MAY 22, 2024
Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 08:21AM 
Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Team Penske Pennzoil Chevrolet) won the NTT P1 Award in Firestone Fast Six qualifying for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, leading only the second front row sweep by one team in the history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Team Penske first achieved the feat in 1988, with Rick Mears on the pole, Danny Sullivan starting second and Al Unser third. It was the first career Indianapolis 500 pole for McLaughlin, who also set the fastest four-lap average pole speed in the history of the race of 234.220 mph. McLaughlin’s best qualifying position in three previous Indianapolis 500 starts was 14th in 2023. “Welcome to the party,” McLaughlin said. “The Pennzoil Chevy was unreal. There’s so much pride in being able to do it. I’m working hard. Indy hasn’t been kind to me, and a lot of it was my doing. I need to work on things. This is the first step. The Thirsty 3’s, baby, we’re coming.”
Reigning “500” winner and two-time series champion Josef Newgarden will round out the front row after his run of 233.808 in the No. 2 Team Penske Shell Powering Progress Chevrolet. It was the record-extending 19th Indianapolis 500 pole for Team Penske in the hottest day of this year’s event, with air temperatures reaching 91 degrees and track temperatures topping out at 129 degrees. Chevrolet-powered drivers swept the top eight spots in the 33-car field for the race Sunday, May 26. Watch the qualifying highlights here.
Facts and figures about the starting field for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, courtesy of INDYCAR media:
- Scott McLaughlin earned his first career Indianapolis 500 pole. He is the first New Zealand native and the second New Zealand citizen to win a pole for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Scott Dixon, who is a New Zealand citizen but was born in Australia, has won five Indianapolis 500 poles.
- Scott McLaughlin's best qualifying position in three previous Indianapolis 500 starts was 14th in 2023.
- Scott McLaughlin produced the fastest four-lap average speed in history for an Indianapolis 500 pole winner, 234.220 mph. The previous record was 234.217 set in 2023 by Alex Palou. Arie Luyendyk set the all-time four-lap qualifying average speed record of 236.986 in 1996, but his run came on the second day of qualifications and wasn't eligible for the pole.
- Team Penske earned its record-extending 19th Indianapolis 500 pole. The team's last pole was delivered by Simon Pagenaud in 2019. Team Penske also has a record 19 Indianapolis 500 victories.
- Team Penske swept the front row for the Indianapolis 500 for just the second time in Indianapolis 500 history, with Scott McLaughlin on pole, Will Power second and Josef Newgarden third. Team Penske first achieved the feat in 1988 with Rick Mears on pole, Danny Sullivan second and Al Unser third.
- In 1988, pole sitter Rick Mears drove a yellow Pennzoil-sponsored car, No. 2 starter Danny Sullivan was a one-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, and No. 3 starter Al Unser was the defending winner of the "500." This year, Scott McLaughlin drives a Pennzoil-sponsored car, No. 2 starter Will Power is a one-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, and No. 3 starter Josef Newgarden is the defending winner of the "500."
- Chevrolet-powered drivers earned the first eight starting spots this year. The last time one manufacturer earned as many of the top starting spots was 2013, when Chevy took the top 10 starting positions.
- This is the 10th time car No. 3 has won the Indianapolis 500 pole. The last time was 2010 with Helio Castroneves of Team Penske. Car No. 1 has won the pole a record 13 times.
- This is the second-fastest starting field in Indianapolis 500 history, with an average speed of 231.943 mph. The record of 232.184 mph was set last year.
- This is the second-fastest front row in Indianapolis 500 history, with an average speed of 233.981 mph. The record of 234.181 mph was set last year.
- Kyle Larson turned the fastest qualifying lap by a rookie in Indianapolis 500 history, 233.453 mph on the first lap of his Top 12 Qualifying attempt. The previous record was 233.297 by Benjamin Pedersen in 2023.
- Kyle Larson recorded the second-fastest four-lap qualifying average by a rookie in Indianapolis 500 history, 232.846 mph. The record is 233.100 set by Tony Stewart in 1996.
- There are eight former Indianapolis 500 winners in the starting field: Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021), Scott Dixon (2008), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Takuma Sato (2017, 2020), Will Power (2018), Marcus Ericsson (2022) and Josef Newgarden (2023). Between them, they have 12 victories. The record for most former winners in the field is 10, in 1992. The fewest, other than the inaugural race in 1911, is zero in 1912.
