FULL TIME
Summary and highlights of the $1 Million Challenge in IndyCar 2024
Victory of the Spanish Alex Palou, who has been far superior and wins the prize of half a million dollars.
Highlights
Thank you all.
Thank you all for joining us in this intense race with an exciting finish, it has been a pleasure to be with all of you, see you all again!
This was the moment when Alex Palou made it to the finish line to be proclaimed the winner.
REPOST to congratulate Alex Palou!
He is MONEY, winning the #INDYCAR $1 Million Challenge at Thermal Club! pic.twitter.com/vtbkEv9RML — INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) March 24, 2024
🏁 VICTORY FOR ALEX PALOU
Half a million dollars for the Spanish rider who took this challenge. The Catalan rider was far superior today.
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🏁 LAST LAP
White flag and we enter the last lap. It seems that Herta will not be able to close the gap and will have to settle for that fourth position.
🏁 2 laps to go
Palou continues with his high pace and is more than 5.4 ahead of the second. Perfect management of the Spaniard who has two turns left to win half a million dollars.
🏁 3 laps to go
Colton Herta continues with the comeback, who is already fourth after overtaking Armstrong on the inside. The American is now two seconds behind Rosenqvist.
🏁 4 laps to go
Herta fails to close the half-second gap to Armstrong. The American, who is being very aggressive in this second part of the race, is starting to get closer to Armstrong.
This was the fight between Rossi and Josef Newgarden
They're wheel-to-wheel! 🫨@AlexanderRossi and @josefnewgarden are laying it all on the line in the final sprint!#INDYCAR // #ThermalChallenge pic.twitter.com/V4om29Ib7F — NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 24, 2024
🏁 5 laps to go
The race stabilized, while Palou increased his lead to more than 3 seconds over the second-placed driver.
🏁 7 laps to go
Rossi tried again with Lundqvist, but went long. The McClaren driver is still in seventh position. Unbeatable while Alex Palou is more than 2.5 seconds ahead of the second classified.
🏁 8 laps to go
Herta overtakes Lundqvist and now has overtaken Armstrong.
This was the start of the second race
Racing for ALL THE MONEY!
Inside 10 laps to go in the INDYCAR $1 Million Challenge on NBC and Peacock! pic.twitter.com/JziXiY4zgk — INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) March 24, 2024
🏁 9 laps to go
Rossi, who managed to overtake, but was overtaken by Herta and Lundgaard.
🏁 10 laps to go
Rossi wins again a position and attention that now Armstrong is making a stopper and the McLaren driver is taking advantage of it.
🏁Lap 12/20
Canapino and Rossi touch, while Palou has kept the first position.
The second part of the race starts
The race is about to resume. Now the drivers are not going to hold anything back and are going to go for it all.
❌ DISQUALIFIED
Fittipaldi was disqualified for not having enough fuel.
Fittipaldi's fuel problems here
Potential trouble for @PiFitti?
The No. 30 is forced to drop back and save fuel ahead of the 10-lap break.#INDYCAR // #ThermalChallenge pic.twitter.com/fSNLEKO81m — NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 24, 2024
🏁 Lap 11/20
There is a red flag and that means that there is a stop after the half-length
🏁Lap 10/20
Problems for Rahal who is already in the pits so Fittipaldi has gained one more position and is eleventh.
🏁Lap 10/20
We are entering the last lap of the first half of the race and the Brazilian's goal is not to be lapped by Palou.
🏁Lap 9/20
Please note that Fittipaldi has been given the wrong amount of fuel and is running out of fuel.
🏁Lap 8/20
Fittipaldi seems to have had a problem because right now he is 12th and he has done a lap of more than two minutes.
🏁Lap 7/20
It seems that Scott Mclughlin is now less than a second behind. He may be Palou's rival in the second part of the final race.
🏁Lap 5/20
Ecuador for the first part of the race. We remind you that when we reach lap 10 there will be a stop.
