global (Honda); 2 Indy 500 starts; finished 17th as a rookie in 2022.

No. 17 Kyle Larson: 31 years old from the United States (Elk Grove, California); drives for Arrow McLaren and Hendrick (Chevrolet); he is an Indy 500 rookie attempting to drive Indy and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

No. 51 Katherine Legge: 43 years old from England; drives for Dale Coyne Racing (Honda); 3 Indy 500 starts, with a best finish of 12th in 2012. She is one of 9 women to race in the Indy 500.

No. 45 Christian Lundgaard: 22 years old from Denmark; drives for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda); 2 Indy 500 starts, finishing 18th in 2022.

No. 8 Linus Lundqvist: 25 years old from Sweden; drives for Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda); he is an Indy 500 rookie.

No. 3 Scott McLaughlin: 30 years old from New Zealand; drives Team Penske (Chevrolet); 3 Indy 500 starts, with a best finish of 14th in 2023.

No. 2 Josef Newgarden: 33 years old from the United States (Hendersonville, Tenn.); drives for Team Penske (Chevrolet); 12 Indy 500 starts, winning in 2023.

No. 5 Pato O’Ward: 25 years old from Mexico; drives for Arrow McLaren (Chevrolet); 4 Indy 500 starts, finishing 2nd in 2022.

No. 10 Alex Palou: 27 years old from Spain; drives for Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda); 4 Indy 500 starts, with a best finish of 2nd in 2021.

No. 12 Will Power: 43 years old from Australia; drives for Team Penske (Chevrolet); 16 Indy 500 starts, winning in 2018.

No. 15 Graham Rahal: 35 years old from the United States (Lexington, Ohio); drives for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda); he has been in 16 Indy 500s, with a best finish of 3rd in 2011 and ’20.

No. 20 Christian Rasmussen: 23 years old from Denmark; drives for Ed Carpenter Racing; he is an Indy 500 rookie.

No. 41 Sting Ray Robb: 22 years old from the United States (Payette, Idaho); drives for A.J. Foyt Racing (Chevrolet); he finished 31st as a rookie in 2023.

No. 60 Felix Rosenqvist: 31 years old from Sweden; drives for Meyer Shank Racing (Honda); 5 Indy 500 starts, with a best finish of 4th in 2022.

No. 7 Alexander Rossi: 32 years old from the United States (Auburn, Calif.); drives for Arrow McLaren (Chevrolet); 8 Indy 500 starts, winning as a rookie in 2016.

No. 75 Takuma Sato: 47 years old from Japan; drives for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Honda); 14 Indy 500 starts, winning in 2017 and ’20.

No. 18 Nolan Siegel: 19 years old from the United States (Palo Alto, California); drives for Dale Coyne Racing (Honda); he is an Indy 500 rookie.

No. 4 Kyffin Simpson: 19 years old from The Bahamas; drives for Chip Ganassi Racing (Honda); he is an Indy 500 rookie.

No. 21 Rinus VeeKay: 23 years old from the Netherlands; drives for Ed Carpenter Racing (Chevrolet); 4 Indy 500 starts, with a best finish of 8th in 2021.

IndyCar Series points standings

(Through May 11)

Alex Palou, 152
Will Power, 140
Colton Herta, 127
Scott Dixon, 127
Felix Rosenqvist, 107
Scott McLaughlin, 88
Pato O’Ward, 88
Kyle Kirkwood, 86
Christian Lundgaard, 84
Alexander Rossi, 70
Marcus Armstrong, 68
Graham Rahal, 63

Source link

Click to comment

Indianapolis, IN

Brief anti-ICE protest pops up on East 86th Street in north Indianapolis

Published

12 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Brief anti-ICE protest pops up on East 86th Street in north Indianapolis

Anti-ICE protesters lined up on both sides of East 86th Street, near the Monon Trail crossing, in Indianapolis on the afternoon of Jan. 10, 2026.

The group of roughly 200 people chanted, “this is what democracy looks like” and held up signs as vehicles drove by, with some drivers beeping in support.

“Since President Trump took office for his second term, it’s not normal and we can’t be conditioned anymore,” Peter Moore, a 48-year-old resident of Carmel, told IndyStar when asked why he was attending the protest. “The more we protest, the more of an effect we’re going to gradually have. I’m very encouraged by the response out here.”

