NTT INDYCAR SERIES Announces 17-Race 2024 Schedule
INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Sept. 25, 2023) – INDYCAR has announced a 17-race schedule for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, which will take the sport’s new hybrid era into several fan-favorite markets, including a much-anticipated return to the Milwaukee Mile. The schedule is also highlighted by two Saturday night races, a new and unique made-for-TV exhibition in Southern California, a global entertainment destination as the new host city for the season finale, and 12 NBC broadcast network showcases bolstered by the rising popularity of live streaming on Peacock.
Milwaukee Mile lands on the INDYCAR SERIES schedule for the first time since 2015. With the return set for Labor Day weekend, the iconic facility began hosting INDYCAR racing in 1939 and has featured wins by legendary drivers such as Rodger Ward (seven), Michael Andretti (five), Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Gordon Johncock, Johnny Rutherford, Tom Sneva, Paul Tracy, Al Unser and Bobby Unser (four each). The fabled 1-mile oval in West Allis, Wisconsin, also will showcase the return of NTT INDYCAR SERIES racing with a doubleheader weekend for the first time in the track’s history, providing two crucial races during the homestretch of the 2024 championship.
“There is such a great tradition and history of INDYCAR racing at the Milwaukee Mile and we are excited to build on that legacy with a Labor Day weekend NTT INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader beginning in 2024,” said Roger Penske, Chairman of Penske Corporation. “We appreciate all the loyal and passionate INDYCAR fans in Milwaukee and across the state of Wisconsin and thanks to our partnership with the Wisconsin State Fair Park, we can’t wait to return to the Mile next season.”
Powered by the newly packaged 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engine with hybrid technology, the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 10 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. North America’s premier open-wheel series will crisscross the United States, including a stop for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26, before all roads lead to Nashville for an unforgettable championship finale Sunday, Sept. 15 down the heart of the city’s entertainment district and honky tonk row, where the 2024 champion will be crowned for the first time.
“The upward trajectory of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is reflected through the 2024 schedule,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “With stops at premier and global entertainment districts, classic American road courses and thrilling, high-speed ovals, the 2024 season will be exhilarating from beginning to end.
“The growth of INDYCAR is palpable. Combined with the efforts of our teams and partners, the 2024 championship will be the perfect showcase for our drivers as we continue to build on our reach and popularity.”
For the sixth consecutive season, NBC Sports will be the exclusive home for INDYCAR coverage in the United States. NBC will provide network coverage 12 times during the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. It is the first time in 20 years the INDYCAR SERIES schedule has featured three consecutive years of double-digit events on network television. The 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season proved to be NBC Sports’ most-watched INDYCAR SERIES season on record, averaging a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 1.32 million viewers. It also marked the third consecutive year of viewership growth across NBC Sports platforms, including a record audience streaming the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on Peacock. Once again in 2024, all NTT INDYCAR SERIES on-track sessions will be available on NBCUniversal’s streaming platform.
The Road to Indianapolis
Two street circuits and two road courses will entertain NTT INDYCAR SERIES fans and set the stage for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. After the 2024 season opens Sunday, March 10 for the 14th time on the sun-splashed Streets of St. Petersburg, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to The Thermal Club for the first $1 Million Challenge Sunday, March 24. Serving as an Open Test and a non-points NBC showcase, the event will take place at the world-class facility located just outside of Palm Springs, California – a short drive from Los Angeles and the world’s top entertainment market. The weekend format (link here) will include a qualifying session and two heat races. With members of The Thermal Club embedded with race teams and drivers, the top six finishers from the two heat races will advance to a showcase of stars, where they’ll compete for a $1 million prize.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule resumes Sunday, April 21 on the iconic palm-tree lined Streets of Long Beach, with a telecast on USA Network. It will be the 40th time the INDYCAR SERIES has raced on the iconic Southern California streets, in the shadows of Hollywood.
The series’ next five event weekends will be featured on NBC broadcast television. Barber Motorsports Park will host the INDYCAR SERIES for the 14th time, with the Sunday, April 28 race marking the final NTT INDYCAR SERIES event before moving into the traditional Month of May calendar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. May at IMS begins with a race on the road course Saturday, May 11 before attention shifts to the famed 2.5-mile oval for two days of qualifying Saturday-Sunday, May 18-19 building toward the 108th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” – the world’s largest single-day sporting event – on Sunday, May 26.
Ticket sales for the “500” are at a pace exceeding 2023 when well over 300,000 attended the largest single-day sporting event in the world. It was the second-largest Indy 500 crowd in more than two decades.
Summer Heat
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will feature an adrenaline-filled stretch of action on five consecutive weekends leading into the months of June and July. It begins with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Sunday, June 2 on USA Network, with racing on the 1.7-mile downtown street circuit for the second straight year. The new layout on the city’s vibrant and challenging streets featured as much passing as any street circuit in 2023.