- There are six rookies in the field: Kyle Larson (starting fifth), Marcus Armstrong (16th), Kyffin Simpson (18th), Christian Rasmussen (24th), Tom Blomqvist (25th) and Linus Lundqvist (27th).
- Other than the six rookies, Pietro Fittipaldi is the only driver in the field who didn't start the race in 2023. Fittipaldi's last start was in 2021.
- Helio Castroneves is the most experienced driver in the field, with 23 previous Indianapolis 500 starts. The record is 35, set in consecutive years from 1958-1992 by A.J. Foyt.
- Scott Dixon has led 665 career laps in the Indianapolis 500, the all-time event record. The only other driver in the field who has led more than 200 laps is Helio Castroneves (326).
- The oldest driver in the starting field is Helio Castroneves, 49 years, 16 days on Race Day. The youngest driver is Kyffin Simpson, 19 years, 230 days. A.J. Foyt is the oldest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. He was 57 years, 128 days old when he made his last start in 1992. A.J. Foyt IV is the youngest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. His 19th birthday was on Race Day, 2003.
- Helio Castroneves will be older on Race Day than Al Unser when he became the oldest winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1987 at age 47 years, 360 days old.
- Kyffin Simpson will be younger on Race Day than Troy Ruttman when he became the youngest winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1952 at age 22 years, 80 days old.
- Twenty different drivers in this year's field have led a total of 2,279 laps in previous Indianapolis 500s.
- There are a combined 222 previous Indianapolis 500 starts among the 33 drivers in this year's field. The record is 260 years of experience, set in 1987 and 1992. There were 235 years of combined experience in last year's field.
- The most-experienced row in this year's starting lineup is Row 7, with a combined 62 career starts (Marco Andretti 18, Helio Castroneves 23, Scott Dixon 21). The least-experienced rows are Rows 8 and 9, with two combined career starts (Row 8: Agustin Canapino 1, Sting Ray Robb 1, Christian Rasmussen 0; Row 9; Tom Blomqvist 0, Romain Grosjean 2, Linus Lundqvist 0).
- There are seven former Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year in this year's field. The record is nine, in 1991 and 2021.
Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracles Red Bull Racing) returned to winning ways after missing out in Miami by taking victory in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with the Dutchman holding off an exciting late charge from Lando Norris (No. 4 McLaren Formula 1 Team). After Verstappen built up a solid lead in the early stages following a good launch from pole position, the Red Bull star enjoyed a mostly serene drive around the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, until Norris's McLaren began to close the gap from P2 as the race reached its latter stages. A thrilling end to the event ensued as Norris continued to cut into Verstappen’s advantage, but a snap of oversteer seemed to take further life out of the McLaren driver’s aging tires, allowing Verstappen to hold onto P1 by just 0.725s as the checkered flag was waved. Despite looking to be on Norris’s tail in the fight for P2 earlier in the event, Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) had to settle for the final podium position of third in front of Ferrari’s home fans, while Oscar Piastri (No. 81 McLaren Formula 1 Team) claimed P4 in a solid drive for McLaren. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)
(Tereza Mundilová © BMW AG)
The 20th BMW Art Car celebrated its world premiere on Tuesday evening at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. The internationally renowned New York artist Julie Mehretu designed the No. 20 BMW M Hybrid V8, which will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 15-16, as a “performative painting” based on one of her artworks. The event, attended by several hundred invited guests, was also attended by the artist, as well as Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “The BMW Art Cars are an essential part of our global cultural commitment. For almost 50 years, we have been collaborating with artists who are just as fascinated by mobility and design as they are by technology and motorsports. Julie Mehretu's vision for a racing car is an extraordinarily strong contribution to our BMW Art Cars series,” said Zipse.
(Tereza Mundilová © BMW AG)
(Tereza Mundilová © BMW AG)
Mehretu explained her approach: “The whole BMW Art Car project is about invention, about imagination, about pushing limits of what can be possible. I don’t think of this car as something you would exhibit. I am thinking of it as something that will race at Le Mans. It’s a performative painting. My BMW Art Car was created in close collaboration with motorsport and engineering teams. It is only completed once the race is over.”
Editor's Note: This is our dearly departed billboard, which we had at Road America for several years. Peter gifted the phrase "America's National Park of Speed" to the track, which now uses it proudly in all of its communications. -WG
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG