NBC Sports Indy 500 viewership rises despite rain-delay
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Fly Over – 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 – Photo by Walt Kuhn
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
The nearly four-hour rain delay that pushed back the start time of the 108th Indianapolis 500 apparently served to whet the appetites of viewing audiences across NBC Sports’ various platforms.
Josef Newgarden’s second consecutive victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday averaged a preliminary Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 5.344-million viewers across NBC, Peacock and NBC Sports’ digital platforms. Those figures represent an increase of 8 percent vs. the 2023 race (4.927-million) and 10 percent vs. 2022 (4.837-million). Viewership figures are in the process of being finalized.
Team Penske ace Newgarden, a two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, became the first driver to post back-to-back victories in the Memorial Day classic since Helio Castroneves _ also of Team Penske _ in 2001-2002. Newgarden passed Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward on the 200th and final lap to take the checkered flag by 0.3417-seconds. Newgarden and O’Ward, a native Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, swapped the lead four times during the final eight laps.
Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 champion from New Zealand, finished third in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Alexander Rossi, winner of the 2016 Indy 500 as a rookie, was fourth in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Two-time/reigning series champion Alex Palou of Spain completed the top-five in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Only 1.5079-seconds separated the top-five cars despite the last 46 laps running caution-free.
Viewership peaked at 6.46-million from 7:30-7:45 p.m. (EDT) as Newgarden and O’Ward settled the issue. The race also was the most-streamed INDYCAR event ever, with an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 286,000 viewers across Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms. In addition, the race emerged as NBC Sports’ most-watched Sunday sporting event since the NFL playoffs (Tampa Bay vs. Detroit on Jan. 21).
NBC Sports’ pre-race coverage began at 11 a.m. with the green flag originally scheduled for 12:45 p.m. However, severe weather in Central Indiana forced a nearly four-hour delay, moving NBC Sports’ race window from 4:45-8:15 p.m. NBC Sports filled the rain-delayed hours with periodic live updates and an encore presentation of the 2023 Indy 500, resulting in more than nine hours of broadcast network coverage for the day. Meanwhile, sanctioning body INDYCAR removed the local blackout in Indianapolis, which delivered an 18.15 household rating and 54 share.
Through six races, the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series is averaging a TAD of 1.95-million viewers (5 on NBC; 1 on USA Network), up from 1.94-million last year at the same point (all NBC). Total Audience Delivery (TAD) is based upon live-plus-same day fast national figures from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics.
The schedule continues this weekend with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the Streets of Downtown Motown. Coverage will begin Sunday at noon (EDT) on USA Network and Peacock.
Historical and event notes from the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
_ Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden scored his second career Indy 500 victory in his 13th career race start.
_ Josef Newgarden became the sixth driver to earn back-to-back victories in the Indianapolis 500 and first since native Brazilian Helio Castroneves achieved the feat for Team Penske in 2001-2002. The others are Wilbur Shaw (1939-40), Mauri Rose (1947-48), Bill Vukovich (1953-54) and Al Unser (1970-71).
_ Josef Newgarden is the 11th two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. The 33-year-old native of Tennessee is the first driver to join that group since Takuma Sato in 2020. A native of Japan, Sato also won in 2017.
_ Team Penske, the organization founded and led by Roger Penske, earned its record-extending 20th Indianapolis 500 victory. Chip Ganassi is second with six wins, five with Chip Ganassi Racing and one as a co-owner with Pat Patrick.
_ Team Penske repeated its feat of sweeping the front row in qualifying and winning the race. Rick Mears won from pole position in 1988 after teammates Danny Sullivan and Al Unser started second and third, respectively. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, a native of New Zealand; Australian Will Power and Josef Newgarden started 1-2-3, respectively, on Sunday in only the second front-row sweep in 500 history.
_ This is the 14th time the car that started third in the traditional field of 33 has won the Indianapolis 500. Last winner from the No. 3 starting spot was Takuma Sato in 2020. The event record is 21 winners from the pole.
_ Josef Newgarden delivered the 13th Indianapolis 500 victory for a Chevrolet engine, elevating Team Chevy and the “Bowtie” brand to third in event history. Offenhauser ranks first with 27 wins, followed by Honda with 15.
_ This is the 11th time car No. 2 has won the Indianapolis 500, tying that number with No. 3 for most wins in 500 history. Josef Newgarden wheeled the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet through the “Month of May.” Newgarden also won last year in car No. 2.
