Ahead of the 2024 Indianapolis 500, I sat down with McLaren CEO Zak Brown to get a flavor for the event. In addition to his duties with McLaren’s Formula 1 team, Brown’s position as McLaren’s CEO has him keeping an eye on Arrow McLaren, the team’s IndyCar operation.
And last year while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were battling in the Monaco Grand Prix on the F1 side, Brown was in Indianapolis for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500.
It did not take long during our conversation to see why.
“I’m fortunate. I have a lot of pinch-me moments these days, being in the fortunate position to work for McLaren. But, you know, it was always Memorial Day Weekend, the fastest race in the world, the largest live sporting attended event in the world with the most iconic names,” said Brown to me last May during our discussion. ”The Andrettis, the Rutherfords, the Clarks, the Stewarts, to the Unsers, the Fittipaldis.
“And it’s a race that usually brings drama to it.
I remember, you know, Emerson [Fittipaldi] and Al [Unser Jr.] touching with a few laps to go,” recalled Brown. ”So it’s produced some of the most iconic moments in sport. And so you put that all together. If you like motor racing, it’s hard not to have had the Indy 500 make that impression on you as a kid growing up.
“It certainly did on me.”
The Indianapolis 500 has that effect on sports fans the world over, and the 109th installment of one of motorsport’s biggest events takes place this weekend. We will have full coverage for you of this year’s Indianapolis 500, starting with qualifying this weekend, interviews with some of the drivers and engineers who will be taking part next week, through coverage of the race itself. So come back early and often to SB Nation for all your Indianapolis 500 needs!
Indy 500 results: Alex Palou wins his first Indianapolis 500
Marc Lebryk-Imagn ImagesKyle Larson’s dream of “The Double” will have to wait another year
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesKyle Larson’s dream of completing “The Double” has come to an end.
Last year the NASCAR Cup Champion became the latest driver to try and complete the motorsport feat, finishing both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. But a rain delay in the Indianapolis 500 last year saw him arrive late to the Coca-Cola 600, only to find that the race, which had begun, would not resume due to weather and lightning.
Read Article >Indy 500: Scott McLaughlin’s day ends before it begins
Doug McSchooler/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesSunday began with Scott McLaughlin dreaming of his first win in the Indianapolis 500.
That dream will have to wait at least another year.
Read Article >Kyle Larson’s ‘Hendrick 1100’ attempt at ‘The Double,’ explained
Photo by Michael L. Levitt/Lumen via Getty ImagesWhen the 33 cars roll off the line for the start of the 109th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, Kyle Larson will begin a journey that he hopes will cover 1100 miles, involve a pair of checkered flags, and place him in rarified air in motorsport history.
For the second consecutive season, Larson is attempting “The Double,” meaning he will first race in the Indianapolis 500, then make the trip to Charlotte to run in the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600. As with last year, Larson is driving for Arrow McLaren, alongside their full-time trio of Pato O’Ward, Christian Lundgaard, and Nolan Siegel.
Read Article >Marcus Ericsson on winning the Indy 500, the importance of focus, and more
Kristin Enzor / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesSunday brings the 109th running of the greatest spectacle in motorsports, the Indianapolis 500. It is an event rich in heritage and part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, along with the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is a race that every driver dreams of winning, and the most-attended sporting event in the world. Only 75 drivers have tasted victory — and milk — in this event.
Marcus Ericsson is one of those drivers.
Read Article >Indy 500 starting grid: Pole position, first row, full lineup for the 109th Indianapolis 500
Grace Hollars / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesThe biggest spectacle in all of motorsport is here.
The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Read Article >The Wienie 500 at the Indy 500, explained
The Friday before the Indianapolis 500 will look a little different this year.
Thanks to six hot dogs on wheels doing their best to rocket around Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Read Article >Christian Lundgaard on the Indy 500, what a perfect lap feels like, and more
Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesSunday when the cars roll off the line for the start of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500, Arrow McLaren driver Christian Lundgaard will be in somewhat unfamiliar territory.
Starting inside the Top 10 at the biggest spectacle in motorsports.
Read Article >Pato O’Ward on his Super Bowl ad, his chances in the Indianapolis 500, and more
Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesRace car drivers are just like us.
Sometimes they need a new washing machine and a new dryer.
Read Article >Pato O’Ward got what he wanted in qualifying at the Indy 500
Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesPato O’Ward has never started on the front row for the Indianapolis 500.
Until this year.
Read Article >Indianapolis 500 qualifying results: Robert Shwartzman stuns the field to take pole
Bob Goshert/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesToday, the full field for the 109th Indianapolis will be set.
Saturday’s Full-Field qualifying set spots 13-30 on the grid, but Sunday brings three critical sessions that will complete the field from the car that will start 33rd on the grid, to the car that will start in pole position.
Read Article >Colton Herta goes from in the wall, to in the show
Steve Baker/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesShortly after noon Eastern at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Colton Herta was inverted on the track, after a hard crash early in the Full-Field Qualifying session left his No. 26 Andretti Global Honda upside down and leaning against the wall.
A few hours later, Herta was in the field for the 109th Indianapolis 500.
Read Article >Colton Herta crashes in Indy 500 qualifying
Randy Ballinger/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesQualifying is underway for the 109th Indianapolis 500.
But one of the favorites might have to settle for a spot at the back of the field, if he qualifies at all, after a scary crash during qualifying on Saturday.
Read Article >
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