LIVE: IndyCar million-dollar challenge heat races, updates, crashes
The IndyCar Series is doing something different this weekend: a race that pays (literally), but doesn't offer championship points.
The $1 Million Challenge will be contested at the Thermal Club, gated community/racetrack near Palm Springs, Calif. There are heat races and a 12-car "all-star" on the 17-turn, 3.067-mile road course.
Nathan Brown is your best IndyCar follow, and keep it here for highlights and updates. Please remember to refresh.
Recpie for mayhem?: IndyCar drivers predict battles to be 'chaotic'
What channel is IndyCar's $1 million challenge on?
Heat races and "All-Star" race: 12:30-3 p.m., NBC Peacock, IndyCar Live, IndyCar Radio, SiriusXM Channel 218
Deep dive: How does IndyCar's $1 Million Challenge work?
How qualifying works at IndyCar's $1 million challenge
There will be two 12-minute qualifying sessions on Saturday, with the drivers for each session drawn randomly. At most races, qualifying sessions are determined by practice times.
How heats work for IndyCar's race at the Thermal Club
There will be two heats consisting of half the field. The heats are 10 green laps or 20 minutes, whichever comes first. The top six from each heat advance to the main event.
How the All-Star race works at IndyCar's $1 million challenge
It's 20 laps: 10-lap segments, with a 10-minute break between. Laps run under full-course caution do not count. Each car gets 40 seconds of push-to-pass for each segment.
Pole position will determined by the heat race winner with the best qualifying time. From there, starting positions will alternate between heats. (One heat will have race starters 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11; the other, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12.)
Insider: IndyCar needs success with $1 Million Challenge. It's far from guaranteed.
How much prize money is available in IndyCar's $1 million challenge?
OK, so nobody wins $1 million. Prizes have been adjusted since the original event announcement. Here are the payouts:
Winner: $500,000
Runner-up: $350,000
3rd place: $250,000
4th place: $100,000
5th place: $50,000
6th and worse: $23,000 each
IndyCar 2024 schedule
Times are ET for TV coverage
Date, time | Location | TV/winner |
March 10 | St. Petersburg, Fla.% | |
March 24, 12:30 p.m. | Thermal, Calif.*# | NBC |
April 21, 3 p.m. | Long Beach, Calif.% | USA |
April 28, 1 p.m. | Leeds, Ala.# | NBC |
May 11, 3 p.m. | Indianapolis# | NBC |
May 26, 11 a.m. | Indianapolis@ | NBC |
June 2, noon | Detroit% | USA |
June 9, 3:30 p.m. | Elkhart Lake, Wis.# | NBC |
June 23, 6 p.m. | Monterey, Calif.# | USA |
July 7, 1:30 p.m. | Lexington, Ohio# | NBC |
July 13, 8 p.m. | Newton, Iowa@ | NBC |
July 14, noon | Newton, Iowa@ | NBC |
July 21, 1 p.m. | Toronto% | Peacock |
Aug. 17, 6 p.m. | Gateway, Ill.@ | USA |
Aug. 25, 3 p.m. | Portland# | USA |
Aug. 31, 6 p.m. | Milwaukee@ | Peacock |
Sept. 1, 2:30 p.m. | Milwaukee@ | USA |
Sept. 15, 3 p.m. | Nashville@ | NBC |
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar million-dollar challenge race format, updates, crashes
