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

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Indianapolis, IN

Fighting Illini begin Final Four preparations in Indianapolis

Published

11 hours ago

April 3, 2026

Press Room

Fighting Illini begin Final Four preparations in Indianapolis – CBS Chicago

Watch CBS News

The Fighting Illini hit the court for their first practice on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Final Four matchup against Connecticut.

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Indianapolis, IN

Final Four Fan Fest, concerts in Indy feature some big names

Published

23 hours ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

Final Four Fan Fest, concerts in Indy feature some big names

Heading to Indianapolis for the 2026 Final Four?

There’s plenty beyond basketball to keep you busy with fan events and concerts popping up across downtown Indy to mark the April 4 and 6 games at Lucas Oil Stadium — plus the Division II, Division III and NIT championships taking place back-to-back-to-back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse April 5.

Concerts featuring Twenty One Pilots, Zac Brown Band, Post Malone and Megan Moroney are the headliners. There will be an additional music festival, a dribbling contest through the city and what the NCAA is dubbing a multi-day “sports wonderland” at the Indiana Convention Center are on tap for the extended Final Four weekend. Here’s your guide to everything downtown will have to offer.

Swish 2026

April 3-6. Around downtown. Live music, art and giveaways. Free. indyarts.org/swish-2026

More than 200 local artists, performers, vendors and chefs will be part of the family-friendly festival, where visitors can grab free commemorative posters and postcards by Herron School of Art and Design students. The Indy Arts Council, Indiana Sports Corp, Forty5 Presents, Ganggang, Epicurean Indy, and the Local Organizing Committee for the 2026 NCAA Men’s Final Four are putting on the celebrations. Events include:

Noon-6 p.m. each day: Live music performances by central Indiana musicians, dancers and spoken-word poets at Monument Circle, 1 Virginia Ave., PNC Plaza, Starbucks at 30 S. Meridian St. and sites to be announced
Sidewalk Galleries: Vinyl-wrapped storefront murals and poems as well as mural-wrapped traffic signal boxes and art installations at the Indianapolis International Airport
11 a.m.-4 p.m. April 4: Epicurean Market and MOKAO, with more than 50 vendors an international market with food, artisan coffee and chocolate. At the Stutz, 1060 N. Capitol Ave. epicureanindy.com
Sampson Levingston will lead walk and talk tours about college basketball history in downtown’s Mile Square. Reserve free tickets at tinyurl.com/3sdknyc9
March 27-April 4: The Asante Art Institute will present the play “A Touch of Glory” about the 1955 Crispus Attucks Tigers, the first all-black school in the country to win a high school basketball state championship. At the Basile Theatre at the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St. $30-$45.

Final Four Fan Fest

April 3-6. Indiana Convention Center, 100 S. Capitol Ave. $10 tickets until March 29, $15 during event week. Tickets here and more info here.

The Indiana Convention Center will host games, activations, music, celebrity appearances and more throughout the Final Four extended weekend. Free entry for kids under 12 (with accompanying purchase of adult ticket), Final Four game ticketholders, military personnel, college students with valid school ID and Capital One cardholders.

April 3: noon-6 p.m.
April 4: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
April 5: noon-6 p.m.
April 6: noon-8 p.m.

Final Four Friday

April 3, 10 a.m.-3:35 p.m. Lucas Oil Stadium, 500 S. Capitol Ave. Free entry. More info here.

Lucas Oil Stadium will open its doors for a USA Basketball 3×3 exhibition game Friday morning, followed by open practices from the Final Four teams. Final Four Friday will conclude with the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-Star Game, featuring the top seniors in Division I basketball. All-Star players will also sign autographs at the South End of Lucas Oil near section 138.

March Madness Music Festival

April 3-5. American Legion Mall, 700 N. Pennsylvania St. Free entry. More info here.

Downtown’s American Legion Mall will host a three-day music festival with a lineup of major artists and performers. The festival will kick off April 3 with the AT&T Block Party, followed by Coca Cola Live April 4 and the Capital One JamFest finale April 5. Alternative duo Twenty One Pilots, country group Zac Brown Band and a double bill of country hip-hop superstar Post Malone and surging pop country star Megan Moroney will headline April 3, 4 and 5, respectively.

Check out the schedule below:

April 3: 4:30-10 p.m.
April 4: 3:30-10 p.m.
April 5: 2-10 p.m.

The NCAA has also announced a Madness After Dark event, which will feature a DJ set from EDM duo The Chainsmokers, to take place after the April 4 performances. The event will run from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Indiana Rooftop Ballroom, located at 140 W. Washington St.

