Note: The Penske Entertainment editorial staff is looking back at the 10 biggest moments of 2024 in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in this year-end series, with one installment appearing on the site per day in countdown fashion from Dec. 22-31.
Once again, Josef Newgarden executed a rare move to win the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
For the second consecutive year, Newgarden pulled off a last-lap pass to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” How rare was it? Such a late pass for the lead has only happened four times in the history of the 109-year event, and Newgarden has now done it twice in a row.
In 2023, Newgarden overhauled Marcus Ericsson coming out of Turn 2 and held the Swede off with a zig-zag move coming to the checkered flag. This year, Newgarden swept around Pato O’Ward as they entered Turn 3 for the final time.
Newgarden’s lead at the finish line was .0974 of a second in 2023, .3417 of a second this year.
Newgarden became the sixth driver to win consecutive “500s.” The most recent double winner before him was another Team Penske driver: Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002. Others with back-to-back wins in Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s signature event were Wilbur Shaw (1939-40), Mauri Rose (1947-48), Bill Vukovich (1953-54) and Al Unser (1970-71).
Newgarden gave Team Penske its record-extending 20th victory in the event. No other team has won more than six. The repeat victory also delivered a $440,000 bonus to Newgarden from BorgWarner, the sponsor of the winner’s Borg-Warner Trophy. Newgarden again celebrated by crawling through the gate at the Yard of Bricks and celebrating with the fans.
This finish certainly was worth the wait. The start of the 200-lap affair was delayed four hours by a midday rainstorm. Newgarden and O’Ward swapped the lead four times over the final eight laps.
The top five drivers were separated by just 1.5079 seconds despite the last 46 laps running caution-free in a frantic finish. There were 32 lead changes alone in the final 70 laps. Sixteen of the 33 drivers led at least one lap, an event record. There also were 649 on-track passes, the most in the “500” since 2017.
Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen was the top-finishing rookie, in 12th, while 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, who qualified in the fifth position for Arrow McLaren, was named Rookie of the Year for his month-long performance. Larson finished 18th in part because of a pit-road speeding penalty.
It was hard to blame Newgarden’s exuberance after the checkered flag, as the victory capped a Month of May in which he was without Team Penske President and strategist Tim Cindric and engineer Luke Mason. They were suspended by Team Penske for the two races this month at IMS after the team’s cars were found to have violated INDYCAR Push to Pass rules in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. Jonathan Diuguid and Raul Prados substituted for Cindric and Mason, respectively, this month.