Counting down the highest 5 greatest IndyCar races of 2024

The checkered flag is waving on 2024, and what was an thrilling season for the IndyCar collection. This yr 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 yr in a row. The North American premier open-wheel collection additionally put its new hybrid models by means 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 yr, selecting the highest 5 races of the season got here right down to a number of components: 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.

5. Mid-Ohio

The unprecedented debut of the hybrid had loads of consideration going into the Mid-Ohio race weekend, nevertheless it was the battle for the win that saved everybody’s consideration by means 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 nap 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 outdoor cross 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 strain, 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, Staff Penske Chevrolet

Picture by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Photos

This spot may 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 through to the end.

Palou’s grip on the championship lead appeared to loosen when {an electrical} challenge left him unable to take the inexperienced flag. The Spaniard sat behind the wall for the opening 29 laps, earlier than he was capable of return to the observe and transfer up the operating 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 Staff Penske’s Scott McLaughlin heading 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 complete passes being for place.

3. Lengthy Seashore

Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Picture 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 short-term avenue circuit may undersell why Lengthy Seashore even belongs on this record. Enable me to coach you on what was a masterclass drive of technique, gasoline saving, and defending as Dixon, a six-time collection champion, pulled off one the perfect performances of his profession.

An early warning on lap 15 allowed Dixon to pit two laps later — a call that race chief Energy additionally opted for. For comparability, others had 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 capable of 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

Picture by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Photos

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. Nevertheless, 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 fairly rattling good present.

It might 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 sector that resulted in 653 complete 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 break up by means of lapped 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 challenge.

#5: Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, #2: Josef Newgarden, Staff Penske Chevrolet

Picture by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Photos

1. Indianapolis 500

Mom Nature put an early (literal) damper on the day, however as soon as the sector of 33 rolled off the grid there was nothing however fireworks on show. The month-long buzz surrounded 2021 NASCAR Cup Collection champion Kyle Larson, making his Indy 500 debut in a joint effort with Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports — and even by means 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 sector. Nothing, although, may put together anybody for one of many biggest finishes in a race over a century as Josef Newgarden and O’Ward sparred over the past 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 outdoor cross 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 may 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 outdoors cross 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 — almost lacking the wall.

Newgarden went on to win, turning 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 perfect 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 levels noticed Andretti International teammate Kyle Kirkwood shut the hole and put into defending the workforce’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 every little thing. 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 Staff 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.