2024 Indy 500 updates (2024)

Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman, said on the NBC broadcast that, so far, “I think we still have every intention to get (Kyle Larson) to Charlotte.”

Gordon said he wants to see Larson run the Indy 500, and “we’ll figure out when we can get him to Charlotte”

Each week, The Athletic asks the same 12 questions to a different race car driver. Up here: Kyle Larson, the NASCAR Cup Series points leader who will be attempting the famed “Double” on Sunday by racing in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. This interview has been edited and condensed, but the full version is available on the 12 Questions podcast.

Jeff Gluck: What is currently the No. 1 thing on your bucket list?

Kyle Larson: I mean, I guess I can give you the easy answer: the Indy 500. We all know that’s coming. But outside of the Indy 500, I don’t really have an answer right now, so I gotta get through that first. And then I’ll figure out the next thing for the bucket list.

How much media coverage of racing do you consume?

I don’t flood myself in it, but I pay attention enough to not get myself frustrated or annoyed — or overly confident either, when things are good. If there are interesting articles or catchy headlines that catch my eye, I’ll click on it and read. …

Besides that, the little Reels that pop up on my Instagram. I don’t watch “Race Hub” a bunch, but if I’m bored or we’re cooking dinner or something, it’s usually on.

Beyond winning, what is the best way to measure success in racing?

Yeah, this is the question I don’t really know how to answer. When you’re racing for a team like Hendrick Motorsports, it honestly comes down to mostly about winning — if not all about winning. And when your career is over, if you’re not winning, you’re not considered a successful race car driver, in my opinion.

I’ve read a lot of the answers, obviously. And I think it’s circ*mstantial on their situations and what caliber race teams they’re with. But for me … it definitely comes down to winning.

Read more from the interview.

Row 6 of the Indy 500 has an interesting dynamic: Veteran Ed Carpenter, who is making his 21st start in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” will line up alongside a pair of rookies doing this for the first time (Kyffin Simpson and Marcus Armstrong).

So…how’s that going to go?

"I'm sure we'll have some sort of chat," Carpenter said. "It's a hard start. Definitely going to be different for these guys. It's still challenging, having done this (for) 20 years. There's a lot more movement than what you see out of a normal start."

Carpenter noted there’s typically a big draft down the frontstretch, followed by a "pretty big check-up" by the time drivers arrive toward Turn 1. But the key is "surviving that first lap" to make sure drivers don’t ruin their race before the first mile has even been completed.

"We all have the responsibility to take care of our own car and to take care of people around us by making good decisions," Carpenter said. "It's obvious you're not going to win the race on the first lap. Whichever one of us wins the start from our row doesn't mean we're going to win the day."

Katherine Legge knows what people are going to say about the color of her race car.

"Oh, it’s pink. How cliché," she said.

But her car is pink for a good reason. Not only is Legge the only woman in this year’s 33-driver Indy 500 field, but she has a female-centric sponsor — e.l.f. Cosmetics — on her car.

"I had no idea how meaningful it would be to people," she said. "When you see the young girls, women and even guys saying, 'I had to go by e.l.f. Cosmetics for my wife, daughter, whoever it may be,' I think they feel represented."

Women have been in the Indy 500 before and have appeared in many other forms of motorsport, but it's been rare to see sponsors geared toward their demographic on the actual cars.

"I don't think there's been any female-centric products on any race car, definitely not at that level," Legge said.

INDIANAPOLIS — Mother Nature apparently isn't a race fan.

The 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 has been preemptively delayed due to an incoming storm system, with track officials opting to clear the grandstands approximately one hour before heavy rain and possible lightning arrive at the track.

All pre-race entertainment has been paused and the "Snake Pit" — a dance music concert in the infield that draws up to 30,000 people — has been halted to give fans enough time to return to their cars or otherwise seek shelter at the racetrack.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles said track officials hope the rain will pass through by approximately 2:30 or 3 p.m. ET, which would allow them to dry the track and still hold the race later this afternoon. The 2.5-mile track does not have lights, but sunset is not until 9 p.m.