🏁Lap 4/20
Spanish driver Alex Palou continues to lead the race with ease. He has a margin of almost two seconds. While Herta seems to be conserving tires and is 22 seconds off the lead.
This is how the final race started
REPOST if you're watching the INDYCAR $1 Million Challenge on NBC and Peacock!
Alex Palou's out front and Colton Herta's deploying a different strategy! pic.twitter.com/MuAs6M0V84 — INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) March 24, 2024
🏁Lap 3/20
Fittipaldi is trying to overtake Rahal. The Brazilian is currently in eighth position
🏁Lap 2/20
Second and a half that Alex Palou has, it seems that the drivers settle for these positions in order to save themselves for the second part of the race.
🏁Lap 1/20
Colton Herta looks troubled, the American looks troubled
🚥 THE FINAL RACE BEGINS
A good start for Alex Palou, who keeps the first position, while Australian Scott, who started fourth, is now second.
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Warm-up lap
We already have the 12 pilots on the track. THE FINAL RACE WILL START IN NO TIME
This is what the grill will look like
Palou and Rosenqvist will start from the front row. While Lundgaard and Herta, who have needed assistance on their cars, will start from the last line.
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Car adjustments
The new tires are being mounted and the cars are being placed in the pit lane before the start of the final race where the winner will win half a million dollars.
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The six qualifiers of the second race
1 Alex Palou
2 Marcus Armstrong
3 Graham Rahal
4 Linus Lundqvist
5 Pietro Fittipaldi
6 Alexander Rossi.
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🏁 VICTORY FOR ALEX PALOU
Rossi finally managed to take that place and Mexican Pato O'Ward is out of the final race.
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🏁 Lap 10/10
Last lap and this race will be the fastest so Palou will start first and the second group will be the odd ones.
🏁 Lap 9/10
Pato O'Ward has not been able to get close and the Mexican has been losing the rear wheel. Rossi seems to have the sixth lap
This is how the fight between the McClaren drivers is going to go
Papaya on papaya! 🤯
The @ArrowMcLaren teammates go side-by-side for position!#INDYCAR // #ThermalChallenge pic.twitter.com/80HxLlt4EL — NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 24, 2024
🏁 Lap 8/10
Fittipaldi currently in fifth place and Rahal Letterman Racing would currently have all three drivers in the final race.
🏁 Lap 7/10
Ten seconds of Armstrong over Rahal. Both Ganassi Racing drivers are going very fast today.
🏁 Lap 6/10
Alexander Rossi will fight with his McClaren teammate and Mexican Pato O'Ward for the sixth position, which gives access to the final race.
🏁 Lap 5/10
Intratable to the Spanish driver who takes more than 3 seconds to his teammate. Leading from the start Palou
🏁 Lap 4/10
Pato O'Ward also passes Ilott, while Rossi overtakes and the Mexican overtakes Lomqvist. Right now Rossi would be the one to advance to the final.
🏁 Lap 3/10
Pretty good pace of Alex Palou, who is more than 2.9 ahead of Armstrong, who is second. While Rossi overtakes his teammate and is seventh.
🏁 Lap 2/10
Mexican O'Ward is on the verge of touching. While Fittipaldi is fifth and is looking for that fourth position.
🏁 Lap 1/10
The three McClarens together with the Mexican O'Ward is in ninth position. Right now he would be out of the final race
🚥 SECOND RACE BEGINS
Good start by Alex Palou, who arrives first, while there is a slight touch at the back.
Everything ready for the second race
Start of the warm-up lap to witness the second group race
Some of the best moments of the first race
THIS BATTLE 🤌#INDYCAR // #ThermalChallenge pic.twitter.com/xt8z6Ve2Ie — NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 24, 2024
These are the six drivers advancing to the final race
1 Rosenqvist
2 McLaughlin
3 Newgarden
4 Lundgaard
5 Canapino
6 Herta
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🏁 END OF THE FIRST RACE
Victory of the Australian driver Felix Rosenqvist in the first race of the Group A. From the beginning, the Swedish driver
🏁 Last lap
The top six positions seem to be defined. Power is still looking for another position, but he is still ninth.