More than 1,000 anti-ICE protests are scheduled nationwide for Jan. 10, and Jan. 11, following the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. Good, 37, was shot and killed on Jan. 7 by Jonathan Ross, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal officer based in Minnesota.

“We’re seeing U.S. citizens at risk, we’re seeing people’s safety at risk,” said Brittany Miller, 27-year-old Indianapolis resident, when asked why she was attending the protest. “Silence is compliance. If we don’t do something, if we don’t say something , I think we’re headed in a really scary way. If we keep showing up and keep pushing back, there’s power in the people.”

Anti-ICE protesters line up on East 86th Street in Indianapolis

Patti Freeman Dorson, a 69-year-old resident of Indianapolis, talks about why she attended an anti-ICE protest in Indianapolis on Jan. 10, 2026.

Anti-ICE protesters line up on East 86th Street in Indianapolis

Brittany Miller, a 27-year-old resident of Indianapolis, talks about why she joined an anti-ice protest on East 86th Street on Jan. 10, 2026.

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @Jake_Allen19.

Source link

Indianapolis, IN

How IMPD Chief Chris Bailey will center public safety as Hogsett’s new chief of staff

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

How IMPD Chief Chris Bailey will center public safety as Hogsett’s new chief of staff

After more than two decades in law enforcement, IMPD Chief Chris Bailey will move into one of the city’s top civilian roles.
In a sit-down interview, Bailey discussed how public safety is the start of good governance, Statehouse politics and his future political aspirations.
Bailey also discussed what he wants to see in the next Indianapolis police chief.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey says he didn’t see his new job coming.

He expected to remain police chief through the rest of Mayor Joe Hogsett’s third term, digging into IMPD’s core issues as part of a new five-year strategic plan that he oversaw. But after two years leading the police department, Bailey will become Hogsett’s chief of staff Feb. 2, moving from one of the city’s top law enforcement jobs to one of its most influential civilian roles.

The job, also known as chief deputy mayor, has been the source of controversy and repeated turnover. Bailey will be Hogsett’s fourth chief of staff in a decade as mayor.

Former Department of Public Works Director Dan Parker stepped down from the role Dec. 31, halfway through Hogsett’s third term, after more than three years as the mayor’s right-hand man.

The mayor’s first chief of staff, Thomas Cook, quietly resigned in late 2020 after Hogsett discovered Cook’s prohibited sexual relationship with a subordinate. In a 2024 IndyStar article, Lauren Roberts, Caroline Ellert and a third anonymous woman accused Cook of sexual misconduct; Ellert also accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2019. A Marion County grand jury is now investigating city development deals involving Cook, as well as allegations of “unlawful touching.”

In a sit-down interview with IndyStar Jan. 9, Bailey said none of that fraught history gave him pause as he considered the new job. “I’m focused on service and governing,” he said.

To that end, Bailey’s more than two decades of law enforcement experience — starting as an IMPD patrol officer in 1999 and rising through the ranks to become chief in February 2024 — taught him something that he plans to keep top of mind: Good governance starts with public safety.

Bailey also discussed how he will navigate tensions over violent crime between the Democrat-led capital city and the Republican-dominated state legislature, what the city needs in its next police chief and whether he plans to run for political office someday.

Read the full Q&A with Bailey below:

IndyStar’s full Q&A with incoming Chief of Staff Chris Bailey

This conversation has been edited for length, brevity and clarity.

Question: In late December, you told an IndyStar colleague the following: “The average tenure for a police chief is about three years. My goal while I’m here is to do the right thing, and to leave this organization better than I got it.” So you’ve been chief for two years. Was the offer to become chief of staff a surprise? Why leave IMPD now?

Answer: Yeah, it’s a surprise. It wasn’t on my bingo card to be the chief of staff for a major metropolitan city mayor.

But as I contemplated the offer, I think everything in my career, in my life, has set me up for this opportunity, and it’s always been an interest of mine to govern. I did that as a police chief. I wasn’t really a police officer, as a police chief — I was an administrator. I managed a $350 million budget, 1,800 employees responsible for the safety of millions of people that either live or visit and come and go in our city every single day.

