More Teams Join to Win $50,000 in Pit Stop Challenge

An expanded 16-crew field headlines Friday’s Oscar Mayer $150,000 Pit Stop Challenge at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, part of Miller Lite Carb Day. Four former winners return to contend.

The event starts at 2:30 p.m. ET on the frontstretch. Coverage is available on FOX, FOX One, and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls, giving fans a clear look at pit execution.

This is the largest lineup since the Challenge began in 1977. It arrives amid a busy build-up following Indy 500 qualifying and final race preparations.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon owns four titles. Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden has three, including the past two years. Single-time winners Will Power and Marcus Ericsson also feature.

The prize fund is decisive. Winners collect $50,000, with $25,000 for the runner-up. Execution, reliability, and repeatable stops will likely outweigh outright risk-taking.

Newgarden’s recent record stands out. He has three wins in the past four editions, and Team Penske locked out last year’s final, with Power second.

Power now contests his first Challenge as an Andretti Global driver, having originally won in 2017. His switch reframes a traditional Penske stronghold.

Newgarden and Pato O’Ward achieved a rare feat in 2024, finishing first and second in both the Pit Stop Challenge and the Indianapolis 500. Related blackout details shaped last year’s viewership dynamics.

Round one has immediate intrigue. Newgarden faces Dixon. O’Ward meets Power. Arrow McLaren fields three entries, underlining the team’s pit stop depth.

Elsewhere, Christian Lundgaard meets Christian Rasmussen of Ed Carpenter Racing. Ryan Hunter-Reay faces fellow pole sitter and winner Alex Palou for Ganassi.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing enters three crews. Graham Rahal draws Louis Foster in an early intra-team test of consistency and choreography.

Rookies Mick Schumacher and Dennis Hauger meet in a debutant showdown. Rinus VeeKay faces Romain Grosjean, while Ericsson draws Team Penske’s David Malukas.

First-named drivers select lanes in round one. In the final, lane choice for the opener goes to the crew with the fastest previous round time, with lanes swapping for run two.

Each round requires a fuel hookup simulation and a full set of Firestone Firehawk tire changes, placing premium value on precise sequencing and clean releases.

The Challenge began in 1977, when Jim McElreath beat Wally Dallenbach. It has run annually, with exceptions in 2008 due to rain and a two-year COVID-19 pause.

Team Penske leads the event’s roll of honor with 20 wins. Ganassi has four, most recently with Dixon in 2023. Rahal Letterman Lanigan owns two.

Buddy Rice delivered RLL’s latest win in 2004, then won the Indianapolis 500 the same year. Newgarden matched the double in 2024.

Miller Lite Carb Day gates open at 8 a.m. ET. All 33 cars practice from 11 a.m., live on FOX, FOX One, and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.

The Oscar Mayer Wienie 500 starts at 2 p.m. The Counting Crows concert begins at 4 p.m., concluding Friday’s program at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Visual Summary

Zane Muniz

Zane Muniz writes across NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, IMSA, NHRA, and dirt-racing news. His breaking-news alerts and event previews ensure motorsport fans never miss a lap, drift, or drag-strip showdown.