The intense competition continues a week later on NBC at historic Road America on Sunday, June 9. The newly repaved, picturesque circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, witnessed the most
on-track passing for an INDYCAR SERIES race at the facility in 2023. The 2024 season continues Sunday, June 23 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on USA Network. Known for its iconic and breathtaking Corkscrew turn complex, the Northern California facility will host an INDYCAR SERIES race in June for the first time in 21 years.
The summer heat is turned up in July with four races in three weeks – beginning with three consecutive broadcast showcases on NBC. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will continue the country’s Fourth of July celebration by hosting the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on Sunday, July 7 on NBC. Mid-Ohio matches Long Beach as it hosts INDYCAR SERIES racing for the 40th year in 2024. The annual Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend doubleheader at Iowa Speedway is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, July 13-14, again on NBC. The 2024 edition will include the return of a Saturday night race to the jam-packed weekend. With support from Hy-Vee, the weekend combines exhilarating wheel-to-wheel action with world-class music at the “Fastest Short Track on the Planet.”
The final race before the Summer Olympics break takes the NTT INDYCAR SERIES back to the Streets of Toronto on Sunday, July 21. Peacock again will provide exclusive coverage of the fan favorite event as the INDYCAR SERIES races around Exhibition Place and Princes’ Gates for the 38th time in Canada’s largest city.
Fast, Fantastic Finish
The 2024 season finishes with a flurry as it features five races – including three on ovals – in five weeks.
Beginning on the World Wide Technology Raceway oval, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES homestretch races out of the gates Saturday night, Aug. 17 on USA Network. The expected start time will take the brash and bold INDYCAR SERIES stars under the lights on the 1.25-mile track.
A week later on USA Network, INDYCAR returns to the West Coast and races Sunday, Aug. 25 at Portland International Raceway for the 30th time. In 2023, races at both WWT Raceway and PIR featured the most on-track passes, on record, at those facilities.
The new Labor Day weekend doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile will air on Peacock, Saturday Aug. 31, and USA Network, Sunday Sept. 1, before the spotlight shifts to the Streets of Nashville for the season finale Sunday, Sept. 15 on NBC. The new 2.17-mile, seven-turn circuit in Nashville still incorporates the iconic Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge but adds views of the Country Music Hall of Fame and world-famous honky tonk row. For the first time, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion will be crowned and celebrated as part of the marquee Big Machine Music City Grand Prix weekend, which will include a massive Broadway street party that only Nashville can throw. Previously announced, the 2024 season awards ceremony will also take place in the Music City, on Monday, Sept. 16 at the beautiful Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
“2023 was a record-breaking season for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “For the first time, 27 starters competed at each event, and on-track passing records were broken at six racetracks. INDYCAR’s new hybrid-era will take this incredible competition to another level.
“Reaction from the drivers testing the new hybrid technology has been phenomenal. Drivers and teams will have another tool as they consider what it takes to compete for the most diverse championship in motorsports. We cannot wait to see how it plays out beginning on the Streets of St. Pete.”
The INDYCAR Radio Network again will provide audio coverage of all NTT INDYCAR SERIES sessions via SiriusXM Channel 160 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
Start times for the 2024 events will be announced at a later date.
2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SCHEDULE
Sunday, March 10 Streets of St. Petersburg NBC, Peacock
Sunday, March 24 The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge* NBC, Peacock
Sunday, April 21 Streets of Long Beach USA Network, Peacock
Sunday, April 28 Barber Motorsports Park NBC, Peacock
Saturday, May 11 Indianapolis Motor Speedway (road course) NBC, Peacock
Saturday, May 18 Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Day 1 NBC, Peacock
Sunday, May 19 Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Day 2 NBC, Peacock
Sunday, May 26 Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval) NBC, Peacock
Sunday, June 2 Streets of Detroit USA Network, Peacock
Sunday, June 9 Road America NBC, Peacock
Sunday, June 23 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca USA Network, Peacock
Sunday, July 7 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course NBC, Peacock
Saturday, July 13 Iowa Speedway Race 1 NBC, Peacock
Sunday, July 14 Iowa Speedway Race 2 NBC, Peacock
Sunday, July 21 Streets of Toronto Peacock
Saturday, Aug. 17 World Wide Technology Raceway, BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500 PRESENTED BY AXALTA AND VALVOLINE, USA Network, Peacock
Sunday, Aug. 25 Portland International Raceway USA Network, Peacock
Saturday, Aug. 31 Milwaukee Mile Race 1 Peacock
Sunday, Sept. 1 Milwaukee Mile Race 2 USA Network, Peacock
Sunday, Sept. 15 Streets of Nashville NBC, Peacock
