The 2023 IndyCar season delivered some impressive performances across the board. Chip Ganassi Racing dominated by winning nine of the 17 races and finished 1-2 in the championship. Team Penske wasn’t far behind with five wins, which included a 19th Indianapolis 500 victory for The Captain. Andretti Autosport and RLL Racing also found victory lane with Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Lundgaard earning their first career wins. Seven drivers scored two poles during the season, including Graham Rahal’s emotional P1 Award at Indianapolis after being bumped from the Field of 33 in May.

Alex Palou dominated the second half, scoring five wins and never finishing worse than 8th all season. He earned his second title in three years and produced yet another Silly Season storyline that was almost as wild as last year. Palou ultimately reversed course once again and will be returning to Ganassi, only fueling the fire that has been brewing between Zak Brown and Chip Ganassi. Several other drivers have already found new homes for next season, including some newcomers who look poised to do big things next year.

More records were broken as Scott Dixon extended his incredible streak of winning seasons on the same day that he broke the all-time record for consecutive starts. The six-time series champion won three of the last four races of the season, marking 19 consecutive years with at least one victory. The title came down to Ganassi and Penske for the 11th straight season, but this was the first time since 2007 that the championship was decided before the final race.

At the opposite end of the spectrum were guys like Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta, Will Power, Alexander Rossi, Romain Grosjean, and Felix Rosenqvist. None of them were able to find victory lane this season, which will only motivate them even more in 2024. Arrow McLaren went winless as a team, but O’Ward did earn seven podiums, including four runner-up finishes. They will look to rebound next year with the addition of David Malukas.

This wasn’t the strongest rookie class but there was one standout that ultimately won the Rookie of the Year despite not running in the five oval races. Marcus Armstrong showed some serious flashes of his potential, which is a major reason why Ganassi locked him up with a new multi-year contract beginning next season. Agustin Canapino may have come up short in his bid for top rookie honors, but he still put together a very impressive season for Juncos Hollinger Racing.

Some accomplished veterans are finally ready to move on. Tony Kanaan made his final start in the Indy 500, in what was an emotional goodbye. Ryan Hunter-Reay stepped in for Ed Carpenter Racing at the end of the season but he too may be done in IndyCar. Another former champion and Indy 500 winner remains in limbo as Simon Pagenaud continues to recover from a scary crash at Mid-Ohio. Helio Castroneves will transition to an Indy 500-only driver, as he continues the “Drive for Five” as a minority stakeholder at Meyer Shank Racing.

The book has closed on the 2023 IndyCar season, but there were plenty of memorable moments to look back on as the series heads into the offseason.

Best Team: Chip Ganassi Racing

Lets start with the most obvious award. The Chip Ganassi Racing organization put a beatdown on the rest of the competition, winning more than half of the races this season. In fact, Ganassi drivers have won 10 of the last 18 races dating back to last year. Alex Palou won his second title in three years, and Scott Dixon gave the team their first 1-2 finish in the championship since 2009 when Dario Franchitti won. Marcus Ericsson found victory lane again and finished 6th in the standings. Marcus Armstrong won Rookie of The Year honors and locked himself into a multi-year contract with the team.

Honorable Mention: Team Penske

Most Disappointing Team: Arrow McLaren

On the opposite end of the spectrum was Arrow McLaren Racing. Granted, there were high expectations for the team coming into the year, and for good reason. The talented trio of Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi, and Felix Rosenqvist was bound to win multiple races and contend for a championship. Neither of those things happened, and the only pole positions the team earned were courtesy of Rosenqvist, who is now headed to Meyer Shank Racing. Palou doing an about-face was just salt in the wound for Zak Brown. No matter how you slice it, this was an extremely disappointing season for this prideful organization.

Honorable Mention: Ed Carpenter Racing

Most Disappointing Driver: Romain Grosjean

Speaking of high expectations, there were plenty on the shoulders of Romain Grosjean at the start of the season. His second year at Andretti Autosport nearly produced immediate results, but a crash while battling Scott McLaughlin for the lead in the season-opener at St Petersburg was just the beginning. Grosjean earned two poles and two runner-up finishes in the first four races but it all went downhill from there as he finished 13th in the final standings.

