# Pit Stop Challenge

The Pit Stop Challenge is a single elimination, pit stop competition held two days before the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana and after the final practice session on Carb Day. First held in 1977, the contest has pit crews compete head-to-head in single-round eliminations for three rounds. In each round they conduct a standard pit stop—switching all four tires on a racing vehicle and simulating refuelling via a fuel hose connection to the fuel tank—in the shortest possible time in a drag race-style event that happens in a specially constructed dual pit lane. Each round commences with the green lights being illuminated to signal to both drivers who are lined up side-by-side to begin from a standing start. They enter the pit box and stop there before crossing the finish line, which is 200 ft (61 m) away, as fast as possible. During the competition, no fuel is used, and all pit stops must last for a minimum of three seconds. The time a team's car spends in its pit box determines the winner, and the fastest team in each pairing advances to the next round. Squads may be assessed time penalties if they exit their pit box with an incorrectly fitted tire, if pit crews or equipment leave their designated area, or if a driver runs over pit equipment such as an air hose.
Since 2017, the top two teams have competed in a three-round final. The team with the fastest time in the semi-finals gets to select their preferred lane for the final, and the team with the fastest time in the final gets to choose their favored lane for the third and deciding round. The tournament bracket is decided by a blind draw, and the top four teams receive a bye from the first round to the quarter-finals, with the remaining squads beginning in the first round. Contest participants are selected from IndyCar Series-registered teams and Indianapolis 500 entrants. Qualification for the contest is based on pit stop performance after the last Indianapolis 500, current season IndyCar entrant standings positions, and one-off Indianapolis 500 entries. The winning team and driver share the winners' prize of $50,000 from $150,000 total prize money. Each crew member receives pit lane equipment from prize donors at a Gasoline Alley giveaway as well as Jostens custom-designed rings.
The competition allows pit crews for the Indianapolis 500 to adjust their routines, practice to reduce errors, and become acquainted with their pit lane box. Past sponsors of the competition include Miller, Coors, Checkers/Rally's, McDonald's, Izod, TAG Heuer, and Ruoff Mortgage. It was canceled in 2008 due to rain, and all advertized prize monies were donated to charity; it was also canceled in both 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana. As of May 2024, the record for the most victories is held by Team Penske with 19 wins since their first win in the 1981 final. Galles Racing are in second place with six wins, and Chip Ganassi Racing are third with four victories. Hélio Castroneves has the most victories among drivers, with eight, followed by Scott Dixon and Danny Sullivan with four wins each. Rick Rinaman has four wins, more than any other chief mechanic. Travis Law, Matt Jonsson, Owen Snyder, and Travis Law follow in second place with three victories each. The inaugural winner was Carrillo (Jim McElreath) in the 1977 final, while the most recent winner was Team Penske (Josef Newgarden) in the 2024 final.