⏱️ 1:30
Argentinean Canapino, who is in fifth place, is seven seconds behind the leader. And two seconds away from fourth place.
⏱️ 2:30
Herta and Siegel look like they could be the drivers who will be fighting for that sixth place to win a place in the final
⏱️ 4:00
There will not be a lap finish but a time race. Four minutes left to define the sixth position
🏁 Lap 5/10
Another overtaking by the Australian Power, who despite going long ended up consolidating the ninth position. Although he needs three more positions
🏁 Lap 4/10
Felix Rosenqvist is starting to take advantage. He already has more than 1.2 over the second. The Swede started from pole position and is leading the field.
🏁 Lap 4/10
Power overtakes Robb, but is tenth, although the Aussie is far from that sixth position
🏁 Lap 3/10
Lundgaard is closing in on third place. The Dane is currently in the top six.
🏁 Lap 2/10
Dixon is going to have to go through bosex after his incident and will therefore be out of the final.
🏁 Lap 1/10
Rosenqvist remains in the lead after the restart of the race
The accident at the start of the first race was like this
Chaos in Coachella!
Heat 1 sees an incident involving multiple cars on Lap 1 at @ThermalClub.
📺: NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/uynsq81kpD — NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 24, 2024
🟨 YELLOW FLAG
Grosjean, who has been hit by Dixon, is out of the race. We will see what is decided by the race organization.
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🚥 THE RACE BEGINS
We recall that the top six qualify for the final race. There has been a touch-up at the back where several drivers have been involved, while Rosenqvist is leading
Warm-up lap
The race of the first session is about to start. This is the starting grid for this group 1
Dangerous areas of the circuit
One of them is turn eight because of the piano and we are going to have to take that into account. Also degradation is something to keep in mind in this IndyCar race.
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We remind you of the procedure
There will be two races of 10 laps each and finally we will have a third final race of 20 laps. This last one will be divided in two, since in the middle of the race, in the tenth lap there will be a break.
$1 Million Challenge READY 💪#INDYCAR // #ThermalChallenge pic.twitter.com/moKA8gphLD
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 24, 2024
The pilots already on the track
Few minutes to the start of the IndyCar in the Million Dollar Challenge. We already have the cars and drivers on the grid.
Alex Palou, one of the favorites
A good weekend, which he will try to close with a victory. The Spanish driver has led the Friday sessions in the test, and has also been the pole position of group 2.
Statements by Alex Palou
The Spanish driver and reigning IndyCar champion after taking pole in Group 2 commented that he was happy. "We were using everything on that lap before it went red, very happy with that pace. The car is good. After all that confusion with the red flag and all that, we didn't know if we were going to be able to do a lap," he analyzed after qualifying
Statement by Felix Rosenqvist
The Swedish driver after achieving pole in Group 1 commented that "in the mirror there is an angry group behind". "I think it's about starting and running away, but, man, everyone is going to try. That's the beauty and the curse of this format. Everybody's going to give it their all, and that's what we did now and we finished first. We tried to stay calm after the morning; we had a bit of a messy session. I just tried to forget that session, take a deep breath and do it all over again.
When was the last time no points were given out at The Thermal Club?
The last time the race held in California ended with no points in the championship was 16 years ago, as it happened in 2008.
Watch out for this fact
Only 10 non-scoring races have been held in IndyCar since 1946.
These are the rankings of the two groups
Mexican driver Pato O'Ward is in the second group and will start from ninth position in the second group, which is led by reigning champion Alex Palou.
The heats are set.
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 24, 2024
Where did your favorite driver qualify for the $1 Million Challenge?#INDYCAR // #ThermalChallenge pic.twitter.com/2Bj6za8HVP
Felix Rosenqvist and Alex Palou took pole position
The Swede and the Spaniard took pole position yesterday. Remember that there are two groups so there are two pole positions.
WE RETURN
In a few minutes the Desafío del Millón will start, both the preview and the minute by minute of the race can be followed here on VAVEL.