My intention when I said ‘yes’ to the mayor to take the police chief’s job was to finish this term as the police chief, and then walk away. But as fate has it, the opportunity came. And after careful reflection and discussions with my family, I thought it would be a great opportunity to help continue my service to the city.

And it will be a different way of serving. How will the ways you try to influence the city’s direction as chief of staff differ from how you did so as police chief?

I think that leadership generally is about people and relationships. And I think I’ve done a good job, from my time as deputy chief of investigations through assistant chief and chief, of building relationships across the political spectrum, across our city, across our state and across our country. [Through] my work with the Major Cities Chiefs Association, I have friendships with chiefs all over the country, and that allows me to have great perspectives and understand things that are happening in whatever city, things that may come here eventually.

A lot of people [make this transition], and I didn’t realize that until one of my close advisers sent me a bunch of articles about all these police chiefs that transfer to city manager, to public safety director, and some even to mayor — which, by the way, I have no interest in. So I’ll just answer that question for you now.

But [there are] skills that you learn in those positions, managing people, navigating obstacles, working through interdepartmental issues. An issue for [the Department of Public Works] is an issue for the police. An issue for [the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services] is an issue for the police. [Working] through those issues has prepared me for this role, and for Mayor Hogsett to see that is truly an honor for me.

On that note, after more than two decades in policing, what perspective will you bring to the mayor’s office about how public policy decided up here on the 25th floor of the City-County Building affects what’s happening on the ground in neighborhoods?

Everything that we do as a government revolves around public safety to start. If you don’t feel safe in your neighborhood, if you don’t feel like a city is safe, then you don’t come here. You don’t visit here. You don’t live here. You don’t raise your family here. You don’t invest your money here.

I think having that perspective helps lead everything else among the priorities that the mayor has: better roads, investments in parks, ending chronic homelessness, removing the barriers for housing, making the price of housing more affordable so people can have a home and then create some generational wealth that comes along with being a homeowner. All those things play a part, with public safety being at the top of that.

As chief of staff, how will you handle the often contentious relationship between the mayor’s office and the state legislature, whose members frequently are talking about intervention in local law enforcement after episodes of violent crime?

I really am going to lean into the example that was set by [former Chief of Staff] Dan Parker. Dan Parker has a great relationship with people at the state on both sides of the aisle, and I think that our shared interests are to make sure that Indianapolis is great.

Same thing with me: I’ve spent a lot of time being apolitical and being focused on doing what’s right and what’s best for the people of this city and working with both sides of the [Indianapolis City-County] Council, with both sides of the General Assembly, to pass bills like the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force bill or to work with the council on a bipartisan effort to help us combat issues related to street takeovers and street racing.

I think when the focus is on governing, which is mine — I am not an elected person — and so my obligation is to every single person who lives, works and visits Indianapolis. Politics play a part in everyday life. I play politics at home with my kids. You can’t escape it. But I’m here to govern and work with people to make Indianapolis better tomorrow than it is today.

Obviously, there’s been some turnover in the chief of staff role. Currently, development contracts involving Hogsett’s first chief of staff, Thomas Cook, are being looked at by a Marion County grand jury. There’s been a lot of strife over the last year and a half regarding Cook’s impact in this role. Did any of that give you pause when you considered taking the role as chief of staff?

No, because my focus is on the city. Everything I have in my life is because of this city. I’m focused on service and governing.

There’s challenges in every single administration and every single agency within any giant enterprise. There’s been steps taken to mitigate issues related to those things, but what I’m focused on now is continuing to push Mayor Hogsett’s agenda forward for the next two years and making sure that the people of Indianapolis have what they need to live in the greatest city in the country, in my opinion.

Moving to your current department: Now IMPD will be without a chief. What do you want to see from the next police chief, and are there any specific people you’ll vouch for to the mayor?

Between myself and [former IMPD Chief Randal Taylor], and my time as assistant chief and now as chief, we’ve spent a really large amount of time creating a deep bench and a leadership legacy within the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. And I’m proud of our team. Any successes that we’ve had in my tenure as a chief … you can give [my team] credit for them, and our officers, our professional staff, and our partnerships in the community and other city enterprises.

