The 2024 IndyCar season was one of the wildest in recent memory – on and off the track. From Penske-gate at St Petersburg to the superb season finale at Nashville, and everything in between. There was a lot to unpack from this wild year of racing. In the end, it was Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing that reigned supreme once again. It was the third championship in four years for Palou, and the 16th IndyCar title for Ganassi’s team.

Seven drivers went to victory lane this season, but no driver won consecutive races. That has not happened since the 2015 season. Will Power, the all-time Pole record holder, failed to qualify in the top spot for the first time since 2008 when he was with KV Racing. His Penske teammate Josef Newgarden was stripped of his win at St Pete, but he dazzled the massive crowd at Indianapolis with an epic last-lap pass to win the Indy 500 for the second straight year.

A mannequin fell onto the track at Barber, a snake was murdered at 240 mph at Indianapolis, the hybrids were integrated with mixed feelings, charters were announced, and Kyle Larson stiff-armed NASCAR in favor of staying at Indy. On top of that, there was silly season news nearly every week that had the entire garage area questioning what would come next.

Agustín Canapino exited stage left, Theo Pourchaire disappeared twice, the Tom Blomqvist experiment failed, Ed Carpenter took a bow, and David Malukas was dumped by McLaren, saved by Meyer Shank, then married AJ Foyt. Linus Lundqvist and Santino Ferrucci earned their first career poles, and Conor Daly returned to the podium for the second time in his career while rescuing Juncos Hollinger Racing.

Penske and Ganassi combined to win 12 of the 17 races. The other five were won by Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta, as McLaren and Andretti both returned to victory lane. The return to Milwaukee was a smashing success, and the audible for the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway was also a monster hit.

The book has closed on the 2024 IndyCar season, but there were plenty of memorable moments to look back on as the series heads into the long offseason.

Best Team: Chip Ganassi Racing

It was another championship-winning season for Chip Ganassi. Alex Palou captured his third series title, and Scott Dixon finished sixth in the standings. These two drivers won four total races, but the organization as a whole earned 14 podiums, 27 top-five finishes, four poles, and led 415 total laps. Linus Lundqvist won the Rookie of The Year, with teammate Kyffin Simpson right behind him.

Honorable Mention: Team Penske

Most Disappointing Team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

After a brutal 2023 season, RLL Racing was bound and determined to turn things around. A lot of time and effort went into that during the offseason, but the results didn’t change. Their drivers finished 11th, 18th, and 19th in the final standings, without a win, and just one top-five finish between the three drivers. The team’s struggles to find speed at Indianapolis once again surely was a factor in Christian Lundgaard’s decision to leave for Arrow McLaren.

Honorable Mention: Ed Carpenter Racing

Most Disappointing Driver: Graham Rahal

For the first time in his 18-year career, Graham failed to record a top-five finish in a season. It was that kind of year for he and the team, as previously mentioned. Qualifying has always been a struggle, but Graham typically would shoot through the field and earn a solid finish. That was not the case this year. After failing to qualify for the Indy 500 last year, it was nearly Déjà Vu this past May. Graham qualified 33rd (last) after Nolan Siegel crashed on his final attempt. Better days are ahead for Graham and RLL, but 2024 was a real disappointment.

Honorable Mention: Marcus Ericsson

Best Race Outside Indianapolis: Milwaukee

Pick one of the two races at Milwaukee – they were both incredible. The racing on short ovals has always been the bread and butter of the series, and it was on full display in successive weekends after a barn burner at Gateway. The sensational passing, brilliant saves, and incredible drama throughout the weekend made IndyCar’s return to Milwaukee one of the best weekends of the year. Even better, the series reached an agreement with the track that will keep the Mile back on the schedule for at least the next three years.

Honorable Mention: Gateway

Best Finish: Indianapolis

No explanation needed. One of the greatest finishes in the long history of the iconic event.

Honorable Mention: Long Beach

Most Dominant Performance: Colton Herta, Toronto

Herta spanked the competition up north, and it went beyond the race itself. It was a dominant weekend by the driver of the No. 26 Honda. After leading all three practice sessions, Herta qualified on pole, and led 81 of the 85 laps on race day. Kyle Kirkwood made it a 1-2 finish for Andretti, as Herta ended a 40-race winless drought in dominating style.

Honorable Mention: Will Power at Portland

Biggest 2023 Turnaround: Santino Ferrucci

This was without a doubt the toughest award to determine. Two drivers stood out among the rest of the pack. Colton Herta had a major bounce back year after a winless 2023 season. The Andretti driver scored two wins, earned three poles, and led 227 more laps than last year. Herta scored six podiums – five more than a year ago. By winning the season finale at Nashville, Herta secured his career-best average finish (7.4) while also finishing runner-up in the championship.

The feel-good story of the season was the resurgence of AJ Foyt Racing, led by Santino Ferrucci. The courageous young driver had 11 top-ten finishes and finished 9th in the standings. It was the first time a Foyt car finished inside the top-ten since 2002. While Santino didn’t break through for his first victory, he did score his first career pole at Portland. In terms of positions gained this season, from starting position to finishing position, Ferrucci was +88 which ranks first among all drivers.

While statistically the nod would go to Herta here, there is something to be said for vaulting a small team upward. There is no wrong choice between these two drivers, but not giving this award to Ferrucci feels like a crime.

