Takuma Sato will return to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500, assuring another Bump Day.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has confirmed a fourth entry for the second straight Indianapolis 500. Takuma Sato will join them for the 108th edition of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, making him a two-time winner after winning the event with Andretti Autosport in 2017.
Sato will join Graham Rahal, Christian Lundgaard, and Pietro Fittipaldi in this year’s 200-lap race at the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Speedway, Indiana oval.
The 47-year-old Japanese IndyCar driver has taken part in 14 Indy 500s, including five with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in 2012, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Bump Day at the Indy 500 confirmed Sato’s No. 75. Honda is the 34th confirmed car on the entry list, assuring bumping for the second consecutive year and the sixth time in the last seven years. Last year, there were 34 cars on the entry list, and Rahal was knocked out by teammate Jack Harvey as the clock struck 0:00 on Bump Day.
Two of this year’s 34 confirmed entrants still do not have confirmed drivers. Dale Coyne Racing has yet to confirm any drivers for the 2024 season, following the departures of David Malukas to Arrow McLaren and Sting Ray Robb to A.J. Foyt Enterprises.
The Indy 500 entry list is set to grow further, with Abel Motorsports returning with R.C. Enerson’s No. 50 Chevrolet and possibly fielding a second entry. A.J. Foyt Enterprises, which plans to run the No. 41 Chevrolet for Robb and the No. 14 Chevrolet for last year’s third-place finisher Santino Ferrucci, may also enter.
The most recent Indy 500 included 35 racers contending for a spot in the field of 33 in 2021. The entry list most recently featured 36 drivers seeking for a spot in the race in 2019, when two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso and McLaren were notoriously knocked out by Kyle Kaiser and Juncos Racing.
There hasn’t been an Indy 500 entry list of more than 36 vehicles since 2011, when eight drivers were left out.
Indy 500 qualifying will take place on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19. The 108th edition of the event is scheduled for Sunday, May 26, and will be aired live on NBC from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET.