## Winners and runner-ups

Key :
| † | Indicates driver won the contest and the Indianapolis 500 in the same year |
| 2–1 | Denotes an entrant's winning score from 2017–present |
| s | Time in seconds |
Winners and runners-up of the Pit Stop Challenge :
| Year | Winner | Winner | Winner | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Runner-up | Runner-up | Runner-up | Ref |
| Year | Team | Driver | Chief Mechanic | Time (s) | Score | Team | Driver | Chief Mechanic | Time (s) | Ref |
| 1977 | Carrillo | Jim McElreath | Dave Klym | 15.09 | N/A | Patrick Racing | Wally Dallenbach Sr. | George Bignotti | 15.82 | |
| 1978 | Team McLaren | Johnny Rutherford | Steve Roby | 13.80 | N/A | Polak Racing | Larry Dickson | Chuck Looper | 17.27 | |
| 1978 | Team McLaren | Johnny Rutherford | Phil Sharp | 13.80 | N/A | Polak Racing | Larry Dickson | Chuck Looper | 17.27 | |
| 1979 | Team McLaren | Johnny Rutherford | Steve Roby | 13.51 | N/A | Jerry O’Connell | Tom Sneva | Jud Phillips | 13.94 | |
| 1980 | AMI Racing Division | Tom Bigelow | Paul Leffler | 14.04 | N/A | AMI Racing Division | Greg Leffler | Paul Leffler | 14.50 | |
| 1981 | Team Penske | Bobby Unser† | Laurie Gerrish | 13.00 | N/A | Kraco Racing | Larry Cannon | Phil Trasher | 23.20 | |
| 1982 | Team Penske | Rick Mears | Peter Parrott | 13.930 | N/A | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | A. J. Foyt | Jack Starne | 18.050 | |
| 1983 | Team Penske | Rick Mears | Peter Parrott | 13.860 | N/A | Alex Morales | Pancho Carter | Johnny Caples | 15.528 | |
| 1984 | Kraco Racing | Michael Andretti | Brian Stewart | 18.520 | N/A | Mayer Motor Racing | Howdy Holmes | Steve Roby | 18.948 | |
| 1985 | Team Penske | Danny Sullivan† | Chuck Sprague | 11.742 | N/A | Forsythe Racing | Howdy Holmes | Barry Green | 11.734 | |
| 1986 | Team Penske | Danny Sullivan | Chuck Sprague | 20.288 | N/A | Truesports | Bobby Rahal | Steve Horne | 22.734 | |
| 1987 | Newman/Haas Racing | Mario Andretti | Colin Duff | 18.050 | N/A | Truesports | Bobby Rahal | Steve Horne | 23.270 | |
| 1988 | Team Penske | Danny Sullivan | Chuck Sprague | 14.782 | N/A | Newman/Haas Racing | Mario Andretti | Colin Duff | 15.006 | |
| 1989 | Galles Racing | Al Unser Jr. | Owen Snyder | 14.716 | N/A | Newman/Haas Racing | Mario Andretti | Colin Duff | 26.582 | |
| 1990 | Galles-Kraco Racing | Al Unser Jr. | Owen Snyder | 14.094 | N/A | Galles-Kraco Racing | Bobby Rahal | Jim Prescott | No Time | |
| 1991 | Patrick Racing | Danny Sullivan | Mike Hull | 13.114 | N/A | Galles-Kraco Racing | Bobby Rahal | Jim Prescott | 13.382 | |
| 1992 | Rahal-Hogan Racing | Bobby Rahal | Jim Prescott | 13.324 | N/A | Chip Ganassi Racing | Eddie Cheever | Chris Griffis | No Time | |
| 1993 | Galles-Kraco Racing | Al Unser Jr. | Owen Snyder | 13.118 | N/A | Newman/Haas Racing | Mario Andretti | John Simmonds | 16.104 | |
| 1994 | Forsythe Green Racing | Jacques Villeneuve | Kyle Moyer | 12.867 | N/A | Team LOSI | John Paul Jr. | Randy Bain | 13.590 | |
| 1995 | Team Green | Jacques Villeneuve† | Kyle Moyer | 14.556 | N/A | Newman/Haas Racing | Michael Andretti | Tim Bumps | 14.660 | |
| 1996 | Galles Racing | Davy Jones | Mitch Davis | 14.176 | N/A | Pagan Racing | Roberto Guerrero | Doug Barnes | 16.368 | |
| 1997 | Galles Racing | Kenny Bräck | Gary Armentrout | 14.284 | N/A | Team Cheever | Eddie Cheever | Mitch Davis | 15.133 | |
| 1998 | Panther Racing | Scott Goodyear | Kevin Blanch | 17.307 | N/A | Team Menard | Robbie Buhl | John O'Gara | No Time | |
| 1999 | Galles Racing | Davey Hamilton | Darren Russell | 12.680 | N/A | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Kenny Bräck | Bill Spencer | 14.560 | |
| 2000 | Panther Racing | Scott Goodyear | Kevin Blanch | 11.190 | N/A | Treadway Racing | Robby McGehee | Rick Hurford | 12.720 | |
| 2001 | Kelley Racing | Scott Sharp | Robert Perez | 9.20 | N/A | Galles Racing | Al Unser Jr. | Russ Marr | 12.67 | |
| 2002 | Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves† | Rick Rinaman | 8.555 | N/A | Chip Ganassi Racing | Jeff Ward | Barry Wasner | 10.3433 | |
| 2003 | Cheever Racing | Buddy Rice | David Meehan | 8.8401 | N/A | Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves | Rick Rinaman | 9.1341 | |
| 2004 | Rahal Letterman Racing | Buddy Rice† | Ricardo Nault | 12.3365 | N/A | Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves | Rick Rinaman | 24.4430 | |
| 2005 | Team Penske | Sam Hornish Jr. | Matt Jonsson | 8.9704 | N/A | Andretti Green Racing | Bryan Herta | Jeff Grahn | 9.9170 | |
| 2006 | Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves | Rick Rinaman | 8.0852 | N/A | Andretti Green Racing | Dario Franchitti | Dave Popielarz | 8.4428 | |
| 2007 | Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves | Rick Rinaman | 8.335 | N/A | Team Penske | Sam Hornish Jr. | Matt Jonsson | 8.888 | |
| 2008 | Canceled due to rain | Canceled due to rain | Canceled due to rain | Canceled due to rain | Canceled due to rain | Canceled due to rain | Canceled due to rain | Canceled due to rain | Canceled due to rain | |
| 2009 | Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves† | Rick Rinaman | 7.962 | N/A | Andretti Green Racing | Marco Andretti | Jeff Grahn | 9.456 | |
| 2010 | Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves | Sean Hanrahan | 8.001 | N/A | Newman/Haas Racing | Hideki Mutoh | Todd Phillips | 9.548 | |
| 2011 | Team Penske | Ryan Briscoe | Matt Jonsson | 7.882 | N/A | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dario Franchitti | Kevin O'Donnell | 8.481 | |
| 2012 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Scott Dixon | Kevin O'Donnell | 13.769 | N/A | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Oriol Servià | Chris Hogue | 17.194 | |
| 2013 | Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves | Sean Hanrahan | 14.475 | N/A | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dario Franchitti | Kevin O'Donnell | 14.854 | |
| 2014 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Scott Dixon | Blair Julian | 11.658 | N/A | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Sage Karam | Mark Weida | 12.163 | |
| 2015 | Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves | Travis Law | 12.561 | N/A | Chip Ganassi Racing | Charlie Kimball | Mark Sampson | 13.017 | |
| 2016 | Team Penske | Hélio Castroneves | Travis Law | 12.235 | N/A | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Mikhail Aleshin | Taylor Kiel | 19.381 | |
| 2017 | Team Penske | Will Power | Matt Jonsson | 11.614 | 2–1 | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | James Hinchcliffe | N/A | 13.223 | |
| 2018 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Scott Dixon | Blair Julian | 11.614 | 2–1 | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | James Hinchcliffe | N/A | 12.495 | |
| 2019 | Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Marcus Ericsson | Bob Jansen | 11.794 | 2–1 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Scott Dixon | Blair Julian | 13.132 | |
| 2020 | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | |
| 2021 | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indiana | |
| 2022 | Team Penske | Josef Newgarden | Travis Law | 10.949 | 2–0 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Scott Dixon | Blair Julian | 11.911 | |
| 2023 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Scott Dixon | Tyler Rees | 11.012 | 2–1 | Team Penske | Will Power | David Faustino | 12.552 | |
| 2024 | Team Penske | Josef Newgarden† | Chad Gordon | 10.792 | 2–0 | Arrow McLaren | Pato O'Ward | Chris Nash | 12.647 | |

