Note: The Penske Entertainment editorial staff is looking back at the 10 biggest moments of 2024 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in this year-end series, with one installment appearing on the site per day in countdown fashion from Dec. 22-31.
Josef Newgarden joined racing immortals May 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by becoming just the sixth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in consecutive years.
Newgarden, who started third, became the first repeat winner since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002 for Team Penske. The repeat victory delivered a $440,000 bonus to Newgarden from BorgWarner, the sponsor of the winner’s Borg-Warner Trophy.
Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden drove his No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet to the victory by .3417 of a second over the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of O’Ward.
Newgarden took the lead on Lap 193, with O’Ward climbing to second. That set the stage for a series of slingshot passes between the two drivers over the last seven laps.
O’Ward passed Newgarden on the outside just before the start-finish line as the white flag flew for the final lap. O’Ward stayed out front in Turns 1 and 2 and down the back straightaway. But Newgarden tucked in behind O’Ward’s car and made a daring pass outside of O’Ward in Turn 3 to take the lead for good with the crowd of 330,000 on their feet in rapture, leading to the record-extending 20th victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for Team Penske.
It was also the fourth time in Indianapolis 500 history that the race was decided by a last-lap pass. Newgarden also accomplished the feat in 2023 by passing Marcus Ericsson on Lap 200.
Newgarden celebrated in familiar style for the second straight year, climbing into the crowd in the grandstands adjacent to the Yard of Bricks start-finish line, where he was mobbed by fans.
This year’s race was a classic, with an event-record 16 of the 33 starters leading at least one lap. NTT P1 Award winner Scott McLaughlin led the most laps, 64, before finishing sixth in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet.
There also were 649 on-track passes, the most in the “500” since 2017.
The “500” featured seven caution periods in the first 117 laps, as the race struggled to find a rhythm. But as the intensity ratcheted in the second half of the 200-lap race, the racing was breathtaking – and clean. There were 32 lead changes alone in the last 70 laps.