_ The last time an American driver or drivers have won two consecutive Indianapolis 500s was in 1991 and 1992. Rick Mears won his fourth Indy 500 for Team Penske in 1991. Al Unser Jr. prevailed in 1992, also for Team Penske.
_ Josef Newgarden is the fourth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 at age 33. The last was “Captain America” Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2014.
_ The Indianapolis 500 purse record was shattered for a third consecutive year, with two-time race-winner Josef Newgarden earning $4.288-million from a total of $18,456,000. After record-breaking payouts in 2022 and 2023, the race’s 108th running was capped by the largest purse and largest winner’s payout in history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The year’s average payout for NTT IndyCar Series drivers was $543,000, exceeding last year’s average of $500,600.
_ This is only the fourth time the Indy 500 has been decided by a last-lap pass. In 2006, Sam Hornish Jr. of Team Penske passed rookie Marco Andretti, grandson of 1969 race-winner Mario Andretti, on the front straightaway. In 2011 Englishman Dan Wheldon passed J.R. Hildebrand on the front straightaway after he crashed exiting Turn 4 while headed to the checkered flag. And in 2023 Josef Newgarden passed Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson, of Chip Ganassi Racing, on the back straightaway.
_ Eighteen different drivers led at least one lap of this year’s race, an event-record. The previous record was 15 drivers in 2017 and 2018.
_ Four-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves completed the full 500-mile distance for the 18th time in his career, extending his race record. The native Brazilian and minority owner of Meyer Shank Racing has been running at the end of the race in 22 of 24 career starts, also a race-record. Castroneves, 49, won his first three Indy 500s driving for Team Penske (2001, 2002 and 2009).
_ There were 21 cars on the lead lap at the finish, just shy of the event-record of 22 set in 2021 and 2022.
_ Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indy 500 champion, led 12 laps Sunday to extend his event- record to 677 career laps-led.
_ Native New Zealander Scott Dixon, a six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, has led at least one lap in 16 Indianapolis 500s, breaking the event-record of 15 races-led he shared with 2013 race-winner and native Brazilian Tony Kanaan.
_ Denmark’s Christian Rasmussen, of Ed Carpenter Racing, was the top-finishing rookie, in 12th place.
_ There were 49 lead changes Sunday, the fourth-highest total in 500 history. The record is 68 in 2013, followed by 54 in 2016 and 52 in 2023.
_ Helio Castroneves made his 24th Indy 500 start, moving into a three-way tie with two-time race-winner Gordon Johncock and three-time race-winner Johnny Rutherford of Fort Worth for fourth-place among career Indianapolis 500 starts. The record is 35 by Houston native A.J. Foyt Jr., the event’s first four-time winner, followed by Mario Andretti with 29 and four-time event-winner Al Unser with 27.
_ The last time there was a yellow flag on the race’s opening lap was 2015, for contact among several cars in Turn 1, eliminating Sage Karam from the event.
_ Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson, of Andretti Global, became the first former winner to finish last since two-time event champion Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia in 2016.
_ Roger Penske is the first team-owner to field two drivers to back-to-back Indy 500s victories, with Helio Castroneves in 2001-2002 and Josef Newgarden in 2023-2024.
_ Scott Dixon’s third-place finish in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was his ninth top-five result in 22 career 500 starts.
_ Conor Daly of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing-Cusick Motorsports, advanced more positions than any driver, finishing 10th after starting 29th in the No. 24 Chevrolet.
_ Fourth-place finisher Alexander Rossi of Arrow McLaren _ winner of the landmark 100th Indy 500 in 2016 _ finished in the top-five for the sixth time in nine Indy 500 starts.
_ Denmark’s Christian Lundgaard recorded the race’s fastest lap (226.373 mph) on Lap 175 in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
_ NTT P1 Award-winner Scott McLaughlin led a race-high 64 laps, the first 500 laps he has paced in his career. The native New Zealander drove the No. 3 Pennzoil “Yellow Submarine” Team Penske Chevrolet.
_ Seven drivers led the Indianapolis 500 for the first time: Scott McLaughlin, Sting Ray Robb, Christian Lundgaard, Kyle Kirkwood and rookies Kyffin Simpson of the Cayman Islands, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson and Christian Rasmussen of Denmark.
_ All 18 lap-leaders finished on the lead lap, beating the event-record of 11 set in 2023.
Fans planning to renew ticket packages for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May 2025 can do so before the deadline of Monday, June 17.