So I think we all want someone who is visible, who is supportive, who will listen, who is accessible in the community, who is service-oriented, who understands what our mission is, who understands what the goals are that we’ve worked together on in the last two years. … And there’s someone within our existing team that I think fits that bill. Multiple people.

So the mayor’s choice is going to be very hard. I’ll provide input in all that, and whoever he decides on will be a much better chief than I could ever have imagined.

Do you think it’s important that someone from the current rank and file is promoted from within?

I think at this time, where we are right now, the best candidate to be police chief comes from right here within our department.

During your time as chief, IMPD dealt with some controversies related to outbursts of downtown violence, a number of officers being charged with sex crimes. Are there regrets from your time as police chief that you want the next chief to focus on improving?  

Yeah, those are challenges. Any time you’re dealing with human beings, you’re going to have people that unfortunately step out from under their oath. And those things have to be dealt with. I think what you saw from us is that those things were dealt with, they were dealt with quickly and in the right way. It’s super unfortunate that it happened.

I think I could have done a better job at fixing our recruitment and retention issues. This is a national issue, no doubt. The issues of 2020 and George Floyd and the racial reckoning, and all the things that occurred over the last five years in policing, definitely have impacted people who want to be police not just in Indianapolis, but across the country. There were tremendous investments made by Mayor Hogsett in starting pay in this last labor agreement to push our pay up significantly. And this is a great job if you have a mind for service.

So I want the next chief to really — and it was going to be part of our strategic plan — to dive deeper into hiring practices. The whole process, from start to finish, which includes recruiting and all those things. We had just gotten started in doing some of those things and I have no doubt the next chief will continue those efforts to improve that area.

You said you won’t run for mayor. That’s not in the works. Does this new job mean that you’re thinking of a future in elected office?

I didn’t expect this job, and so I don’t know what the future holds. I may have my fill of governing in the next two years and just want to escape to some deserted island and stare at a palm tree. I don’t know.

I don’t want to box myself into anything, but at this point, I have no desire to run for political office.

Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.

Source link

Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis Colts highest and lowest PFF grades on offense in 2025

Published

2 days ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Indianapolis Colts highest and lowest PFF grades on offense in 2025

These Colts’ players on offense received the highest and lowest PFF grades over the 2025 NFL season.

With the Indianapolis Colts’ season now behind us, let’s take a look at which players on offense received the highest and lowest grades from Pro Football Focus.

Below is a look at PFF’s grading system for some context. While this metric is very helpful when it comes to quantifying a player’s performance, PFF’s grading system isn’t the be-all and end-all either. It is one metric out of many that are out there.

90.0+: Elite
80-89.9: High quality
70-79.9: Good
60-69.9: Above average
50-59.9: Average
40-49.9: Below average
39.9 or less: Poor

Now, here are the Colts’ five highest graded players on offense from the 2025 NFL season.

Colts’ five highest graded players for 2025 season

LG Quenton Nelson: 84.5
C Tanor Bortolini: 82.6
LT Bernhard Raimann: 82.0
WR Alec Pierce: 79.3
RB Jonathan Taylor

In both pass-blocking efficiency and run-blocking grade, Nelson was one of the highest-rated guards in all of football by PFF’s metrics. Bortolini wasn’t credited with allowing any sacks, but what really boosted his overall grade was his performance as a run-blocker.

Raimann was steady across the board, grading out very well as both a run blocker and pass blocker.

Pierce led the Colts in receiving, totaling over 1,000 yards, and he also led the NFL in yards per catch. Taylor was the NFL’s second-leading rusher this season.

Colts’ three lowest graded players in 2025

OL Dalton Tucker: 39.3
QB Phillip Rivers: 51.0
WR Anthony Gould: 52.0

Tucker’s pass-blocking grade is what brought down his overall grade. He allowed eight pressures and two sacks in just 86 pass-blocking snaps.

Remember at the beginning of this I said take these grades with a grain of salt? Rivers’ grade is an example of that. Overall, he provided the Colts’ with stability at quarterback and kept them in games. However, the late interceptions and lack of explosive plays brought his grade down.

Gould has a very small sample size to pull from, but of his two receptions, he generated just six yards of offense.

Source link