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Marco Andretti has been confirmed for the 2024 Indy 500 as the field starts to come together
After stepping away from full-time IndyCar racing three years ago, Marco Andretti is set to participate in his 19th Indianapolis 500 in May, as confirmed by Andretti Global on Tuesday. The announcement includes a new primary sponsor, MAPEI, a chemical products manufacturer, featured on Andretti’s No. 98 Honda.
At 36 years old, Andretti’s inclusion brings the total number of formally confirmed drivers for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 to 29. The field is anticipated to experience bumping during qualifying weekend for the second consecutive year.
In addition to his IndyCar commitment, Andretti is slated to participate in a 20-race stock car schedule in 2024, comprising 13 ARCA races and seven in the NASCAR Trucks series. His goal for the upcoming Indianapolis 500 is to make an impact during the Month of May, marking his return to the race after securing pole position in 2020. However, in that race, he failed to lead a lap and finished in 13th place. Subsequent performances saw him qualify 25th, 23rd, and 24th, with finishing positions of 19th, 22nd, and 17th.
Marco Andretti, who retired from full-time IndyCar racing three years ago, is set to participate in his 19th Indianapolis 500 in May, confirmed by Andretti Global. The team also announced a new primary sponsor, MAPEI, a chemical products manufacturer, for Andretti’s No. 98 Honda.
Andretti, 36, returns after a string of six consecutive Indianapolis 500s without a top-10 finish, with his best result being 12th in 2018. Andretti Global, previously Andretti Autosport, has faced challenges in recent years, securing only five top-10 finishes among its 21 entries since the 2020 edition.
Last year, Colton Herta achieved the team’s best finish, placing 9th, while Kyle Kirkwood was poised for a top-10 finish before an incident involving Felix Rosenqvist ended his race.
With Andretti’s confirmation, 29 drivers are now announced for the 2024 Indianapolis 500, including full-time IndyCar entries and additional drivers such as Kyle Larson, Helio Castroneves, Ed Carpenter/Christian Rasmussen, and Marco Andretti. Dale Coyne Racing has yet to announce drivers for its two full-time entries, potentially bringing the field to 31.
Teams like Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, Abel Motorsports, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing are still finalizing their line-ups, with the possibility of additional entries reaching up to 34 drivers. Abel Motorsports, considering a two-car team for the 500, aims to build toward a full-time IndyCar program by 2025.
While there are uncertainties about the participation of drivers like Takuma Sato, AJ Foyt Racing has confirmed it is not planning to field a third car for the 2024 season. The confirmed field so far includes 17 Honda-powered and 17 Chevy-powered entries.