There was only one top-ten finish (6th at Nashville) for Grosjean once the Month of May began. He ran into his teammate Colton Herta in the pits at the Indy 500 and later took himself out of the race. Romain’s average finishing position was 17.1 over the final 13 races of the season. Four of those races ended with crashed cars, and nearly all of them with scenes of frustration. The demonstrative body language and emotional outbursts were clear indications that Grosjean will not be returning to the team next season.

Honorable Mention: Rinus VeeKay

Best Race Outside Indianapolis: Texas

The racing at Texas has been sensational the last few years, and this one was no exception. The battles on track were close, but it wasn’t pack racing. When the tires began to fall off, the drivers that were hooked up could begin to pull away. There were multiple lanes and eight different drivers were able to lead laps. The final 20 laps of this race are a microcosm of just how good IndyCar racing can be on the high banks at Texas.

Honorable Mention: Road America

Best Finish: Texas

This race had a little bit of everything, including four lead changes in the final nine laps. Although it ended under yellow, the final shootout at Texas was a full-on frenzy that delivered heartbreak to two drivers, and glory for another. Romain Grosjean and David Malukas were vying for their first career win when Grosjean clipped the rear end of the No. 18 Honda which sent him spinning into the outside wall. Moments before that, Josef Newgarden was able to inch ahead of Pato O’Ward for the race lead. Newgarden was in front when the caution came out, giving him his second consecutive come-from-behind win at Texas.

Honorable Mention: St Petersburg

Most Dominant Performance: Josef Newgarden, Iowa

If there is any driver that simply owns a race track, it is Josef Newgarden and Iowa Speedway. The Team Penske driver swept both races there this season and has six victories at the track. Had it not been for the mechanical issue that sent him into the wall while leading last year, he would theoretically have five consecutive wins to go along with his 1,847 laps led. His domination on ovals in general has been a hot topic, but his history at this track in particular is difficult to fathom.

Honorable Mention: Alex Palou, GMR Grand Prix

Biggest 2022 Turnaround: Kyle Kirkwood

This was a two-horse race between a pair of uber-talented rising stars. Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Lundgaard both earned their first career win this season. Kirkwood finished with two wins and a pole while Lundgaard earned one win, two poles, and finished higher in the final standings. Lundgaard was the biggest factor in RLL Racing’s mid-season turnaround. Kyle’s jump from AJ Foyt Racing to Andretti was obviously a major factor in his improvement, but not all things are equal. The prime example is his teammate Romain Grosjean who hasn’t won in two seasons after the move from Dale Coyne Racing to Andretti Autosport. You can’t go wrong with either guy here, but the slight edge goes to the driver with multiple wins.

Honorable Mention: Christian Lundgaard

Best Pass: Devlin DeFrancesco, Gallagher GP

Although he faded after making this incredible opening-lap pass, Devlin DeFrancesco has a highlight that no one will ever be able to take away. His sensational move to go from fourth to the lead was something you might only see in a video game. It took patience, skill, and a lot of trust among the drivers around him, but he pulled it off.

Honorable Mention: Christian Lundgaard on Scott Dixon at Barber

Best Save: Santino Ferrucci, Laguna Seca

Ferrucci is no stranger to this award, but he saved his best for the last race of the season. There was chaos around every turn in this race, but when he had to lift on the front stretch, Scott McLaughlin was not able to check up in time, sending the AJ Foyt Racing machine off into the dirt at an exceptional rate of speed. It was another spectacular recovery from Ferrucci, who is always providing entertainment.

Honorable Mention: Tony Kanaan in the grass, Indianapolis 500

Best Moment: Graham Rahal on Pole at IMS

It was a tale of two seasons for RLL Racing, who flipped a switch in the second half. Their four poles were the most for any team this season, and the biggest one ended a monumental drought for Graham Rahal. The veteran racer earned his first pole in more than six years, and he did it in style. After suffering through the biggest gut-wrenching moment of his career when he was bumped from the Indianapolis 500 during qualifying, Graham bounced back to claim pole position for the second race on the IMS road course. It was a completely different experience with his family on pit lane this time around. From tears of heartache to tears of joy, you couldn’t script a better scene. Rahal went on to finish 2nd in the race, only to be outdone by the sheer brilliance of Scott Dixon.

