Josef Newgarden won the race after passing Pato O'Ward in turn three on the final lap for his second-consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory.

The new suspension parts were introduced in response to an incident during the 2023 race in which a wheel assembly broke free from Kyle Kirkwood's car and was launched over the catch fencing.

[13] Drivers will be prohibited from going below the white line in "breaking the draft" moves that extends from the exit of turn four to the pit attenuator on the mainstretch.

[14] The move, commonly seen at NASCAR, and in the past, INDYCAR races most notably at Pocono Raceway, occurs at Indianapolis in both series where drivers deliberately veer on straights in order to defend from other cars drafting and making slingshot passes.

[15] On May 25, 2022, it was announced that online financial services company Gainbridge reached a multiyear agreement to extend their presenting sponsorship of the Indianapolis 500.

Josef Newgarden initially won the season opener at St. Petersburg, but on April 24 he was disqualified for violating push-to-pass parameters.

[25] Álex Palou won the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and led the championship points standings going into the Indy 500.

* Includes days where trackactivity was significantly limited due to rain Source: 2024 Indianapolis 500 Event Schedule All entries utilized a spec Dallara IR18 chassis with universal aero kit and 2020-adopted aeroscreen.

[32] 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson entered with a view to becoming the fifth driver to complete "Double Duty", racing the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day.

Veteran drivers that have not competed in an IndyCar oval race since the previous year's Indy 500 are required to take a refresher test.

Four drivers were scheduled to participate: Marcus Armstrong, Linus Lundqvist, Tom Blomqvist and 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson.

[71] The officials ruled that Larson exempt from the Texas test due to his extensive experience on high-speed ovals in NASCAR competition.

[75] Race rookie Kyle Larson conducted an oval evaluation test with Arrow McLaren at Phoenix Raceway on February 5.

Veteran drivers Ed Carpenter and Álex Palou were also there in compliance with Series rules to shake down their team cars and establish a base setup.

All three drivers completed their evaluations and were approved to take the Rookie Orientation Program at the April Open Test at Indianapolis.

The race almost immediately fell in to a caution period, as farther in the field, Tom Blomqvist lost control of his car in turn 1 and collected Marcus Ericsson, causing both drivers to make contact with the outside wall.

[112] During the caution period to clean up the accident, Marcus Armstrong also fell out of the race after suffering an engine failure in his car.

[113] Racing resumed on lap 9, with McLaughlin maintaining his lead over his Team Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Will Power.

A small number of drivers who had pitted during the first caution stayed out on track, resulting in Sting Ray Robb taking the lead of the race.

[111] The fourth caution of the race came at lap 56, when Felix Rosenqvist suffered an engine failure in his car and stopped on the back stretch.

Colton Herta, who had started 13th, steadily moved up the field and eventually took second place behind McLaughlin, but on lap 86 lost control of his car in turn 1 and made contact with the outside wall, drawing the race's fifth caution period.

As pit stops cycled through, several drivers took brief turns leading the race, including Rinus VeeKay and Christian Lundgaard.

As the leaders made their penultimate pit-stops around lap 135, Scott Dixon and Pato O'Ward, who were on alternate pit strategies, moved to the lead of the race.

[111] The eighth and final caution period of the day came at lap 147, when Will Power lost control of his car in turn 1 and impacted the outside wall.

Scott McLaughlin, who had led much of the early running, began to slip down the order with problems with the clutch on his car slowing him.

After the final pit stops, Josef Newgarden emerged ahead of Scott Dixon, with the Arrow McLaren teammates Alexander Rossi and Pato O'Ward behind.

[119][120][121] Originally, it was planned for the race to be blacked out in the Indianapolis market, keeping in line with IndyCar's long standing blackout policies; a tape-delayed broadcast would have been shown on local NBC affiliate WTHR.

[122] It was the first time the race has aired live in Indianapolis since 2021, when attendance restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic limited the tickets sold.

[123] On May 14, NBC announced that Jimmie Johnson would join the broadcast team for pre-race coverage and in-race analysis before leaving Indianapolis to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 later in the day.

[124] On May 16, NBC announced that both Danica Patrick and Mike Tirico would reprise their roles in pre-race and post-race coverage that they had held for several years.