The delay also means NASCAR star Kyle Larson, who was set to become the fifth driver to attempt the "Double" by racing in both Indy and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, is now in a difficult situation. If the race gets started Sunday, Larson will have to choose between the Indy 500 (where he qualified fifth) and his day job in NASCAR.

But Larson is said to be prioritizing Indianapolis and is expected to receive a waiver from NASCAR, which would retain his championship eligibility (he is the current NASCAR Cup Series points leader).

You may not be very familiar with Agustín Canapino, but he’s developed a massive following in his native Argentina. And Canapino said he feels the pressure from his home country to win the Indy 500, because "Argentinians, they want to win everything in every sport."

"It's not easy with Argentina fans," he said. "We are like this, so I'm very happy to be here."

Argentinians have named their children after Canapino and gotten tattoos with his name. Part of the reason is no one from Argentina, aside from Canapino last year, has been in the race since 1940.

"Honestly, the Argentinians haven't (had) too many opportunities to race this race," he said. "For me, it is a big honor. I am very proud of that. I'm going to do my best."

Back in the day, Santino Ferrucci was a junior driver for the Haas F1 Team at the same time the organization employed Romain Grosjean. They were essentially teammates, in that regard.

But these days, the two don’t see eye-to-eye after a series of incidents that have sparked bad blood (most recently in Indy 500 practice last week).

The two met in the paddock earlier this week, and Ferrucci asked Grosjean: "Are we good?"

"My answer was, 'No,' because he put me three times in the wall or the grass for no reason," Grosjean said. "I don't think we can be good. As long as he doesn't apologize and explain why, I don't think we're good."

Yikes. But Grosjean went on to say he’s not the type of driver to exact revenge on track and will treat Ferrucci fairly. Still, there are some ill feelings between the two.

"I don't care," the Frenchman said. "As I say, we have bigger fish to fry."

Audrey Larson, age 6, is rooting for an Arrow McLaren driver to win the Indy 500. But it isn’t her dad, Kyle Larson.

According to Kyle, Audrey is pulling for his teammate Alexander Rossi.

"She said last night I'm going to finish second and she wants Rossi to win," Larson said.

"Shoot," Rossi replied.

"Real fan right there," Larson added jokingly.

But there may be a reason: Rossi grew up in the same area as Larson's wife, Katelyn, and Audrey thinks they went to the same school (but they were actually at rival schools).

Either way, Audrey might have two good shots at seeing one of her drivers win the Indy 500; Rossi starts fourth and Larson starts fifth.

The start of the 108th Indy 500 will be delayed with a storm approaching the track.

"Given the proximity of lightning moving toward the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a decision has been made to pause the pre-race ceremonies and move fans out of the grandstands and Snake Pit," Indianapolis Motor Speedway said in a statement. "Spectators are encouraged to follow the instructions of IMS team members. They should exit the grandstands in an orderly fashion and implement their personal safety plans."

The Athletic will continue to provide updates as we know more on timing.

INDIANAPOLIS — The creases on 84-year-old Mario Andretti’s iconic face immediately turned to smile lines when he heard the question.

If NASCAR star Kyle Larson somehow won the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, a reporter asked, where would it put Larson among the all-time American motorsports greats?

Andretti, sitting at a lunch table on the top level of Andretti Autosport’s two-story hospitality chalet inside Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leaned forward.

“In a space where he’ll probably be alone,” he said, eyes twinkling.

That’s high praise from a man widely considered to be one of the great drivers in world history, and arguably the best American. But Andretti adores Larson, in part because he sees much of himself in the 31-year-old Californian.

They are from different generations, but share a common bond: The love of driving any type of race car while also possessing otherworldly talent to do so.

Only a few on Earth can understand.

“There’s no need for him to do something like that career-wise; his main effort is with NASCAR,” Andretti said. “But as you can see, he doesn’t get enough of driving. And I can definitely identify with that. Because it was the same for me; I just lived for driving a race car.”

Read more here.

