Andretti INDYCAR Looks to Make History in Front of Sell-Out Indianapolis 500 Crowd
The Greatest Spectacle in Racing arrives this weekend as the green flag waves for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge. For the first time since 2016, a sold-out crowd will watch as 33 drivers battle it out on the iconic oval for the chance to etch their name into racing history. Among those drivers chasing motorsports glory, Andretti INDYCAR’s driver stable of Marco Andretti, Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson will bring a wealth of experience to this year’s race with one win, one pole, seven top-five finishes, 13 top-10 finishes and 204 laps led between them from their combined 34 Indianapolis 500 starts.
Race Details
| INDYCAR: 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Presented by Gainbridge Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
| Round | 6/17 |
| Track Type | Oval |
| Laps | 200 Laps |
| Track Length | 2.5 Miles |
Notes
INDYCAR
- Throughout 22 appearances at the Indianapolis 500 dating back to 2003, Andretti INDYCAR has scored five wins (Dan Wheldon – 2005, Dario Franchitti – 2007, Ryan Hunter-Reay – 2014, Alexander Rossi – 2016 and Takuma Sato – 2017), taken the pole position twice (Tony Kanaan – 2005 and Marco Andretti – 2020), recorded 25 top-five finishes and led 838 laps.
Colton Herta
- Colton Herta is set to make his seventh appearance in the iconic 500-mile race this weekend. Previously, Herta has secured two top-10 finishes and has led a total of 15 laps.
- The No. 26 Gainbridge Honda will take Sunday’s start from 29th in Row 10.
- After an impressive month for the Gainbridge Honda in 2024, Herta came out strong, quickly climbing from his 13th-place starting position into the lead pack, running as high as second at one point. Unfortunately, on Lap 86, Herta spun, making contact with the SAFER Barrier. After repairs were made to the car back in the garage, Herta rejoined the field.
Kyle Kirkwood
- Piloting the No. 27 Siemens Honda, Kyle Kirkwood will make his fourth Indianapolis 500 start this Sunday.
- The No. 27 Siemens Honda will take Sunday’s start from 23rd in Row 8.
- Last year, Kirkwood earned his best result in the famous oval race, taking the checkered flag in seventh. The Florida native was the only Andretti driver to secure a top-10 finish in the 2024 event, and he also recorded the fastest leader lap on Lap 175 with a speed of 225.317 MPH.
Marcus Ericsson
- The 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson will make his seventh start in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing this weekend in the No. 28 Allegra® Honda. Ericsson’s monumental victory was also his first career win on an oval, making him only the second Swedish driver to win the Indianapolis 500 (Kenny Bräck – 1999).
- The No. 28 Allegra® Honda will take Sunday’s start from ninth in Row 3.
- Ericsson’s 2024 Month of May included some significant hardships for the Swedish driver. After an on-track incident during practice earlier in the month, the No. 28 team worked tirelessly to get a backup car into race day condition and ready to run on Sunday. Unfortunately, Ericsson got caught in a multi-car incident in the first turn of the opening lap of the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500, which brought the Swede’s day to an abrupt end.
Marco Andretti
- Indianapolis 500 veteran Marco Andretti will make his 20th start this weekend in the No. 98 MAPEI / CURB Honda. Over the past two decades competing in the famous oval race, the third-generation driver has accumulated one pole position (2020), five top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes.
- Andretti will take Sunday’s start from the most-experienced row (Row 10) in this year’s starting lineup in 29th, with a combined 37 career starts (Graham Rahal 17, Marco Andretti 19, Marcus Armstrong 1).
- During last year’s Indianapolis 500, Andretti’s race was cut short with just 86 laps to go after contact in Turn 1 resulted in race-ending damage.
| NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS |
| Driver Championship Standings |
| Colton Herta | 104 points | 9th |
| Kyle Kirkwood | 151 points | 2nd |
| Marcus Ericsson | 70 points | 16th |
| Marco Andretti | N/A | N/A |
Team Quotes
Colton Herta
No. 26 Gainbridge Honda
“I never take for granted what it means to be part of a race like the Indy 500. It’s the toughest race I’ve ever done, and it’s incredibly hard to get everything right. The crash in qualifying was tough, but the Gainbridge Honda crew worked hard to get me race day ready. I’m grateful for the No. 26 crew for all of their work and can’t wait to go after a win on Sunday.”
Kyle Kirkwood
No. 27 Siemens Honda
“I’m excited to take on another Indy 500 this weekend. The No. 27 Siemens Honda has shown great pace, but unfortunately, we didn’t qualify quite where we wanted. However, for the past couple of years, we’ve started further back and still managed to fight our way into contention late in the race. We’ll be looking to do the same again this year as we go after the win.”
Marcus Ericsson
No. 28 Allegra® Honda
“It’s always special to be part of the Indy 500, and I’m really looking forward to the race this weekend in the Allegra Honda. Last year was a tough one for us, so we’re ready to get back out there and go after a strong result. We’ve had a solid week of practice and qualifying, and we’ve put ourselves in a great position to fight for the win.”
Marco Andretti
No. 98 MAPEI / CURB Honda
“I think we’re as ready as we can be. We’re in a position to maybe do something off-strategy. This place picks the winner, so hopefully we can find some speed in the car by then and execute. We’ll see what happens.”
Rob Edwards
Chief Operating Officer
“It’s time for the biggest race of the year. After the drama of qualifying weekend, our focus now is having good cars in traffic and remembering that the Indy 500 is a marathon, not a sprint. The first 400 miles are all about being in the right position for the last 100 miles. All four drivers and their crews are in good shape, and we have one more chance to tune the details on Carb Day before we get to the race. We are ready.”
