2025 INDYCAR Awards: Picking Best Driver, Top Rookie, Biggest Surprise, More

The 2025 INDYCAR season delivered on the hype, from a record-setting champion to a thrilling Indy 500 to drama on and off the track.

After INDYCAR handed out hardware at its official awards ceremony, we at FOX Sports have some awards and superlatives to dish out as we reflect on the past season.

Driver of the Year

Alex Palou. C’mon, who else would get this nod? He won eight of the 17 races and had the biggest margin of victory of any champion under the current points system. 

Race of the Year

Indy 500. OK, maybe a little bias here, but the Indy 500 will almost always wins this award. It is, after all, the greatest spectacle in racing. The on-track product didn’t disappoint with a Palou pass on Marcus Ericsson with 14 laps remaining.

Race of the Year (non-Indy 500)

Milwaukee. A great event with nine lead changes, Christian Rasmussen won with a bold move to take the lead with 16 laps remaining — the first laps he had led all day. It was the first victory for Rasmussen.

Moment of the Year

Not much can beat the photos of Palou and his wife and 3-year-old daughter at the ceremonial kissing the bricks at Indy.

Hard Luck Driver of the Year

Pato O’Ward. He had a great season. Possibly a championship-worthy season in some years, but not in the one where Palou was incredible.

Pole of the Year

Was there anything more thrilling than rookie Robert Shawrtzman, driving for a rookie Prema organization, winning the Indianapolis 500 pole? Not on a pole day.

Move of the Year

Christian Lundgaard going from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to Arrow McLaren seemed to be a smart one. He went from finishing 11th in the standings a year ago to fifth in 2025 (and had run much of the season in the top-four in points).

Bizarre Moment of the Year (kinda laughable):

While it was dangerous, Will Power knocking Kyle Kirkwood out of the way at Detroit in practice was something you can probably look at and laugh at in the aftermath. It was rare to see the chrome horn in INDYCAR.

Bizarre Moment of the Year (definitely gut-wrenching)

Scott McLaughlin wrecking on an Indy 500 warmup lap while getting some heat in his tires was shocking to see. That is something you wouldn’t wish on anyone to be out of the race before it even begins.

Breakout Driver of the Year

Kyle Kirkwood went from seventh in the 2024 standings to fourth with three wins. It was the year that the Andretti driver showed he will be one to be in the mix for wins for the next several years.

Rookie of the Year

Louis Foster won the rookie of the year by a couple of points over Shwartzman, but he clearly had the better season. He won a pole and started six races inside the top 10. But his best finish was 11th.

Storyline of the Year

The Will Power saga at Penske is one that soap operas are made of as he and Penske debated his future throughout the year. He ended up leaving for Andretti.

Enigma of the Year

From incredible moments to scratch-your-head moments, Santino Ferrucci had them all in 2025. He was one to watch for sure.

Most Improved Team of the Year

Meyer Shank Racing went from having its best driver finishing 12th in the standings (only Felix Rosenqvist drove all the races for the team in 2024) to both inside the top-10 with Felix Rosenqvist (sixth) and Marcus Armstrong (eighth).

Quietly Good Driver of Year

Scott Dixon finished third in the standings even if you barely heard him throughout the year with the exception of the win at Mid-Ohio. He did open the season with a second-place finish and placed top-5 in six races.

Surprise of the Year

Rinus VeeKay didn’t have a ride until a couple of weeks before the season, and then he went out and had one of the best seasons in Dale Coyne Racing history as he finished 14th in the standings with seven top-10s.

Comeback of the Year

David Malukas started 2024 without a ride after he broke his wrist. He finished 2025 at 11th in the standings and with a deal to go to Penske in 2026. 

Disappointment of the Year

Team Penske for sure. Two wins that only came in the final three races. No driver higher than ninth in the standings and that was Power, followed by McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden. Three executives fired (one now at McLaren, another at Andretti). Good riddance to 2025 for Penske.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.