Stay tuned to follow the Million Dollar Challenge in IndyCar
In a few moments we will share with you the Indycar Million Dollar Challenge preview in real time, as well as the latest information from the Twin Palms Thermal Club. Don't miss any detail of the race with VAVEL's minute-by-minute live online coverage.
How to watch the Million Dollar Challenge in IndyCar?
If you want to watch the Desafío del Millón race, you can follow it on television on ESPN and Star+.
If you want to watch it online, VAVEL is your best option.
What time is the IndyCar Million Dollar Challenge race?
This is the start time of the race in several countries:
Argentina: 1:15 PM
Bolivia: 12:15 PM
Brazil: 1:15 PM
Chile: 1:15 PM
Colombia: 11:15 AM
Ecuador: 11:15 AM
United States (ET): 12:15 PM
Spain: 17:15 PM
Mexico: 10:15 AM
Paraguay: 1:15 PM
Peru: 11:15 AM
Uruguay: 2:15 PM
Alex Palou, the fastest on Friday
The two-time IndyCar winner and reigning champion was the fastest in the two Friday sessions being held at the Thermal Club. Mexican Pato O'Ward finished 5th in the first test and 24th in the second test.
2024 IndyCar Teams and Drivers
Meyer Shank Racing: Tom Blomqvist, Linus Lundqvist, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud
Penske: Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power
Arrow McLaren: Felix Rosenqvist, Alexander Rossi and Tony Kanaan
Chip Ganassi Racing: Marcus Ericsson, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, Marcus Armstrong and Takuma Sato
AJ Foyt Racing: Santino Ferrucci and Benjamin Pedersen
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: Yuri Vips, Graham Rahal, Jack Harvey, Conor Daly, Katherine Legge and Christian Lundgaard.)
Dale Coyne Racing: David Malukas and Sting Ray Robb
Ed Carpenter Racing: Ryan Hunter-Reay, Rinus VeeKay and Ed Carpenter
Andretti Autosport: Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood, Romain Grosjean, Devlin DeFrancescoand Marco Andretti
Juncos Hollinger: Callum Ilot and Agustin Canapino)
Abel Motorsport: RC Enerson
Million Challenge event format
There will be two qualifying races and a final race where the winner of the challenge will be decided. A draw has been made with two groups for the 27 drivers. Each of the races will have a 20-minute time limit, with a maximum of 10 green flag laps. While in the long race in the middle, on the tenth lap, there will be a 10-minute 'break' by red flag, where teams will only be able to refuel and make adjustments.
These are the two groups that have been decided after the drawing of lots
After last night's qualifying draw, here are the two groups for qualifying at The @ThermalClub.
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 22, 2024
📺: Qualifying - Saturday, 8 PM ET - Peacock pic.twitter.com/wxfwThwBWY
Summary of the first IndyCar race of the season
Josef Newgarden won the first race of the Indycar season at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg after starting from the first position and defending the lead in the race. Behind him finished the Mexican driver Pato O'Ward, who has 50 points. Behind, but after a great comeback, Alex Palou finished in sixth position, the Spaniard is the reigning IndyCar champion.
The Circuit
The race will be held at the Twin Palms Thermal Club, located in Coachella Valley, California. It is 4.82 kilometers long and has a total of 19 turns. It consists of twisty turns, long straights and elevation changes.
Special event in IndyCar
This weekend a challenge will be contested in the IndyCar in the second round of the 2024. There will be no points to give out, but there will be a large amount of money at stake. This race will award total prizes worth $1,756,000 to the drivers, with $350,000 going to second, $250,000 to third, $100,000 to fourth, $50,000 to fifth and $23,000 to the remaining competitors. The winner of the special event will receive half a million dollars.
Welcome to VAVEL.COM's LIVE coverage of the 2024 IndyCar Million Dollar Challenge race.
My name is Manuel Carmona Hidalgo and I will be your antifrion for this race. We will offer you the pre-race analysis and news here live on VAVEL.