Sonsio Grand Prix Fast Facts
Race weekend: Friday, May 10-Saturday, May 11
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course (clockwise)
Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES 85 laps / 207.3 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation. | INDY NXT by Firestone: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation
Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Five sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race. INDY NXT by Firestone: Four new sets to be used during the doubleheader weekend. Two carryover sets from the Barber event may be used in practice prior to qualifying.
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Event website: http://www.ims.com/
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2023 race winners:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
May: Alex Palou (No. 10 The American Legion Honda)
August: Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)
INDY NXT by Firestone
May: Matteo Nannini (No. 75 Juncos Hollinger Racing)
August: Hunter McElrea (No. 27 Andretti Autosport)
2023 NTT P1 Award winner (NTT INDYCAR SERIES):
May: Christian Lundgaard (No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda), 1 minute, 9.3321 seconds, 126.643 mph
August: Graham Rahal (No. 15 Code 3 Associates Honda) 1:10.1132, 125.232 mph
2023 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winners:
May: Matteo Nannini (No. 75 Juncos Hollinger Racing) 1:15.3194, 116.576 mph
August: Hunter McElrea (No. 27 Andretti Autosport) 1:15.1216, 116.882 mph
Qualifying records:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Will Power, 1:07.7044, 129.687 mph, May 12, 2017 (Set in Round 3 of knockout qualifying)
INDY NXT by Firestone
Ed Jones 1:14.6743, 117.583 mph, May 13, 2016
NBC race telecast: Sonsio Grand Prix, 3 p.m. ET Saturday, May 11, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports’ coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe.
Peacock Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while the NBC race telecast of the Sonsio Grand Prix will be simulcast on the streaming service. The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix doubleheader races will be streamed on Peacock, with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR LIVE.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Chris Denari are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn, Michael Young and Alex Wolff are the pit reporters. The Sonsio Grand Prix race (3 p.m. ET Saturday), the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix doubleheader (6:05 p.m. ET Friday and 12:55 p.m. ET Saturday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 218, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
Photo Courtesy of INDYCAR
At-track schedule (all times local):
FRIDAY, MAY 10 (All times are local)
9:30-10:45 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (75 minutes), Peacock
11:05-11:55 a.m. INDY NXT by Firestone practice, INDYCAR LIVE
1:10-2:10 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (45 minutes of green flag – limited guarantee), Peacock
2:30-3 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone qualifying, (two groups/12 minutes each), INDYCAR LIVE
4:20 p.m. Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of NTT INDYCAR SERIES knockout qualifications), Peacock
6:15 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Indianapolis Grand Prix Race 1 “Drivers, start your engines”
6:20 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Indianapolis Grand Prix Race 1 (35 laps/55 minutes), Peacock
SATURDAY, MAY 11
11:15-11:45 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup (30 minutes), Peacock
1:05 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Indianapolis Grand Prix Race 2 “Drivers, start your engines”
1:10 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Indianapolis Grand Prix Race 2 (35 laps/55 minutes), Peacock
3 p.m. NBC on air
3:39 p.m. Sonsio Grand Prix “Drivers, start your engines”
3:45 p.m. Sonsio Grand Prix (85 laps/207.3 miles), NBC (Live)
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:
The Sonsio Grand Prix will be the 16th INDYCAR SERIES event conducted on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Active race winners expected to compete are Alex Palou, Alexander Rossi, Colton Herta, Rinus VeeKay, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Will Power.
ACTIVE RACE WINNER
WINS SEASONS
Will Power 5 2015, 2017, 2018 (Sonsio Grand Prix); 2020 (Harvest Grand Prix-2); 2021 (Gallagher Grand Prix);
Scott Dixon 2 2020 (Sonsio Grand Prix); 2023 (Gallagher Grand Prix)
Colton Herta 1 2022 (Sonsio Grand Prix)
Josef Newgarden 1
2020 (Harvest Grand Prix-1)
Alex Palou 1 2023 (Sonsio Grand Prix)
Alexander Rossi 1 2022 (Gallagher Grand Prix)
Rinus VeeKay 1 2021 (Sonsio Grand Prix)
Five NTT P1 Award winners have won on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course from the pole: Will Power won the 2015, 2017 and 2018 Sonsio Grand Prix and the second Harvest GP race in 2020 from the pole. Simon Pagenaud also won the Sonsio Grand Prix from the pole in 2016.