Men’s Final Four Dribble

April 5 at 1 p.m. Carroll Stadium (1001 W. New York St.) to Victory Field (501 W. Maryland St.). Free registration. Registration here and more info here.

Participants 18 and under will dribble a basketball along a one-mile course from IU Indianapolis’ Carroll Stadium to Victory Field. The first 3,000 to register will receive a t-shirt, basketball and free entry to the Final Four Fan Fest.

Men’s Final Four Tip-Off Tailgate

April 3-6. 126 E. Georgia St. Free entry. More info here.

Downtown Indianapolis will offer free watch parties for both the Men’s and Women’s Final Four along Georgia Street. The festivities will also include games, activations and giveaways.

April 3: 4-11 p.m.
April 4: 1-11 p.m.
April 5: noon-6 p.m.
April 6: 4-11 p.m.

Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.

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Indianapolis, IN

WRTV’s new owner promised more news. It fired the staff. | Opinion

Published

1 day ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

WRTV’s new owner promised more news. It fired the staff. | Opinion

Circle City Broadcasting promised to serve the public, then gutted a newsroom after the federal government gave it a pass to violate an antimonopoly law.

Circle City Broadcasting, the parent company of WISH-TV and WNDY-TV, closed on a deal to buy WRTV for $83 million earlier this week. The deal went through after the federal government gave it a pass to violate an antimonopoly rule, claiming it would serve the public interest.

Mass layoffs at WRTV immediately followed. That’s bad for local journalism and is not in the public interest of Indianapolis viewers.

Circle City can’t blame finances for the layoffs

Immediately after Circle City Broadcasting purchased WRTV, former staff members reported on social media that they were fired along with a large portion of the WRTV staff.

Kyle Mounce, a meteorologist, said “the staff at WRTV was shown the door today.” Chief Meteorologist Todd Klaassen confirmed “essentially the entire staff was let go.” Nico Pennisi, a downtown Indianapolis community reporter, and Nicole Griffin, an anchor, both confirmed on social media it was their last day at WRTV.

There’s no doubt that broadcast media is facing a crisis of shrinking ratings. That has led to financial issues, consolidation and layoffs in the past.

However, Circle City Broadcasting made it very clear in FCC filings one of its main reasons for purchasing WRTV was to use the ABC affiliate to access advertising revenue. WRTV is also a higher-ranked station in the Indianapolis media market than Circle City Broadcasting’s own WISH-TV or WNDY-TV.

If the station has higher ratings and more access to advertising revenue, there’s no legitimate financial reason for laying off staff.

If around a dozen physical and digital print media publications can find ways to innovate and sustain themselves in Indianapolis, despite technological advancements and without treating their employees like indentured servants, so can broadcast media.

Circle City Broadcasting’s anticompetitive behavior

In Circle City Broadcasting’s case, the consolidation and mass layoffs reflect a troubling pattern.

The company has forced WISH-TV employees to sign wildly restrictive non-compete clauses, banning them from working in nearly any form of media — including social media and podcasts — for a year after leaving the station.

While such clauses are legal for now, they aren’t moral or consistent with free-market economics. The Indiana General Assembly recently invalidated similar types of agreements between hospitals and physicians.

The exchange between Circle City Broadcasting and E.W. Scripps, the former owner of WRTV, furthered both companies’ efforts to secure local media monopolies.

E.W. Scripps sold WRTV to help fund the reacquisition of 23 ION-affiliated stations it divested in 2021 to comply with FCC ownership rules. The company said it will “seek waivers from the FCC to the extent such rules are still in effect.”

Local news monopolies aren’t in the public interest

Circle City Broadcasting said it is committed “to investing the resulting increased revenue into the Stations to deliver even greater local news, sports, and public affairs programming.”

The company’s actions contradict that commitment. Circle City Broadcasting may as well have just bought the naming rights to the station or secured an affiliation agreement with another large media company.

That could have helped grow local journalism. Instead, a part of it was destroyed.

Dujuan McCoy, owner of Circle City Broadcasting, in a statement responding to a post I made on X claimed “following our initial transition, WRTV-ABC will increase to more than 30 hours of live local news and entertainment programming per week — distinct and separate from the 90 hours of WISH-TV’s content that we currently air.”

That would be seven more hours per week than WRTV was broadcasting before, according to McCoy — but it’s not consistent with immediately laying off the station’s staff, and it’s unclear how he plans to deliver on that promise with a decimated newsroom. More newscasting doesn’t equate to more original local journalism.

The work of journalists — discovering new information, elevating community voices and bringing attention to hyperlocal issues that would otherwise not be heard — cannot be replaced.

Contact Jacob Stewart at 317-444-4683 or jacob.stewart@indystar.com. Follow him on X, Instagram and TikTok.

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