By: Spencer Neff
March 22, 2024

For the first time in 16 years, INDYCAR hosts a non-points event.

After conducting their preseason “Spring Training” at the Thermal Club last season, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will return to the California venue for this new race.

Here’s more on the weekend:

Headlines

For the first time since the 1991 Marlboro Challenge at Laguna Seca, a non-points event will be held on a permanent road course.

Only three drivers who participated in the last non-championship race in 2008 at Surfers Paradise (Australia) will compete in this weekend’s event. Those drivers are Scott Dixon, Will Power and Graham Rahal.

During last year’s four test sessions at Thermal, Day 1’s pair of tests were led by Colton Herta, while Day 2 was split between Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood. Ericsson joined Herta and Kirkwood as third driver for Andretti Global prior to the beginning of the season.

St. Petersburg winner Josef Newgarden will look to earn his first win on a permanent road course since Road America in June 2022. Five of the scheduled permanent road courses on the 2024 schedule will be run over the next seven races following the April 21 race at Long Beach.

This weekend brings the return of Callum Ilott, who again subs for the recovering David Malukas with Arrow McLaren. Dale Coyne Racing welcomes INDY NXT St. Petersburg winner Nolan Siegel for his unofficial INDYCAR debut alongside teammate Colin Braun.

Fast Facts

Spotter Guide Pit Assignments Qualifying Groups

Race weekend: Friday, March 22 – Sunday, March 24

Track: The Thermal Club, 3.067-mile, 17-turn road course (counterclockwise) in Thermal, California

Race distances: (Two Qualifying Heats) 10 laps / 20 minutes) | (Sprint for the Purse) Two Segments (10 laps/ 30.67 miles each) with 10-minute halftime after Lap 10

Push-to-pass parameters: 40 seconds of total time for each qualifying grioup, heat race and both segments of the final.

X: @TheThermalClub, @INDYCAR, #ThermalChallenge, #INDYCAR

Instagram: @TheThermalClub, @INDYCAR, #ThermalChallenge, #INDYCAR

Facebook: @ThermalClub, @INDYCAR, #ThermalChallenge, #INDYCAR

TikTok: @IndyCar, #ThermalChallenge, #INDYCAR

YouTube: @INDYCAR

Event website: www.thermal.cc

INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com

2023 race winner:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES 

Inaugural Event

Qualifying record: 

NTT INDYCAR SERIES 

Inaugural Event

NBC Sports telecast: Races, 12:30 ET Sunday, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe.

Peacock Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open Test sessions, qualifying session, heat races and the final Sprint for the Purse will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside turn announcers Ryan Myrehn and Jake Query. Michael Young is the pit reporter. The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge, Saturday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open Test sessions and qualifying session air live on SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 218 and SiriusXM NBC Sports Audio 85, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

At-track schedule (All Times Local):

Friday, March 22

9-11 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open Test, Peacock

2-5 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open Test, Peacock

Saturday, March 23

9-11 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open Test, Peacock

1-3 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Open Test, Peacock

5 p.m. – $1 Million Challenge heat race qualifying (two groups / 12 minutes each), Peacock

Sunday, March 24

9:24 a.m. – $1 Million Challenge Heat Race 1 “Drivers Start Your Engines”

9:30 a.m. – NBC on air

9:31 a.m. – $1 Million Challenge Heat Race 1 (10 laps / 30.67 miles / 20 minutes / Top 6 advance to Sprint for the Purse), NBC

9:58 a.m. – $1 Million Challenge Heat Race 2 “Drivers Start Your Engines”

10:05 a.m. – $1 Million Challenge Heat Race 2 (10 laps / 30.67 miles / 20 minutes/ Top 6 advance to Sprint for the Purse), NBC

10:52 a.m. – $1 Million Challenge Sprint for the Purse “Drivers, start your engines”

10:59 a.m. – $1 Million Challenge Sprint for the Purse (Two 10-lap segments with 10-minute halftime after Lap 10), NBC (Live)

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:

· The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge will be the first non-championship NTT INDYCAR SERIES race since 2008. With a total payout of over $1.7 million, it is the largest non-Indy 500 purse for an INDYCAR SERIES event in over two decades. More information on the weekend format can be found HERE. There have been 10 INDYCAR SERIES exhibition races held since 1946, including the Marlboro Challenge All-Star race, which was held by CART from 1987-1992.

Header Image By Chris Jones Fast Facts By INDYCAR