Honorable Mention: Josef Newgarden jumping through the fence after winning Indianapolis 500

Biggest Heartbreak: Pato O’Ward, St Petersburg

There were several strong candidates for this unsavory award, but it has to go to the man who finished runner-up four times this season, without a win. That last part particularly stings Pato, as he seemingly had the season-opening race at St Petersburg in the bag. The Arrow McLaren ace was leading with only a few laps remaining when his engine suffered a hiccup, ultimately robbing him of his Chevrolet power. After regaining power, he had the same pace but the victory had already been yanked out of his grasp. It is intriguing to think about how Pato’s season may have played out without that strange occurrence.

Honorable Mention: Stefan Wilson at Indianapolis

Funniest Moment: Colton Herta

Colton Herta has a sneaky-good sense of humor, and this one-liner was well played.

Honorable Mention: Will Power blasting Romain Grosjean, Scott Dixon, and Road America track all within 60 seconds

Mr. Consistency: Alex Palou

This award came down to a pair of championship-winning teammates, who each had incredible runs of consistency this season. Scott Dixon finished 7th or better in every race this year with the exception of Long Beach, where he had a mechanical issue. Alex Palou finished 8th or better in all 17 races. Palou had five wins compared to Dixon’s three, and also had the better average finish (3.7 to 5.3) to give him the slight edge in this one.

Honorable Mention: Scott Dixon

Best Rookie: Marcus Armstrong

The rookie class was not as strong this year, but one driver clearly stood out above the rest. Marcus Armstrong may have been with the best team in the series, but he also ran in five fewer races than the four full-time rookie drivers. Despite those fewer starts, he still managed to compile the most points over the course of the season. Armstrong was consistently running up front and flashed his potential on most race weekends. The team locked him up last week with a multi-year contract, which is bad news for the rest of the competition as he enters full-time status next season.

Honorable Mention: Agustin Canapino

Best Helmet Design: Ryan Hunter-Reay, Indianapolis

The best lids are often found at Indianapolis, and there were a bunch of great designs again this year. Pato O’Ward had a glorious helmet on display, and both Conor Daly and Santino Ferrucci always come with some killer paint. Rinus VeeKay had one of the most popular looks this May, but it was Ryan Hunter-Reay’s helmet that really popped. The American-themed design was slick and the addition of the Indy 500 logo was a lovely touch. While there were many worthy candidates, Captain America earned this award.

Honorable Mention: Rinus VeeKay

Best New Livery: Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport No. 26 Gainbridge Honda

Saving the best for last. That is exactly what Andretti did with their throwback livery for Colton Herta in the season finale at Laguna Seca. This was the same gorgeous black, yellow, and white livery that Colton’s father Bryan took to victory lane in 1998 at his home track. This is exactly why fans have been clamoring for a throwback race. As amazing as this one was, there were a couple more notable cars that are worth mentioning here. Marcus Armstrong had a simply beautiful IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center livery on his Ganassi Honda at the Gallagher Grand Prix, while Devlin DeFrancesco’s Woooo Energy Ric Flair machine was a big hit at Nashville.

Honorable Mention: Devlin DeFrancesco, Andretti Autosport No. 29 Woooo Energy Honda

Best Indy 500 Livery: Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren No. 6 Chevrolet

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The award for the best livery at Indianapolis is always one of the tougher ones. That is the case again this year, as several worthy cars really shined during the Month of May. Juncos Hollinger Racing put together a brilliant design for Augustin Canapino, in a nod to the Argentina soccer team. In that same vein, Ed Carpenter Racing had an eye-popping display of colors on Conor Daly’s ride. Josef Newgarden’s Shell livery might be one of the best-looking machines to win the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Not to be outdone was Arrow McLaren, who went all out with four legendary Triple Crown liveries for each of their drivers.

In the end, the choice for me came down to Newgarden and Felix Rosenqvist. We have seen iterations of these two before, but there is just something iconic about the McLaren MP4-2 livery. As striking as it was on Alain Prost’s car at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, it actually looked even better on this car. Newgarden got the milk, so I’m giving this award to the team that brought the heat to all of their cars this year.

Honorable Mention: Josef Newgarden, Team Penske No. 2 Shell Chevrolet

Congratulations to Alex Palou and the entire Chip Ganassi Racing organization for another championship season.