And we promise, we’re not just saying that. Whether you're feeling the need for speed or are in search of fun personalities and social media antics, we have you covered. Welcome to the world of INDYCAR.  

From the specific tracks we race to the importance of pit stop strategy, consider this your one-stop shop for all things you need to know about the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Readers, start your engines!  

What is INDYCAR?  

The official INDYCAR website puts it quite simply: “The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is North America’s premier open-wheel series with athletes representing over 11 different countries around the world.”  

Ten teams, 27 full-time cars, 18 races and a whole lot of speed.  

What is the weekend format?  

No weekend plans? Not to worry, as a typical NTT INDYCAR SERIES race weekend is jam-packed with action from Thursday to Sunday. Full set-up days occur on Thursdays, when team transporters arrive with every piece of equipment needed for a successful race weekend. After set-up, it’s time for the beloved “track walk,”, where drivers and their engineers zip around the track (on foot or wheels) to analyze every nuance and discuss the most strategic approach to each corner and straight.    

Now it’s time to hit the track on Friday and keep the momentum going through Sunday’s race day. During practice days on Friday, cars are fired up for the first time since being set up in the shop. The goal is to roll off the transporters with a race-ready car; however, that’s not always the case. Each practice session gives the team more information on how to best tweak the Arrow McLaren Chevrolets to the drivers’ and track’s liking. 

Saturdays are qualifying days. Scroll a little more and you’ll get the nitty gritty details. In short, qualifying is when each driver on the grid tries to lay down their fastest lap to secure the best starting position on race day.  

Congratulations, we’ve now made it to race day. Final warmup with pit stop practice, last minute engineering meetings, driver intros, command to start engines and the waving of the green flag – race day is race day. Two-plus hours of one of the most competitive open- wheel racing series in the world.  

And, if you're lucky, you end Sunday with a champagne shower, new piece of hardware, and a happy plane ride home.   

How do you win the championship?   

Like other open-wheel series, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship standings are determined by a points system. Each traditional race weekend, drivers can score points in three different categories, based on their performance in qualifying and the race. The majority of points are scored on race day, starting at 50 points for the winner, down to five points for those who place 25th and beyond. Check out our Explained: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Points System guide for a deeper dive into the intricacies of points.   

Fun fact: Unlike in Formula 1, every driver is awarded points on race day. Start the race, collect your points.  

What type of racetracks are there?   

Why race on one type of track, when you can race on four? The beauty of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is its diverse calendar, which features a famed 2.5-mile oval, short ovals, road courses and street circuits. The varying tracks offer nothing short of a unique racing and viewing experience each race weekend. There’s truly a race for everyone! 

What is the big deal with ovals?   

Imagine this – you're driving at 200-mph-plus speeds, or 240+ mph during qualifying at the Indianapolis 500, with mere inches separating your tires from your competitor’s, for almost three hours straight. That’s the big deal with ovals.  

Ovals in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES are the most dangerous and physically intense races for the drivers. They must withstand five Gs of force on their bodies, while trying to avoid the slightest touch of a wall, another car or even a shift in the wind. To put this into perspective? Astronauts experience about three Gs during a rocket launch. 

Did we mention that six of the final eight races in 2024 are on ovals? 

How do the teams qualify?   

Buckle in, folks. On street and road courses, the qualifying format is set up in three rounds and based on a knock-out system. The first round contains two groups, divided based on an entry's final practice time; cars finishing in even positions in one group, the remaining cars in another. Each group will take to the track for eight minutes, trying to put down their fastest lap time; the top six in each group moving on to Round 2.   

Once the fastest 12 are set, teams have a quick break for any adjustments and tire changes needed. Round 2 is when you want to make adjustments to your race car, hoping to push the car even harder; as each driver’s lap times are so close, they need maximum precision to nail the best lap their car can muster. Again, you need to secure a top-six lap to advance to the final round called the Firestone Fast Six.  

Teams now look at the data, finalize their last adjustments, choose their best available tires and decide when is best to put down the fastest lap in the final six-minute session. This round is all about pushing the car to the limit, but doing it within the proper constraints of time, tire degradation, track temperature and potential incidents. Strategy is everything.  

The fastest car in the Firestone Fast Six gets the coveted pole position and starts the race with the best view on race day.  

Now stay with us...  

Oval qualifying is a different story. Each driver will line up on pit lane and, one by one, take to the track for their qualifying laps. Each driver gets three laps total (or four total laps at the Indy 500): one to warm up the car and the second and third to do our favorite thing: send it! That two-lap average could determine your entire race, so the pressure is on to deliver perfect laps.   

How important are pit stops?   

In INDYCAR, pit stops can make or break your race. When you're going to pit and what adjustments you’ll make on the car are all vital decisions, potentially altering a team’s race strategy drastically.   

Even during pit stops, speed is the name of the game. In and out laps by the driver are critical, just the same as the seven crew members jumping over the wall. As the car rushes into the pit stall, the crew are left to change tires, refuel and adjust the wings – all in under seven seconds. Meanwhile, a driver could be lapped on track, losing potential positions depending on the lap chosen to come onto pit lane. Did you follow the same stop sequence as the leaders or are you off strategy?   

All to say, races can be won, or lost, on pit lane.  

And don’t even get us started on tire choices.  

