Race weekend: Friday, March 21-Sunday, March 23
Track: The Thermal Club, a 3.067-mile, 17-turn road course (counterclockwise) in Thermal, California
Race distances: 65 laps/199.36 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: 150 seconds of total time, with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation
Hybrid energy deployment parameters: Unlimited activation, with a maximum deployment of 610 kilojoules (kj) per lap
Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.
X: @TheThermalClub, @INDYCAR, #ThermalGP, #INDYCAR
Instagram: @TheThermalClub, @INDYCAR, #ThermalGP, #INDYCAR
Facebook: @ThermalClub, @INDYCAR, #ThermalGP, #INDYCAR
TikTok: @IndyCar, #ThermalGP, #INDYCAR
YouTube: @INDYCAR
Event website: www.thermalgp.com
INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com
2024 race winner:
Inaugural Event (Alex Palou won The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge exhibition race in 2024.)
Qualifying record:
Inaugural Event
FOX Sports telecast: Practice 1, 6:30 p.m. ET, Friday, FS1 (live); Practice 2, 1 p.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Qualifying, 5 p.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Warmup, 11 a.m. ET Sunday, FS1 (live);Race, 3 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX (live). Will Buxton is the play-by-play announcer for FOX’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Jamie Little, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Jake Query, Jonathan Grace and DJ Clark are the pit reporters. The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix of race and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 218, indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (All times local/Pacific Time):
Friday, March 21
3:35-4:55 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1 (split group format), FS1
Saturday, March 22
10-11 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 (Limited green flag guarantee of 45 minutes), FS1
3:35-4:55 p.m. – The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix NTT P1 Award qualifying (three rounds of knockout qualifying), FS1
Sunday, March 23
8:02-8:27 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warmup, FS1
Noon – FOX on air
12:10 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”
12:17 p.m. – The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix (65 laps/199.36 miles), FOX (Live)
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:
•The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix will be the first NTT INDYCAR SERIES points-paying event at The Thermal Club, but it won’t be the first time the series has competed on the 3.067-mile road course. Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing won The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge exhibition race in 2024 over Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske and Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing.
•The Thermal Club is the third road or street circuit to debut on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar since 2021. Chip Ganassi Racing drivers won the previous two debut races. Marcus Ericsson won the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville in 2021, and Alex Palou won the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear when it debuted its new course in downtown Detroit in 2023.
•The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix will be the first of six natural terrain road course races on the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. The other events are scheduled for Barber Motorsports Park on May 4, Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on May 10, Road America on June 22, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 6, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on July 27 and Portland International Raceway on Aug. 10.
