{"id":30185,"date":"2025-02-10T15:45:41","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T20:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=30185"},"modified":"2025-02-11T18:25:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T23:25:54","slug":"a-beginners-guide-to-indycar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/02\/10\/a-beginners-guide-to-indycar\/","title":{"rendered":"A Beginner’s Guide to IndyCar"},"content":{"rendered":"

With IndyCar’s recent spotlight in Superbowl LIX, there are some new fans looking to learn more about the series. Here is a beginner’s guide to anyone watching IndyCar for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

IndyCar’s Beginners Guide:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Whether you’re a\u00a0 Formula 1 supporter seeking a fresh racing experience or you stumbled upon the IndyCar through the ads during the Super Bowl and want to discover more, now is the perfect time!<\/p>\n

The first race of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is less than a month away and if you’re keen to jump into North America’s leading open-wheel series,\u00a0 here\u2019s the most basic rundown of everything you need to know before you watch your first race.<\/span><\/p>\n

Teams and Drivers<\/span><\/h2>\n

IndyCar is mostly a spec series with major components being the same like the Dallara chassis and aerodynamic parts but there are many places for team development. All IndyCars use a 2.2L turbocharged V6. In the middle of the 2024 season, IndyCar made the switch to a hybrid engine, allowing for additional horsepower for drivers and strategies for teams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the 2025 season, IndyCar will have 11 full-time teams, with the newest addition of Prema. Those teams are split between two engine manufacturers: Honda, and Chevrolet.<\/span>Each team has a different number of entries totaling 27 full-time entries. However, unlike in previous years, there is now a cap of three drivers per team.<\/span><\/p>\n

Honda: <\/b>Andretti Global, Chip Ganassi Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Meyer Shank Racing, Dale Coyne Racing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chevrolet: <\/b>Arrow McLaren, Team Penske, Ed Carpenter Racing, Juncos Hollinger Racing, AJ Foyt Racing, Prema Racing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The only time you will see more than 27 cars on track is at the Indianapolis 500, which has a 33-car starting field. Many teams will add one or two additional cars for that race in hopes of bettering their odds of winning. Other teams prepare a car specifically for the 500.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following drivers in IndyCar may be difficult for new fans, as there is much more flexibility in driver changes. In 2024, 43 drivers competed in at least one race.<\/p>\n

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:\u00a0<\/strong>How the IndyCar Hybrid System Works & How it Affects Drivers<\/a><\/p>\n

What Tracks Does IndyCar Race At?<\/span><\/h2>\n

IndyCar is unique compared to other top-level racing series in terms of the diversity of its tracks. Throughout the season, drivers compete on three types of tracks: street circuits, road courses, and ovals.<\/p>\n

All tracks require drastically different skill sets and setups which we explain in a later article.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The IndyCar season starts March 2 in St. Petersburg and runs until Aug. 31 in Nashville. This season\u2019s schedule has 17 races at 16 different race tracks across the U.S. and one in Toronto, Canada.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Street Circuits: <\/b>St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Detroit, Toronto<\/span><\/p>\n

Road Courses: <\/b>Thermal Club, Barber, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Road Course), Road America, Mid-Ohio, Laguna Seca, Portland<\/span><\/p>\n

Ovals: <\/b>Indianapolis 500, World Wide, Iowa, Milwaukee, Nashville<\/span><\/p>\n

Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race in Iowa is the doubleheader weekend of the year. A doubleheader, in this case, means there are two races during the entirety of the weekend, usually one on Saturday and one on Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Thermal Club Million Dollar Challenge<\/a>, will not return in 2025, and it will become a points race.<\/span><\/p>\n