Wait, there’s more than one type of tire?  

Yes. Let's break down each.  

Primary: The most-used tire choice is the primary compound. These tires last for longer stints and are used on all three types of tracks: street, road and oval. They have the best balance between speed, cornering and durability.  

Alternate: These tires are composed of a softer compound, allowing them to warm up to the proper temperature faster than the primary. This creates more grip on track, allowing faster speeds and quicker cornering. These tires are usually used for shorter stints as they have quicker wear time, unless the driver can manage tire wear and extend them to the same length as the primary tire.   

To add to the complexity of tires, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES introduced a new sustainable alternate in 2023, known as the guayule (green) tires. The tire’s composition is made of mainly sustainable natural rubber, derived from the guayule shrub, making a first of its kind, eco-friendly racing tire.  

Wet: Cue the rain. Just as the name suggests, these tires are designed to run in wet conditions, featuring a grooved tread pattern that improves grip, control and prevents hydroplaning. Rain tires are only used on road and street courses, as the teams won't drive them on ovals due to the danger of constant high speeds and wear. 

The tires chosen during each race’s pit cycle can make or break a team’s strategy. They will determine if you're at the same speed, faster or slower than other race cars and when you need to come back into the pits. In short, it’s a big deal.  

What is push-to-pass?  

Push-to-pass, also referred to as ‘P2P,’ is commonly compared to Drag Reduction System (DRS) used in Formula 1 due to its similar purpose of aiding drivers in overtaking. However, there are a few notable differences to highlight. Activated by a dedicated button on the steering wheel, the push-to-pass system in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES triggers an engine power boost, versus the aerodynamic advantage of DRS in F1. This P2P feature can also be used to overtake and defend against other cars on track.   

Each driver is allotted the same number of seconds to use throughout the race, with a maximum number of seconds being allowed per activation. Unlike DRS, P2P can be used at any point and time during the race. Talk about adding a new level of excitement and unpredictability to race strategy!  

How many teams are there?  

There are currently 10 full-time teams running in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. For the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500, there will be at least two additional team entries in the second of the three races that make up motorsports’ prestigious Triple Crown (Indianapolis 500, Monaco Grand Prix and 24 Hours of Le Mans).   

And how many drivers?  

Stay with us, this is where it gets a little complicated. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES has 27 full-time entries, but sometimes those entries aren’t always the same driver. There are a few occasions where drivers only run street and road courses, not the ovals and vice versa. To add to that, there are usually an additional six entries (or more) when it comes to the Indy 500.  

To put it simply, there are 27 drivers you’ll see take the grid regularly during the 2024 season. 

OK, so who are our drivers?  

This year’s Arrow McLaren driver lineup has it all. From successful racing backgrounds to spirited personas on and off track, there’s no shortage of personality between the three... trust us.  

Pato O’Ward is the team’s longest-tenured driver after joining in 2020 and has made his mark in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The young Mexican has a strong résumé securing four wins, 20 podiums and five poles earning him the nicknames of Mr. Fast Hands and The Ninja.   

With nine top-five finishes, seven podiums, and 189 laps led in the 2023 season, it seems like the only way to go from here is up. 

David Malukas joins the team this year as our new pilot of the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. First taking to the go-kart track at the age of seven, he quickly climbed the INDYCAR ladder system, eventually landing an NTT INDYCAR SERIES seat in the 2022 season. He’s quite the character – enough so that we wrote an entire article about him and his new love of the color papaya.   

Alexander Rossi now enters his sophomore season with Arrow McLaren, earning his veteran status on the team. With eight years of competing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES under his belt, he’s no stranger to success. His resume speaks volumes and includes a historic victory at the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, eight career race wins, 29 podiums and seven poles.  

(And no, we still don’t have a favorite.)  

What can we share about the car?  

Good question. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is commonly called a spec racing series, where all cars must use the same major spec components including chassis, aero kit, and choice of two engine manufacturers.  However, there are many elements on the car that are open to innovation and team development! 

What is the biggest race on the calendar?  

It’s not named the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” just for fun. The Indy 500 takes the cake for the most important race of the season and, arguably, the world. Names like Foyt, Unser, Castroneves, Mears, Andretti, Rutherford, Montoya, Fittipaldi and so many others have won this historic race. Not to mention two more familiar names: Rossi and Kanaan.  

Five hundred miles, 200 laps at 220-plus mph, all aiming for immortality to have their face added on the coveted Borg-Warner Trophy. Need we say more? 

Yes, we should. Don’t forget Kyle Larson will join Arrow McLaren at this year’s Indy 500. Attempting to not only qualifying and finish 500 miles at Indianapolis, he will then fly to Charlotte, North Carolina to compete in NASCAR’s Cup Series race in the Coca-Cola 600. We doublechecked the math, that’s 1,100 miles in one day. 

Now that you are hooked, how can you watch?   

Ready to get in on the action? United States viewers can stream exclusive NTT INDYCAR SERIES content and all live practice, qualifying and race sessions on Peacock with a monthly subscription. Rather watch a live broadcast? Tune into NBC or USA Network, the official U.S. television home of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Not in the US? No problem – international viewers can check local listings here. Wherever you are, we’ve got you covered.   

Now that you’re all caught up, be sure to follow the team on X, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and TikTok to stay in the know all-season long.