The checkered flag is waving on 2024, and what was an thrilling season for the IndyCar collection. This 12 months noticed the primary back-to-back Indy 500 champion topped since Helio Castroneves completed the feat again in 2002. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou additionally nabbed his personal back-to-back victory — taking dwelling the Astor Cup because the season champ for a second 12 months in a row. The North American premier open-wheel collection additionally put its new hybrid models by way of their paces, The Milwaukee Mile made its return to the calendar in a doubleheader weekend, and to shut the season out, the Nashville race stepped away from its downtown venue to conclude on the Superspeedway.
As a result of it was such an eventful 12 months, selecting the highest 5 races of the season got here right down to a number of elements: the standard of racing, the end, a standout efficiency, passing, after which just a few flat-out good ol’ depth. With that in thoughts, let’s dive into it.
Patricio O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Photograph by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Pictures
5. Mid-Ohio
The unprecedented debut of the hybrid had a whole lot of consideration going into the Mid-Ohio race weekend, but it surely was the battle for the win that saved everybody’s consideration by way of to the checkered flag.
However that is not how issues began. The inexperienced flag waved and the race seemed to be headed for a sleep fest courtesy of polesitter Alex Palou opening up a lead of roughly 8s. However Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward started to reel within the Chip Ganassi driver, inching nearer with each lap earlier than a crescendo on lap 56 of 80, when Palou stumbled out of the pits, which was all O’Ward wanted to carry out an out of doors go and take the lead when the 2 met in Flip 1.
O’Ward did not take the lead and run although, and Palou continued his pursuit to recapture the primary spot. The 2 caught as much as again markers within the remaining laps, which allowed Palou an opportunity to shut. The Mexican absorbed the stress, sliding out of the ultimate nook and throughout the end line by simply 0.4993s forward of Palou in a character-building win.
4. Milwaukee 2
Scott McLaughlin, Crew Penske Chevrolet
Photograph by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Pictures
This spot might have been held for both race of the doubleheader weekend in IndyCar’s return to The Milwaukee Mile. What put the nightcap version over the opening race was, merely put, how wild it was from the tempo laps all over to the end.
Palou’s grip on the championship lead appeared to loosen when {an electrical} subject left him unable to take the inexperienced flag. The Spaniard sat behind the wall for the opening 29 laps, earlier than he was in a position to return to the observe and transfer up the working order whereas chaos struck different opponents, together with Will Energy, who spun on a late restart and misplaced out on maximizing the factors dent.
A restart with simply 12 laps to go arrange a livid end, with Crew Penske’s Scott McLaughlin warding off a charging Dixon to say his second oval victory and third of the season by simply 0.4558s. The race featured 13 lead adjustments amongst seven drivers, with 177 of the 763 whole passes being for place.
3. Lengthy Seaside
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Photograph by: Jake Galstad
Lastly, a weekend to notice the place Dixon wasn’t the one on a late cost. One have a look at the stat sheet to see six lead adjustments amongst eight drivers on the historic 1.668-mile non permanent road circuit would possibly undersell why Lengthy Seaside even belongs on this listing. Enable me to teach you on what was a masterclass drive of technique, gasoline saving, and defending as Dixon, a six-time collection champion, pulled off one the most effective performances of his profession.
An early warning on lap 15 allowed Dixon to pit two laps later — a choice that race chief Energy additionally opted for. For comparability, others have been additionally on a two-stop technique, however made their respective first stops of the race between laps 29-32 of the 85-lap race. The prolonged run was one which solely Dixon was in a position to handle although, as Energy light late in an effort to avoid wasting gasoline and completed sixth.
Dixon fought to defend the highest spot, slowing within the corners and charging off to maintain Herta behind. It took each ounce of gasoline — and a few fumes — for Dixon to expertly handle a magical 34-lap stint en path to claiming his 57th victory.
2. Nashville
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Checkered Flag
Photograph by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Pictures
Sure, the championship finale was a bit anticlimactic. Energy’s odd seatbelt malfunction compelled the champion contender to pit simply 12 laps into the race — just about handing Palou his second consecutive title. Nonetheless, for all of the weird hoopla that existed within the race transitioning from Nashville’s downtown streets to its superspeedway, it nonetheless managed to be a reasonably rattling good present.
It will be the unpredictability (and self-admitted pessimism by me) of a long-awaited return to the oval and distinctive multi-choice tire combos that turned this one into a pleasing shock. The 206-lap contest was solely interrupted by three cautions, with a plethora of back-and-forth all through the sphere that resulted in 653 whole passes (237 for place).
At one level, it appeared like Kirkwood was going to win, then David Malukas in a Meyer Shank Racing Honda, then O’Ward. The ultimate laps noticed each O’Ward and Herta in a tussle for the highest spot as the 2 cut up by way of lapped site visitors. Ultimately, it was Herta placing an exclamation level on his resurgent season, capturing his first oval win and surging as much as second within the championship standings after Energy’s ill-timed seat belt subject.
#5: Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, #2: Josef Newgarden, Crew Penske Chevrolet
Photograph by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Pictures
1. Indianapolis 500
Mom Nature put an early (literal) damper on the day, however as soon as the sphere of 33 rolled off the grid there was nothing however fireworks on show. The month-long buzz surrounded 2021 NASCAR Cup Sequence champion Kyle Larson, making his Indy 500 debut in a joint effort with Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports — and even by way of some studying points, he was as quick as marketed.
If the 48 lead adjustments amongst 16 completely different opponents wasn’t sufficient, there have been 596 passes for place all through the sphere. Nothing, although, might put together anybody for one of many best finishes in a race over a century as Josef Newgarden and O’Ward sparred during the last handful of laps. O’Ward pushed by the Tennessee native with 5 laps to go, just for Newgarden to return the favor the next lap.
As a substitute of instantly firing again, O’Ward stalked Newgarden earlier than pushing by with an out of doors go alongside the entrance straightaway as the 2 took the white flag. O’Ward led the pair into Flip 1 after which tried to interrupt any tow Newgarden might get coming off Flip 2, however the Penske pilot opted to carry his line and never scrub any velocity — closing in on O’Ward.
Newgarden managed to get alongside his rival and made a daring exterior go into Flip 3, closing right down to the within lane with momentum as he propelled by the younger Mexican, who then misplaced all air on his entrance wing which trigger the automotive to get pushed up — practically lacking the wall.
Newgarden went on to win, changing into the primary to go back-to-back in “The Biggest Spectacle in Racing” since Castroneves in 2001-02.
Honorable mentions: Toronto and Gateway
The Streets of Toronto supplied the most effective treatment for Colton Herta to snap a 40-race winless streak that dated again to 2022. Though he led 81 of 85 laps from pole, the closing phases noticed Andretti World teammate Kyle Kirkwood shut the hole and put into defending the crew’s 1-2 end from the charging Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of Scott Dixon. Herta ended up solely 0.3469s forward of Kirkwood, with Dixon 0.9680s behind.
And Gateway actually had a bit little bit of the whole lot. Whereas there have been 21 lead adjustments amongst 11 drivers and 676 passes on the night time. There have been additionally loads of clashes with six cautions that made up 49 of the 260 laps. The lasting reminiscence that left a bitter style for a lot of adopted a controversial late restart by Crew Penske’s Josef Newgarden, finally main to an enormous crash that collected a number of drivers, together with his teammate Energy, who supplied a one-finger salute in return. Newgarden went on to win the race.
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