Conor Daly didn’t have the qualifying run he hoped for this year, to put it lightly. After entering the month as a darkhorse contender for the win, Daly qualified on Row 10.

But Daly’s car is good, if he can figure out a way to get toward the front. And Daly carried on his reputation for not having much of a truth filter when citing his confidence level for Sunday.

"I wouldn't lie to everyone, clearly," Daly said. "I've been very honest — probably too honest — in my life. We're pretty stoked about this weekend."

Daly, an Indianapolis-area native making an 11th start in his hometown race, said the experience "never gets old."

"The butterflies every morning, wanting to stay here (in) the bus lot," he said. "Still, that feeling is incredible."

Helio Castroneves recently turned 49, but he’s not ready to settle for simply being part of the Indy 500’s four-time club just yet.

Castroneves is one of four men to win the Indy 500 four times, along with Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt and the late Al Unser Sr. But his "Drive for Five" is still alive, and the thought makes him smile.

"Having this opportunity to do something nobody ever did — people are saying records are made to be broken in any sport," Castroneves said. "Why not?"

"I'm sure a lot of fans want to see that," he said. "I want to see that. I'm sure those (other drivers) here, they want to try to stop that. But that's life."

Unfortunately for Castroneves, his qualifying didn’t go as well as planned and he’ll start from Row 7. Still, it’s not impossible to win from there.

Jeff Gluck: There’s simply nothing like it. This is only my ninth 500, but if it’s up to me, I’ll never miss this race again. I love the pre-race ceremonies — “Taps,” the 21-gun salute, “Back Home Again in Indiana,” all the traditional things. You look up and down the frontstretch and it’s like a canyon with people on both sides of the track for as far as you can see, with the track bending off into the distance. It just feels massive — and it is — and everything on race day has to be experienced at least once in your life. Add it to your bucket list for sure.

Jordan Bianchi: The Indy 500 is one of the best sporting events on the calendar; a true slice of Americana that nothing else compares to. Being at the track during pre-race ceremonies is incomparable; it will literally give you goosebumps. It’s an event every sports fan should have on their bucket list.

Read more here.

After winning the pole position for the Indy 500 last week, Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin credited a secret mentor who had been helping him with the 2.5-mile oval.

That person was revealed Friday as 2019 Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud, a former Penske driver who has been sidelined since suffering a concussion in a horrifying barrel roll at Mid-Ohio last summer.

McLaughlin has not fared particularly well in his three Indy 500 starts, with no laps led and a best finish of 14th (last year). But McLaughlin has five wins and 13 podiums elsewhere in IndyCar, so it’s clear he can perform well if he figures it out.

That’s where Pagenaud comes in, as it was revealed on the NBC Sports broadcast Friday. McLaughlin was eager to get better at Indy, and with Pagenaud still recovering, he was willing to step in and help his former teammate.

And after the pole run, it’s been so far, so good.

There's no "window over Terre Haute" at the moment. The Indy 500 will likely see a significant delay, possibly at the start of the race, as a large storm system approaches. As of 10 a.m. ET, it was only 75 miles away (green flag is scheduled for 12:45 p.m.) and could arrive at the track between 12 and 1 p.m.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles said the track's priority is to get fans out of the way when lightning approaches, particularly with a crowd of 345,000 expected today. Cars have been held in their garage stalls instead of being pushed to the grid and will likely remain there until the storm threat passes.

Boles said fans should go to their cars or seek other shelter when the storm arrives, because it could contain lightning and strong winds. But he also said IMS is expecting to see some racing today after the storm passes and the track gets dried.

So where does that leave NASCAR star Kyle Larson? His attempt at the "Double" may well be over, because it's increasingly likely he may have to choose between the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600. At the same time, it's less likely Larson will leave Indianapolis without racing in the 500 and will prioritize the IndyCar race today.

There are showers and storms in today's forecast, mainly before 3 p.m. ET, and potentially heavy rain, per the National Weather Service.

Depending on if/how long the race is delayed due to weather, it could throw a wrench into Kyle Larson's double hopes. We'll be monitoring the weather around Indianapolis as the race approaches.