Fans can renew or upgrade their Indy 500 tickets at ims.com/renew, by calling 317-492-6700 or by visiting the IMS Ticket Office. The renewal window will continue through Monday evening, June 17, approximately 500 hours following the checkered flag of the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
Prices will increase when tickets go on sale this fall, and again in 2025 before each event.
The 2025 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge ticket logo is inspired by the green flag, which signifies the start of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” each year. The green flag was first used to start the field for the Indy 500 in 1930 and has been a recognized symbol of the speed and exhilaration of 33 cars crossing the “Yard of Bricks” on their way to history ever since.
The logo is the latest iteration of a series that began in 2019 with Gainbridge’s inaugural sponsorship. Surrounded by the identifiable gold of the Wing & Wheel, the inside of the logo boasts emerald green for the first time. The words “Indy 500” are presented in the iconic slanted font.
The Icon Series logos celebrate the iconography of the 500-Mile Race. Since 2019, the logo has featured the bricks, checkered flag, Pagoda, winner’s wreath, the famed oval and Victory Podium.
Fans renewing tickets to the Indianapolis 500 and/or Sonsio Grand Prix Race Day on the IMS Road-Course also can order additional “Month of May” products at the lowest prices available during the renewal period. Those products include “Month of May” practice and qualification day tickets, Bronze Badges, Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration presented by Gainbridge tickets, Miller Lite Carb Day tickets and concert upgrades, Coors Lite Snake Pit wristbands and Parking (including ADA parking) and camping passes.
Fans taking advantage of the renewal period also will have priority for ticket upgrades and are eligible for pre-sale offers for IMS and partner events.
All renewal customers can visit IMS.com/Renew for more information.
Fans who did not attend this “Month of May” but are planning to attend in May 2025 also can apply for tickets now at the lowest prices of the year. Visit ims.com/apply for more information.
Results of the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge NTT IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
- (3) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 200, Running
2. (8) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 200, Running
3. (21) Scott Dixon, Honda, 200, Running
4. (4) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 200, Running
5. (14) Alex Palou, Honda, 200, Running
6. (1) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 200, Running
7. (11) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 200, Running
8. (6) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 200, Running
9. (7) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 200, Running
10. (29) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 200, Running
11. (15) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 200, Running
12. (24) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 200, Running
13. (28) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 200, Running
14. (10) Takuma Sato, Honda, 200, Running
15. (33) Graham Rahal, Honda, 200, Running
16. (23) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 200, Running
17. (17) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 200, Running
18. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200, Running
19. (26) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 200, Running
20. (20) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 200, Running
21. (18) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 200, Running
22. (22) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 199, Running
23. (13) Colton Herta, Honda, 170, Contact
24. (2) Will Power, Chevrolet, 145, Contact
25. (19) Marco Andretti, Honda, 113, Contact
26. (12) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 106, Contact
27. (9) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 55, Mechanical
28. (27) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 27, Contact
29. (31) Katherine Legge, Honda, 22, Mechanical
30. (16) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 6, Mechanical
31. (25) Tom Blomqvist, Honda, 0, Contact
32. (30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 0, Contact
33. (32) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 0, Contact
NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 183; 2, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 163; 3, Will Power, Team Penske, 157; 4, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 134; 5, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 134; 6, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 131; 7, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 122; 8, Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren, 120; 9, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 116; 10, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 115;
11, Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 102; 12, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 95; 13, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 87; 14, Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing, 87; 15, Marcus Armstrong, Chip Ganassi Racing, 81; 16, Romain Grosjean, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 79; 17, Linus Lundqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing, 73; 18, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 70; 19, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 68; 20, Augustin Canapino, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 56;
21, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 51; 22, Pietro Fittipaldi, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 50; 23, Jack Harvey, Dale Coyne Racing, 47; 24, Tom Blomqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 46; 25, Sting Ray Robb, A.J. Foyt Racing, 46; 26, Callum Ilott, Arrow McLaren, 39; 27, Theo Pourchaire, Arrow McLaren, 38; 28, Conor Daly, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing-Cusick Motorsports, 21; 29, Kyle Larson, Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren, 21; 30, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 19;
31, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 14; 32, Luca Ghiotto, Dale Coyne Racing, 14; 33, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing, 10; 34, Colin Braun, Dale Coyne Racing, 10; 35, Nolan Siegel, Dale Coyne Racing, 10; 36, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing-Cusick Motorsports, 6; 37, Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb Agajanian, 5; 38, Katherine Legge, Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing, 5.