Honorable Mention: Colton Herta

Best Pass: Josef Newgarden, Indianapolis

The move that Newgarden made to win the Indy 500 for the second time was truly spectacular. There have been some sensational passes over the years at Indianapolis, but this one ranks right up near the top. The combination of bravery, skill, and execution needed to make this pass made this an easy choice.

Honorable Mention: Toby Sowery on Kyle Kirkwood at Portland

Best Save: Pato O’Ward, Indianapolis

Ninja hands working the wheel of a loose IndyCar at 230 mph. That is what we witnessed at the halfway point at Indianapolis in May. Pato O’Ward saved his No. 5 McLaren machine not once, but twice in Turn 2. This is why on-board cameras exist.

Honorable Mention: Colton Herta, Iowa

Best Moment: Conor Daly Milwaukee Podium

Safe to say that Juncos Hollinger Racing made the right decision by putting Daly in the seat of the No. 78 car. A spot in the Leaders Circle was hanging in the balance. With four of the last five races taking place on ovals, Daly was the man for the job. He delivered the million dollar bonus for the team in the first race at Milwaukee when he earned his second career podium result.

Honorable Mention: Santino Ferrucci Pole at Portland

Scariest Moment: Sting Ray Robb, Iowa Crash

AJ Foyt Racing had a rough couple of weeks this season, with both cars getting airborne in back-to-back races. First it was Sting Ray Robb flying in Iowa after running over the back tire of Alexander Rossi, who ran out of fuel. Then it was Santino Ferrucci’s turn in Toronto, ramping off the front wing of Pato O’Ward’s crashed racecar. Fortunately, everyone was able to walk away from these frightening incidents.

Honorable Mention: Santino Ferrucci at Toronto

Biggest Heartbreak: Pato O’Ward, Indianapolis

Losing a race in the fashion that Pato did would be miserable. Now add in the fact that it’s the biggest race in the world, and the lifelong dream of every driver. You could see the misery and dejection in his body language. You could feel the pain he was experiencing. It was a gut-wrenching feeling that he may never get over – even if he wins this race at some point in the future. There is heartbreak, and then there was this. Pato gave it everything he had, but he ended up on the wrong side of history.

Honorable Mention: Scott Dixon hybrid glitch at Mid-Ohio

Funniest Moment: Georgina, Barber Motorsports Park

One of the strangest moments in IndyCar history played out earlier this season at Barber Motorsports Park. The scenery around the track includes mannequins scattered throughout. One of them, named Georgina, was hanging under the bridge — until it wasn’t. Georgina dropped to the track surface on Lap 52, causing a short panic among drivers, race officials, and the guys in the TV booth. Fortunately, disaster was avoided but now no one will ever forget the name Georgina.

Honorable Mention: “Pato who?”

Mr. Consistency: Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

The jokes about Alex Palou being a robot are out there for a reason. This guy simply doesn’t get rattled by anything — even when his car failed to start the penultimate race at Milwaukee with the championship hanging in the balance. Palou was actually laughing on his pit box with his engineer as the race was going on. That composure has made Palou one of the most consistent drivers this sport has ever seen. He finished inside the top-five in 13 of the 17 races, with three poles, six podiums, and led laps in nine races.

Honorable Mention: Colton Herta

Top Rookie: Linus Lundqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing

It was far from a brilliant first full season for Lundqvist, but there were plenty of flashes of his potential. The Ganassi driver delivered a pair of podium finishes, earned his first career pole at Road America, and led 37 laps this season. That was enough to earn him the ROY Award over his teammate, and his name is among the top candidates remaining in silly season, as Ganassi is forced to downsize for next season.

Honorable Mention: Nolan Siegel

Best Helmet Design: Helio Castroneves

Helio always has some sharp looking lids but his tribute to Gil de Ferran at Indianapolis this year was such a nice gesture. Gil meant so much to Helio, and it was great to see how much it meant to him. Conor had all of the “hometown” team logos on his helmet. Working for the Pacers and Fever I am partially biased, but it was also just a really cool idea. Honorable mention to Kyle Larson’s amazing design as well.

Honorable Mention: Conor Daly

Best New Livery: Graham Rahal/RLL Racing Mobil 1 Honda

The black and gold Mobil 1 livery that Graham Rahal showcased at Laguna Seca was simply gorgeous. The nod here goes to RLL but Ganassi did a masterful job re-designing the DHL colors.

Honorable Mention: Chip Ganassi Racing DHL Honda

Best Indy 500 Livery: Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren

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This wasn’t the greatest year for new liveries at the Indy 500 but some familiar designs returned with a few tweaks. Newgarden’s Shell livery remains incredible. The revised red, white, and blue machine for Ferrucci was well done. The Juncos cars were solid and MSR’s blue and yellow Cliffs livery for Helio looked sharp. I wasn’t feeling the Virginia Tech colors on Hunter-Reay’s ride but the black and blue on Marco’s machine was perfect.

A tough decision was made, but I feel it is the right one. Arrow McLaren nailed it with the orange and white on Rossi’s ride. It wasn’t much different than what we saw last year, but there were some subtle changes that really made it pop this year. It’s all in the details, and this gorgeous beast wins my favorite award of the year.

Honorable Mention: Josef Newgarden, Team Penske

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