INDIANAPOLIS — Kyle Larson doesn’t get anxious about many things. He thought topping 240 mph for the first time last week was a breeze, and he was barely stressed about qualifying for his first Indianapolis 500.

But the Indy 500 weather forecast? That has him shook, at least by Larson’s typically unflappable standards.

“It’s stressful because weather is always unpredictable, but you just don’t really know until it’s happening,” Larson said Thursday. “You can have backup plans for the backup plan, but you can’t really do anything or react until it’s the moment.”

Larson is worried about rain because, unlike the other 32 drivers in the Indy 500 field, the 31-year-old has other places to be on Sunday. His day job, the NASCAR Cup Series, has its marathon Coca-Cola 600 near Charlotte, N.C., later Sunday night and represents the second half of the “Double.”

Larson’s departure deadline from Indy is 4:15 p.m. ET; according to a timestamped post on X, last year’s Indy 500 ended at 4:14 p.m. ET.

But if Larson is late for the NASCAR race — or misses it altogether — he would need a waiver from NASCAR to still qualify for its playoffs this fall (and as the current points leader, Larson is one of the title favorites).

Read more about the potential hurdles here.

INDIANAPOLIS — Last year, when Kyle Larson realized his dream of attempting the Indianapolis 500/Coca-Cola 600 “Double” was becoming a reality, one of the first moves he made was to secure a familiar voice in his ear.

Tyler Monn, who is in his fourth year as Larson’s NASCAR Cup Series spotter, is accompanying Larson on the back-and-forth travels to give the driver a much-needed comfort factor while he races the Indy 500 for the first time.

Except like Larson, the 31-year-old Monn has never competed in IndyCar, either.

“The runs are pretty incredible and they come a lot faster (than NASCAR),” Monn said last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, before Larson qualified fifth for Sunday’s Indy 500. “When a Cup car pulls out of line, you can run side by side for a while. These things, when they pull out of line, they’re pretty much passing you. It’s just something I had to get used to, and I’ve been doing a lot of studying.”

Spotting is a rooftop, eye-in-the-sky role crucial for safety and competition purposes. Not only does Larson need Monn to tell him whether there’s a hazard up ahead on the track, but he also needs to know what cars are coming behind him and whether he’s clear enough to complete a pass. It’s a specialized discipline, which makes good spotters hard to come by (another spotter, Brent Wentz, is also doing the Double with Takuma Sato in IndyCar and Kaz Grala in NASCAR).

The new experience for Larson and his relative unfamiliarity with the other drivers has required Monn to change how he talks to Larson on the team radio. Whereas Monn might say something like “five back to the 20” in NASCAR — indicating Car No. 20, Christopher Bell, is five car lengths behind Larson — he must phrase it as “five back to (Alexander) Rossi” in IndyCar since Larson doesn’t know all the car numbers.

Read more about the learning experience for Monn and Larson.

During Friday’s Indy 500 drivers meeting, IndyCar officials revealed how the "Dragon" weaving below the pit entry line — a move Josef Newgarden used to win last year’s race — will be officiated going forward.

While it's advantageous to go that low on the track to try and break the draft of the trailing car, drivers who put their left-side tires below the dashed line will now be penalized (it's a dangerous move with the pit lane barrier quickly approaching).

Penalties would include a drive-through penalty or, if it's at the end of the race, a time penalty.

"I knew the rules at that point with the line. They weren't policing it. You had to use it," Newgarden said this week. "The response to change that I think is unanimously liked by everybody. We've all wanted it to change. It's good they're going to be doing that now.

"I don't know that it will change the racing style too much, but it will certainly change that little portion."

Newgarden noted drivers must use the dragon-style weaving to maintain their advantage because, otherwise, it will be too easy for the cars behind them to pass.

"It is in response to the style of racing that we have," he said. "The way we compete and the way the cars draft is very, very difficult to find an advantage. You can be at points just exposed when you're sitting in the lead and you have cars behind you."