The NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ 2024 season officially begins in 70 days with the running of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. But the first of 17 races to determine the season champion isn’t the only important number to remember.
Significance abounds in this sport.
From Helio Castroneves’ third attempt to win a record-setting fifth Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge to Scott Dixon’s fourth try at matching A.J. Foyt’s mark of seven series season championships, there are many interesting numbers to watch in 2024.
As the calendar has recently flipped, it’s time to examine what some of these drivers are aiming for.
3: That’s the number of series titles Alex Palou will have if he defends last year’s championship. The Spaniard driving for Chip Ganassi Racing has won two of the past three titles and will be a leading candidate to nab another. Team Penske’s Will Power and Josef Newgarden also can win a third series title in 2024. Only 12 drivers in history have won at least three such championships in their careers.
11: That’s how many career race wins Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon is behind A.J. Foyt in the all-time count. Foyt’s record is 67, Dixon stands at 56. Yes, there are many miles ahead for the New Zealander, and Foyt’s record might stand for years to come, but Dixon is closing fast and can get there. While he turns 44 in July, he has 15 wins over the past six seasons, an average of 2.5 wins per year. Dixon had three wins last year and returns with the organization that finished first and second in the 2023 standings. Is Foyt’s mark reachable? It’s not inconceivable.
1: That’s how many race wins Will Power needs to tie Michael Andretti’s 42 for fourth place on the all-time list. Power didn’t reach victory lane last year for the first time since 2006, but there were personal circumstances weighing on him. Prior to that, Power had a streak of 16 consecutive seasons with at least one win, so tying Andretti seems likely in 2024. Helio Castroneves also needs one more race win to break a tie with Paul Tracy and Dario Franchitti for 10th place. Each has 31. But Castroneves is only set for one start this season – in the “500” – so if he wins there the focus will only be on five rather than 32.
2: Josef Newgarden could jump into the top 10 in career wins this season. He has 29, which leaves him two wins from the totals of Tracy, Franchitti and Castroneves. Newgarden has 26 wins since joining Team Penske for the 2017 season, which is an average of 3.7 wins per season. On five occasions, including last year, he won four or more races. So, how far can he climb? Based on his recent past, he could be in Dixon’s air in seven more seasons. Remember, Newgarden just turned 33, so another 10 years in the sport isn’t out of the question.
27: For the second consecutive season, that’s how many car-and-driver combinations there will be for full-season participation. A few seats still must be confirmed, but it’s another robust field.
20 and 22: Those are numbers Scott Dixon will achieve if he wins a race in 2024. Currently, he has won races in 19 consecutive seasons and 21 seasons in all. Those are both series records.
1: That’s how many series starts Christian Rasmussen (Ed Carpenter Racing) and Kyffin Simpson (Chip Ganassi Racing) will have if they participate in the St. Petersburg race, as expected. One-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson (Arrow McLaren) is scheduled to debut in this series at the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
71: That’s the number of NTT P1 Awards that Will Power will have with his next pole. His streak of being the top qualifier for at least one race a year began in 2009, and he already has the series record. Power's pole record numbers are mindboggling. Mario Andretti long held the record with 67. Only two other drivers in history – A.J. Foyt and Helio Castroneves – reached 50. Scott Dixon is next among active full-time competitors with 28.
6: That’s how many races Scott Dixon needs to move past Tony Kanaan for third place on the sport’s career starts list. That fifth “official” race will be the “500,” and Dixon should come out of the race with 390 career starts. Helio Castroneves, who is second on the all-time list behind Mario Andretti’s 407, is also expected to start that race and that will push his total to 392. Given all of that, Dixon can move past the Brazilian at the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey on June 23. Dixon should end the season five starts behind Andretti’s record.
0: Dixon cannot improve his position as the ironman of the sport as he already owns the consecutive-start record at 322 races. He passed Tony Kanaan’s previous record of 318 last season.
861: That’s the number of laps Dixon needs to lead to match Mario Andretti’s career mark of 7,595. Dixon has led 6,734, so it’s not out of the question that he becomes No. 1 this season. Twice he has led more than 800 laps in a season, with 899 in 2008 and 815 in 2009. Last year he led 205.
6: That’s the difference between Dixon’s 50 career second-place finishes and Mario Andretti’s record of 56.
7: That’s the difference between Dixon’s 137 career top-three finishes and Mario Andretti’s 144.
28: That’s how many rookie drivers have won races in this series since 1946. Alexander Rossi was the most recent in 2016. Could there be a 29th?
20: You’ll likely see this number mentioned a lot in May. That would be the number of Indianapolis 500 victories Roger Penske has as a team owner should he go to victory lane with Josef Newgarden, Will Power or Scott McLaughlin.
5: That’s how many back-to-back “500” winners there have been. Newgarden can become the sixth in history and the first since Helio Castroneves in 2002.