2024 Pennzoil 250

2024 Pennzoil 250

Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Race 20 of 33 of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series
Date	July 20, 2024
Official name	13th Annual Pennzoil 250
Location	Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Scheduled Distance	100 laps, 250 mi (400 km)
Pole position
Driver	Cole Custer	Stewart–Haas Racing
Time	53.705
Most laps led
Driver	Cole Custer	Stewart-Haas Racing
Laps	47
Winner
No. 98	Riley Herbst	Stewart-Haas Racing
Television in the United States
Network	USA
Announcers	Rick Allen, Steve Letarte, and Jeff Burton
Radio in the United States
Radio	IMS

The 2024 Pennzoil 250 was the 20th stock car race of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the 13th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent square-shaped racetrack. Contested over 100 laps, the race ended in a 3-car battle for the win, with Stewart-Haas Racing driver Riley Herbst claiming just his second career win, and his first of the season. Teammate Cole Custer finished second, and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Aric Almirola finished third. Shane Van Gisbergen and Sheldon Creed rounded out the top five, and Austin Hill, Daniel Dye, AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier, and Carson Kvapil rounded out the top ten.

This race was followed by a three-week long break for the 2024 Summer Olympics which aired on NBC and USA.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana, (an enclave suburb of Indianapolis) in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. It is located on the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road, approximately six miles (10 km) west of Downtown Indianapolis.

Constructed in 1909, it is the original speedway, the first racing facility so named. It has a permanent seating capacity estimated at 235,000 with infield seating raising capacity to an approximate 400,000. It is the highest-capacity sports venue in the world.

Considered relatively flat by American standards, the track is a 2.5-mile (4.0 km), nearly rectangular oval with dimensions that have remained essentially unchanged since its inception: four 0.25-mile (0.40 km) turns, two 0.625-mile long (1.006 km) straightaways between the fourth and first turns and the second and third turns, and two .125-mile (0.201 km) short straightaways – termed "short chutes" – between the first and second, and third and fourth turns.

• (R) denotes rookie driver.
• (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.

The first and only practice session was held on Friday, July 19, at 1:05 PM EST, and would last for 50 minutes.^[7] Chandler Smith, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.971, and a speed of 166.756 mph (268.368 km/h).

Qualifying was held on Saturday, July 20, at 12:05 PM EST.^[7] Since Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an intermediate circuit, the qualifying system used is a single-car, single-lap based system with only one round. Drivers will be on track by themselves and will have one lap to post a qualifying time, and whoever sets the fastest time in that session will win the pole.^[8]

Road course qualifying rules were in effect. The timing line was set in Turn 3, where cars exited pit road, drove five-eights of a lap, then took the green flag in the north chute exiting Turn 3, and completing their lap there the next time by. Teams then immediately pitted the car, meaning only two laps were run. Indianapolis and Michigan used restrictor plates.

Cole Custer, driving for Stewart–Haas Racing, would score the pole for the race, with a lap of 53.705, and a speed of 167.582 mph (269.697 km/h).^[9]

No drivers would fail to qualify.

Stage 1 Laps: 30

Stage 2 Laps: 30

Stage 3 Laps: 40

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Cole Custer 761 2 Justin Allgaier 705 (-56) 1 3 Austin Hill 674 (–87) 1 4 Chandler Smith 661 (–100) 2 5 Riley Herbst 618 (–143) 1 6 A. J. Allmendinger 609 (–152) 2 7 Jesse Love 587 (–174) 8 Sheldon Creed 576 (–185) 9 Parker Kligerman 553 (–208) 2 10 Ryan Sieg 510 (–251) 11 Sammy Smith 507 (–254) 2 12 Sam Mayer 502 (–259) Official driver's standings

Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Chevrolet 745 2 Toyota 708 (-37) 3 Ford 644 (–101) Note: Only the first 12 positions are included for the driver standings.