MOORESVILLE, N.C. — IndyCar fans have been clamoring for a return to The Milwaukee Mile. Next year, they will get two.
But for the first time since it opened in 1997, the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway will not host an IndyCar Series race. It has fallen victim to NASCAR’s decision to move its race to a Spring date, which would eliminate any reasonable scheduling opportunities for IndyCar during that time of the year at the same facility.
Also, for the first time since 2019, IndyCar will compete on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course just one time next season. It has been part of an IndyCar/NASCAR Weekend at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the past four years, but NASCAR and IMS are expected to announce a return to the 2.5-mile oval with the Brickyard 400 in 2024.
The 2024 NTT IndyCar Series schedule was released at 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday, August 24. It features just two points paying races before the “Month of May” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a special $1 million challenge at The Thermal Club in Thermal, California on Sunday, March 24.
There is also a large gap in the summer schedule because IndyCar’s television partner – NBC, USA Network and Peacock – will be covering the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris over a three-weekend period. NASCAR will also have a break in the schedule during that time frame.
A Historic Return
IndyCar will return to The Milwaukee Mile for the first time since Sebastien Bourdais drove the No. 11 Hydroxycut Chevrolet to victory for KVSH Racing on July 12, 2015.
For the past eight years, the future of the flat, one-mile oval located at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin appeared doomed, but it has been revived with a Labor Day Weekend doubleheader.
The iconic facility began hosting IndyCar Series racing in 1939 and has featured wins by legendary drivers such as Rodger Ward (seven), Michael Andretti (five), Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Gordon Johncock, Johnny Rutherford, Tom Sneva, Paul Tracy, Al Unser, and Bobby Unser (four each).
The fabled 1-mile oval in West Allis, Wisconsin, also will showcase NTT IndyCar Series racing with a doubleheader weekend for the first time in the track’s history, providing two crucial races during the homestretch of the 2024 championship.
“There is such a great tradition and history of IndyCar racing at the Milwaukee Mile, and we are excited to build on that legacy with a Labor Day-weekend NTT IndyCar Series doubleheader beginning in 2024,” said Roger Penske, chairman of Penske Corporation. “We appreciate all the loyal and passionate IndyCar fans in Milwaukee and across the state of Wisconsin, and thanks to our partnership with the Wisconsin State Fair Park, we can’t wait to return to the Mile next season.”
A Schedule Breakdown
The 2024 season opens Sunday, March 10 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 20th Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. North America’s premier open-wheel series will crisscross the United States, including a stop for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26, before all roads lead to Nashville for an unforgettable championship finale Sunday, Sept. 15 down the heart of the city’s entertainment district and honky tonk row, where the 2024 champion will be crowned for the first time.
“The upward trajectory of the NTT IndyCar Series is reflected through the 2024 schedule,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “With stops at premier and global entertainment districts, classic American road courses and thrilling, high-speed ovals, the 2024 season will be exhilarating and highly competitive from beginning to end.
“The growth of IndyCar is palpable. Combined with the efforts of our teams and partners, the 2024 championship will be the perfect showcase for our drivers as we continue to build on our reach and popularity.”
For the sixth consecutive season, NBC Sports will be the exclusive home for IndyCar coverage in the United States. NBC will provide network coverage 12 times during the 2024 NTT IndyCar season. It is the first time in 20 years the IndyCar Series schedule has featured three consecutive years of double-digit events on network television.
Peacock remains the streaming home of IndyCar. In a first for the streaming destination, Peacock will be the exclusive home of two races in a season – Toronto for the third year in a row and Milwaukee (Race 1) for the first time.
In addition to the exclusive races, Peacock will once again simulstream all races airing on TV and will be the home to all practices, qualifying and INDY NXT races.
The 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season proved to be NBC Sports’ most-watched IndyCar Series season on record, averaging a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 1.32 million viewers. It also marked the third consecutive year of viewership growth across NBC Sports platforms, including a record audience streaming the NTT IndyCar Series on Peacock.
Two street circuits and two road courses will entertain IndyCar fans and set the stage for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. After the 2024 season opens Sunday, March 10 for the 14th time on the sun-splashed Streets of St. Petersburg, the NTT IndyCar Series returns to The Thermal Club for the first $1 Million Challenge Sunday, March 24.
Serving as an Open Test and a non-points NBC showcase, the event will take place at the world- class facility located just outside of Palm Springs, California – a short drive from Los Angeles and the world’s top entertainment market. The weekend format will include a qualifying session and two heat races. With members of The Thermal Club embedded with race teams and drivers, the top six finishers from the two heat races will advance to a showcase of stars, where they’ll compete for a $1 million prize.
The NTT IndyCar Series schedule resumes Sunday, April 21 on the palm tree-lined Streets of Long Beach, with a telecast on USA Network. It will be the 40th time the IndyCar Series has raced on the iconic Southern California streets, in the shadows of Hollywood.
The series’ next five event weekends will be featured on NBC broadcast television and Peacock.