## Statistics

Multiple wins by team :
| Team | Wins | First win | Last win |
| Team Penske | 19 | 1981 | 2024 |
| Galles Racing | 6 | 1989 | 1999 |
| Chip Ganassi Racing | 4 | 2012 | 2023 |
| Andretti Green Racing | 2 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Panther Racing | 2 | 1998 | 2000 |
| Rahal Letterman Racing | 2 | 1992 | 2004 |
| Team McLaren | 2 | 1978 | 1979 |
Multiple wins by driver :
| Driver | Wins | First win | Last win |
| Hélio Castroneves | 8 | 2002 | 2016 |
| Scott Dixon | 4 | 2012 | 2023 |
| Danny Sullivan | 4 | 1985 | 1991 |
| Al Unser Jr. | 3 | 1989 | 1993 |
| Scott Goodyear | 2 | 1998 | 2000 |
| Rick Mears | 2 | 1982 | 1983 |
| Josef Newgarden | 2 | 2022 | 2024 |
| Buddy Rice | 2 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Johnny Rutherford | 2 | 1978 | 1979 |
| Jacques Villeneuve | 2 | 1994 | 1995 |
Multiple wins by chief mechanic :
| Chief mechanic | Wins | First win | Last win |
| Rick Rinaman | 4 | 2002 | 2009 |
| Matt Jonsson | 3 | 2005 | 2017 |
| Travis Law | 3 | 2015 | 2022 |
| Owen Snyder | 3 | 1989 | 1993 |
| Chuck Sprague | 3 | 1985 | 1988 |
| Kevin Blanch | 2 | 1998 | 2000 |
| Sean Hanrahan | 2 | 2010 | 2013 |
| Blair Julian | 2 | 2014 | 2018 |
| Kyle Moyer | 2 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Peter Parrott | 2 | 1982 | 1983 |
| Steve Roby | 2 | 1978 | 1979 |