ACTIVE POLE WINNER
POLES SEASONS
Will Power 6 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020. 2022 (Sonsio Grand Prix and Harvest Grand Prix-2)
Felix Rosenqvist 2 2019, 2022 (Gallagher Grand Prix)
Graham Rahal 1 2023 (Gallagher Grand Prix)
Christian Lundgaard 1 2023 (Sonsio Grand Prix)
Pato O’Ward 1 2021 (Gallagher Grand Prix)
Romain Grosjean 1 2021 (Sonsio Grand Prix)
Rinus VeeKay 1 2020 (Harvest Grand Prix-1)
Four drivers have competed in every INDYCAR SERIES race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, and Graham Rahal. All are entered this weekend.
Team Penske has eight wins on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020-Race 2, 2020-Race 3, 2021-Race 2). Chip Ganassi has three wins – with Scott Dixon in 2020-Race 1 and 2023-Race 2 and Alex Palou in 2023-Race 1. Andretti Autosport, Ed Carpenter Racing and Arrow McLaren SP are the only other teams to win at the track. Andretti Autosport won the Sonsio Grand Prix with Colton Herta in May 2022 and Gallagher Grand Prix with Alexander Rossi in August, while Ed Carpenter Racing won in 2021-Race 1 with Rinus VeeKay and Arrow McLaren SP won the inaugural race in 2014 with Simon Pagenaud when it was known as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Four NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year contenders – Tom Blomqvist, Linus Lundqvist, Christian Rasmussen and Kyffin Simpson – are entered and will race an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car on the IMS road course for the first time alongside veteran driver Pietro Fittipaldi. Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 325th consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history.
INDY NXT by Firestone Notes:
INDY NXT by Firestone will conduct a doubleheader weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend with a pair of 35-lap races. Jacob Abel claimed his first series win on April 28 at Barber Motorsports Park and sits tied atop the point standings with St. Petersburg winner Nolan Siegel.
The 21-car field for the INDY NXT Indianapolis Grand Prix doubleheader is the largest INDY NXT by Firestone field at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since the 2007 Liberty Challenge doubleheader. There were 25 cars for that event which supported the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.
The 2024 season features a deep and talented field with INDY NXT race winners such as Nolan Siegel, Jacob Abel, Louis Foster and Reece Gold joining a promising rookie class that includes Myles Rowe (2023 USF Pro 2000 champ), Callum Hedge (2023 Formula Regionals America champion), Michael d’Orlando (2022 USF2000 champion), and Caio Collet (Formula 3 race winner/Nissan Formula E reserve driver). Other contenders include returning drivers Josh Pierson, James Roe and Jamie Chadwick.
For the second consecutive season, INDY NXT by Firestone has added a new team. Miller Vinatieri Motorsports – co-owned by former INDYCAR SERIES competitor Dr. Jack Miller and former NFL standout Adam Vinatieri – debuted at St. Petersburg with driver Jack William Miller.
Group qualifying will decide the starting grid on road and street circuits. Based on the best lap times from the practice session immediately preceding qualifying, the fastest driver in that session will choose which group will compete in the first of the two qualifying sessions. With 12 minutes allotted for each group (with a guarantee of one timed lap), the fastest driver between the two sessions will be awarded pole position with the drivers who finished behind that driver, in order and in that group, occupying the odd-numbered starting positions (3, 5, 7, etc.) for the race and the drivers who finished in order from the other group occupying the even-numbered starting positions (2, 4, 6, etc.). One driver and entrant championship point will be awarded to the fastest car in each qualifying group.
INDYCAR
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Photos & Graphics Courtesy of INDYCAR