Barber Motorsports Park will host IndyCar for the 14th time, with the Sunday, April 28 race marking the final event before moving into the traditional Month of May calendar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. May at IMS begins with a race on the road course Saturday, May 11 before attention shifts to the famed 2.5-mile oval for two days of qualifying Saturday-Sunday, May 18-19 building toward the 108th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” – the world’s largest single-day sporting event – on Sunday, May 26.
Ticket sales for the “500” are at a pace exceeding 2023, when well over 300,000 attended the largest single-day sporting event in the world. It was the second-largest Indy 500 crowd in more than two decades.
IndyCar will feature an adrenaline-filled stretch of action on five consecutive weekends leading into the months of June and July. It begins with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Sunday, June 2 on USA Network, with racing on the 1.7-mile downtown street circuit for the second straight year. The new layout on the city’s vibrant and challenging streets featured as much passing as any street circuit in 2023.
The intense competition continues a week later on NBC and Peacock at historic Road America on Sunday, June 9. The newly repaved, picturesque circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, witnessed the most on-track passing for an IndyCar race at the facility in 2023.
The 2024 season continues Sunday, June 23 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on USA Network. Known for its iconic and breathtaking Corkscrew turn complex, the Northern California facility will host an IndyCar race in June for the first time in 21 years.
The July schedule includes four races in three weeks – beginning with three consecutive broadcast showcases on NBC and Peacock.
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will continue the country’s Fourth of July celebration by hosting IndyCar on Sunday, July 7 on NBC. Mid-Ohio matches Long Beach as it hosts IndyCar racing for the 40th year in 2024.
The annual Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend doubleheader at Iowa Speedway is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, July 13-14, again on NBC. The 2024 edition will include the return of a Saturday night race to the jam-packed weekend. With support from Hy-Vee, the weekend combines exhilarating wheel-to-wheel action with world-class music at the “Fastest Short Track on the Planet.”
The final race before the Summer Olympics break takes IndyCar back to the Streets of Toronto on Sunday, July 21. Peacock again will provide exclusive coverage of the fan- favorite event as the IndyCar Series races around Exhibition Place and Princes’ Gates for the 38th time in Canada’s largest city.
The 2024 season finishes with a flurry as it features five races – including three on ovals – in five weeks. Beginning on the World Wide Technology Raceway oval, the homestretch races out of the gates Saturday night, Aug. 17 on USA Network. The expected start time will take the brash and bold IndyCar stars under the lights on the 1.25-mile track.
A week later on USA Network, IndyCar returns to the West Coast and races Sunday, Aug. 25 at Portland International Raceway for the 30th time. In 2023, races at both WWT Raceway and PIR featured the most on-track passes, on record, at those facilities.
The new Labor Day weekend doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile will air on Peacock on Saturday Aug. 31 and USA Network on Sunday, Sept. 1 before the spotlight shifts to the Streets of Nashville for the season finale Sunday, Sept. 15 on NBC, and Peacock.
The new 2.17-mile, seven-turn circuit in Nashville still incorporates the iconic Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge but adds views of the Country Music Hall of Fame and world-famous honky tonk row.
For the first time, the NTT IndyCar Series champion will be crowned and celebrated as part of the marquee Big Machine Music City Grand Prix weekend, which will include a massive Broadway Street party that only Nashville can throw.
Previously announced, the 2024 season awards ceremony will also take place in the Music City, on Monday, Sept. 16 at the beautiful Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
“In 2023, it was a record-breaking season for the NTT IndyCar Series,” IndyCar President Jay Frye said. “For the first time, 27 starters competed at each event, and on-track passing records were broken at six racetracks. IndyCar remains the most diverse and competitive championship in motorsports. We cannot wait to see how the 2024 season plays out beginning on the Streets of St. Pete.”
Start times for the 2024 events will be announced later.
2024 NTT IndyCar Series Schedule
Sunday, March 10 – Streets of St. Petersburg, NBC, Peacock
Sunday, March 24 — The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge, NBC, Peacock
Sunday, April 21 – Streets of Long Beach, USA Network, Peacock
Sunday, April 28 – Barber Motorsports Park, NBC, Peacock
Saturday, May 11 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, NBC, Peacock
Saturday, May 18 – Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Day 1, NBC, Peacock
Sunday, May 19 – Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Day 2, NBC, Peacock
Sunday, May 26 – 108th Indianapolis 500, NBC, Peacock
Sunday, June 2 – Streets of Detroit, USA Network, Peacock
Sunday, June 9 — Road America, NBC, Peacock
Sunday, June 23 – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, USA Network, Peacock
Sunday, July 7 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, NBC Peacock
Saturday, July 13 – Iowa Speedway Race 1, NBC, Peacock
Sunday, July 14 – Iowa Speedway Race 2, NBC, Peacock
Sunday, July 21 – Streets of Toronto, Peacock
Saturday, August 17 – World Wide Technology Raceway, USA Network, Peacock
Sunday, August 25 – Portland International Raceway, USA Network, Peacock
Saturday, August 31 – Milwaukee Mile Race 1, Peacock
Sunday, September 1 – Milwaukee Mile Race 2, USA Network, Peacock
Sunday, September 15 – Streets of Nashville, NBC, Peacock