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What to know about the Indianapolis 500, including the starting grid and how to watch

liz calvario
·2 min read

The 2024 Indianapolis 500 race is right around the corner, and the starting grid has officially been set.

Every year, drivers from the IndyCar Series gather at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a chance to add one of the most coveted trophies in the sport to their collection.

The 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday, May 26, and is a can’t-miss event for racing fans. The Indy 500, which held its first race in 1911, sees 33 drivers speed through 200 laps on the 2 1/2-mile track.

Days ahead of the big race, last year’s winner, Josef Newgarden, sat down with the 3rd hour of TODAY hosts to talk about his hopes of going for back-to-back wins at Sunday’s Indy 500.

“Indy is this mountain you look at. It looks insurmountable, right? And we finally conquered that mountain together last year. I know we can do it,” the driver said. “I know the recipe to win this race. I know my team can do it.”

Newgarden noted the magnitude of the Indy 500: “You won’t see an event like this anywhere else in the world. ... That’s why it’s tough to win it.”

Read on for everything to know about the 2024 Indy 500 and the starting grid.

Who is on the starting grid for the Indy 500?

  • Row 1: Scott McLaughlin, Will Power, Josef Newgarden

  • Row 2: Alexander Rossi, Kyle Larson, Santino Ferrucci

  • Row 3: Rinus VeeKay, Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist

  • Row 4: Takuma Sato, Kyle Kirkwood, Ryan Hunter-Reay

  • Row 5: Colton Herta, Alex Palou, Callum Ilott

  • Row 6: Marcus Armstrong, Ed Carpenter, Kyffin Simpson

  • Row 7: Marco Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon

  • Row 8: Agustin Canapino, Sting Ray Robb, Christian Rasmussen

  • Row 9: Tom Blomqvist, Romain Grosjean, Linus Lundqvist

  • Row 10: Christian Lundgaard, Conor Daly, Pietro Fittipaldi

  • Row 11: Katherine Legge, Marcus Ericsson, Graham Rahal

What time does the Indy 500 start?

The green flag drops at 12:45 p.m. ET, according to the event's website. However, before the cars hit the gas, gates open at 6 a.m. ET, with the cars arriving to the grid at 10:30 a.m., before the drivers are introduced at the Trackside Yard of Bricks Stage.

Philip Phillips will sing "God Bless America," while Jordin Sparks is set to sing the national anthem.

How to watch the Indy 500 race

Coverage of the Indy 500 will air on NBC and Peacock starting at 11 a.m. ET. (Peacock is owned by TODAY.com's parent company, NBCUniversal.)

This article was originally published on TODAY.com