Followers of the American Legion racing program might think they are seeing double this weekend at the NTT INDYCAR SERIES stop at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) will compete in Saturday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 with two “American Legion Be the One” liveries: rookie Linus Lundqvist driving the No. 8 American Legion Honda and Marcus Armstrong, who will make his debut in the No. 11 American Legion Honda.
Lundqvist was seen wearing the blue “Be the One” livery this season, while Armstrong’s version is painted red, both bearing the American Legion’s message of suicide prevention for veterans.
Saturday’s race is the first in the INDYCAR SERIES since the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto on July 21, where Lundqvist finished 13th. He currently sits 18th overall and has a 40-point lead over CGR teammate Kyffin Simpson in the Rookie of the Year standings.
Armstrong is 14th in the season standings and has three top-five finishes this season. He just finished fifth at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto and was named Rookie of the Year for CGR last year.
Alex Palou, who leads the INDYCAR championship race by 49 points, will also wear American Legion branding on his No. 10 DHL Honda.
The race over 260 laps and 500 kilometers takes place on a The 1.25-mile oval is favored by many drivers who race there due to its unique shape and varying bank in each corner. Turns 1 and 2 have similar characteristics to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, while turns 3 and 4 resemble Phoenix Raceway. The track’s egg shape is reminiscent of the oval at Twin Ring Motegi.
This weekend’s broadcast schedule (all times ET):
· Friday, August 16 – NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Practice 1, 12:45–1:45 p.m.; NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Qualifying, 4:20–5:20 p.m.; NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Final Practice, 7:45–9:30 p.m. (all Peacock).
· Saturday, August 17 – Bommarito Automotive Group 500, 6-9 p.m. (US and Peacock).
Facts about the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship:
· Alex Palou leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with five races remaining for the third time in his INDYCAR SERIES career. He also led the 2021 and 2023 championships with five races remaining, winning the title in each of those seasons. Palou, who led the points standings after seven of the 12 rounds this season, took the points lead at the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey in June.
· 18 drivers are still mathematically qualified for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship: Alex Palou, Willpower, Scott Dixon, Colton Herta, Pato O’Ward, Scott McLaughlin, Kyle Kirkwood, Joseph Newgarden, Alexander Rossi, Santino Ferrucci, Christian Lundgaard, Marcus Ericsson, Felix Rosenqvist, Marcus Armstrong, Rinus VeeKay, Romain Grosjean, Graham Rahal And Linus LundqvistAny driver who is 217 points or more behind the leader after this race will be eliminated from the race.
· Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race at World Wide Technology Raceway, the winning driver has won the INDYCAR SERIES championship three times: Alex Zanardi (1998), Joseph Newgarden (2017) and Scott Dixon (2020 Race 1).
· Important championship point statistics: Since 2008, the championship leader has won the championship nine times with five races still to go. These drivers were: Scott Dixon (2008, 2018, 2020), Dario Franchitti (2011), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Joseph Newgarden (2019) and Alex Palou (2021, 2023).
· Point difference: The 49 points separating Alex Palou and Will Power is the seventh-largest points difference with five races remaining since INDYCAR SERIES racing was unified in 2008. Before this season, the average lead with five races remaining was 43.9 points.
Race notes:
· In the 2024 season, there were seven winners in 12 races of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Pato O’Ward (Streets of St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course), Scott Dixon (Streets of Long Beach, Streets of Detroit), Scott McLaughlin (Barber Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway-1), Alex Palou (Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca), Joseph Newgarden (Indianapolis500), Willpower (Road America, Iowa Speedway-2) and Colton Herta (Streets of Toronto) have all won in 2024. The modern record (1946 to present) for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.
· The Bommarito Automotive Group 500, presented by Axalta and Valvoline, will be the 16th race of the INDYCAR SERIES at World Wide Technology Raceway. Scott Dixon won the WWTR for the second time in 2023. Paul Tracy won the first race of the INDYCAR SERIES at WWTR in 1997. Dixon, Joseph Newgarden (2017, 2020 Race 2, 2021, 2022) and Willpower (2018) are the previous winners competing in this year’s race.
· The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline is the fourth of seven oval races during the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. Team Penske drivers have won the previous three races. Joseph Newgarden won the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in May, while Scott McLaughlin And Willpower shared the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend doubleheader at Iowa Speedway last month.
· Three drivers have won from pole position at the World Wide Technology Raceway – Juan Pablo Montoya (2000), Gil de Ferran (2002) and Helio Castroneves (2003).
· Team Penske has won eight times at the World Wide Technology Raceway. Penske’s winning drivers are Paul Tracy (1997), Gil de Ferran (2002), Helio Castroneves (2003), Joseph Newgarden (2017, 2020 Race 2, 2021, 2022) and Willpower (2018). Chip Ganassi Racing has three wins at Gateway with Alex Zanardi (1998), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000) and Scott Dixon (2020 Race 1).
· Twenty-four drivers have competed in previous INDYCAR SERIES races at World Wide Technology Raceway. Scott Dixon has nine starts, most of them among the registered drivers. Rookies Nolan Siegel And Kyffin Simpson will be competing at WWTR for the first time. Thirteen drivers have led laps on the track (Joseph Newgarden 582, Scott Dixon 374, Willpower 333, Pato O’Ward 159, Colton Herta 134, Scott McLaughlin 12, Alexander Rossi 8, David Malukas 4, Felix Rosenqvist 4, Marcus Ericsson 3, Romain Grosjean 2, Graham Rahal 2 and Conor Daly
· Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 335th consecutive start and extend his record streak in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
To learn more about the American Legion’s Be the One suicide prevention program for veterans, including attending a virtual Be the One training, click here Here.
