The Definitive Guide To Choosing Your Favorite INDYCAR Driver

Do you want your favorite driver to be fiery, friendly or just consistent? Well, there are 25 full-time INDYCAR drivers in the series, so there are quite a few different personalities to choose from. But who should fans root for when the green flag drops for the fastest racing on Earth, the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24 (12:45 p.m. ET live on FOX)? Before it’s time for drivers to start their engines, here’s some helpful nuggets about each driver to help pick a favorite as they race toward Victory Lane at The Brickyard. Mr. Consistent: Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing No. 10 Honda Who is he? Palou rarely seems to have a bad day. The 29-year-old Spaniard has been running at the finish in 54 of the last 57 races. In those 57 races, he finished in the top three 33 times (that’s good for 58 percent). No wonder he has won the championship the last three years and four of the last five — and has a big lead already as he eyes a fifth title. Fun fact: He is a passionate pickleball player. The Pop Star: Pato O’Ward Arrow McLaren No. 5 Chevrolet Who is he?  More than any other INDYCAR driver, Pato O’Ward has the strongest following — at least on social. It’s no wonder the Mexican driver has his country wanting to host an INDYCAR race. The McLaren driver has nine wins in 112 career starts. Fun fact: He considers himself a foodie. The Determined: Josef Newgarden Team Penske No. 2 Chevrolet Who is he?  The 35-year-old Newgarden has won 33 races over the last 12 INDYCAR seasons, including back-to-back Indy 500 triumphs in 2023 and 2024. The Penske driver seems to be one of the more emotional INDYCAR drivers when things go wrong and one of the most cold-blooded when he sees a chance to pounce. Fun fact: He has appeared on “American Ninja Warrior” and participated in the NFL Combine. Yes, really. The Champion: Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing No. 9 Honda Who is he?  There are several drivers who have won titles, but Scott Dixon leads all active drivers with six championships and 59 victories. The 45-year-old New Zealander looks like he could race another 10 years for Ganassi, although we figure his career will end sooner than later. Fun fact: Appointed Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019. And Knighted last December. The Fiery: Will Power Andretti Global No. 26 Honda Who is he?  The 45-year-old Power is known to have emotional outbursts when someone angers him with a move or a decision. However, the Penske-turned-Andretti driver seems to get over it somewhat quickly — or at least much quicker than the highlight remains viral. Fun fact: Enjoys drumming and purchased his first drum set at the age of 15. The Curious: Mick Schumacher Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing No. 47 Honda Who is he? The son of Formula 1 icon Michael Schumacher, Mick had a brief tenure in Formula 1 before coming to INDYCAR this year as a rookie. He’s had some awesome and not-so-awesome moments. Fun fact: He is named after motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan. The Antagonist: Santino Ferrucci A.J. Foyt Racing No. 14 Chevrolet Who is he?  Santino Ferrucci gets under the skin of other drivers with what some would say are outlandish moves on the track. He only seems to care a little bit about that, though. The 27-year-old driver from Connecticut loves to race, so driving for A.J. Foyt seems appropriate. Fun fact: Was featured in GQ magazine as an 11-year-old karting prodigy. The Friend: Scott McLaughlin Team Penske No. 3 Chevrolet Who is he?  Scott McLaughlin brought his New Zealand spirit to the United States after winning three consecutive Supercar championships. His transition to INDYCAR wasn’t easy, but it’s still unknown whether the Penske driver will reach superstar results. Fun fact: Enjoys golf and plays regular rounds with Penske teammate and NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney. The Beachgoer: Kyle Kirkwood Andretti Global No. 27 Honda Who is he?  Kyle Kirkwood lives in Florida. He likes his surfing. And fishing. And diving. Oh, and he can race, too. The Andretti driver won twice in 2023 and three times in 2025. Fun fact: Has a love for deep-sea fishing. The Zoomer: David Malukas Team Penske No. 12 Chevrolet Who is he? David Malukas is knocking on the door of his first win. But if there was a contest for the best social content creator in the garage, Malukas would win hands down. Fun fact: His favorite sports team is Chelsea. The Veteran: Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan No. 15 Honda Who is he?  Graham Rahal is in his 20th year of full-time INDYCAR racing. The son of driver and team co-owner Bobby Rahal, Graham Rahal has six career wins. Fun fact: he is a diehard fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Unintimidated: Marcus Ericsson Andretti Global No. 28 Honda Who is he?  Marcus Ericsson races hard and seems to just go about his business while on the track. The 35-year-old Swede has four career wins, but it’s been more than three years since his last victory in the 2023 season opener. He’s changed teams since then, going from Ganassi to Andretti before the start of 2025. Fun fact: Was once a youth hockey goalie before pursuing a racing career. The Frustrated: Alexander Rossi ECR No. 20 Chevrolet Who is he?  Rossi is in his 11th season in INDYCAR and in 2025 had a new firesuit as he joined Ed Carpenter Racing. This is his fourth organization. The 34-year-old Rossi has had plenty of highs and lows with eight victories and finishes as high as second in the standings and as low as 15th. He does a podcast each week, where he details the ups and downs of a driver who had just two podium finishes in the last three-plus years. Fun fact: Enjoys flying and has his private pilot’s license. The Nice Guy: Felix Rosenqvist Meyer Shank Racing No. 60 Honda Who is he?  Talk to people around INDYCAR and many say Felix Rosenqvist is one of the nicest people in the paddock. The Meyer Shank Racing driver appeared to be on the brink of a breakout season a couple of years ago but is still searching for it. Fun fact: Hobbies include skiing, skateboarding, hiking and video games. The Hot Seat: Nolan Siegel Arrow McLaren No. 6 Chevrolet Who is he? Nolan Siegel joined Arrow McLaren during the 2024 season and knows if he doesn’t consistently battle for a top-10 finish, he likely will need to find a new home for next year. Fun fact: He has his pilot’s license. The Young and Confident: Marcus Armstrong Meyer Shank Racing No. 60 Honda Who Is he? The 25-year-old Marcus Armstrong had four top-five finishes in 29 starts over 2023-24 at Ganassi before moving to Meyer Shank last year. Fun fact: One of Armstrong’s favorite lines about NASCAR is that “Talladega Nights” is a documentary. The Upstart: Christian Lundgaard Arrow McLaren No. 7 Chevrolet Who is he? He’s the most recent INDYCAR winner, that’s who Christian Lundgaard is. He is in his fifth season of INDYCAR racing (he has two wins) and went from RLL to Arrow McLaren before the start of last season. Fun fact: He has a golf handicap of 3. The Underdog: Rinus VeeKay Juncos Hollinger Racing No. 76 Chevrolet Who is he?  VeeKay spent five years at Ed Carpenter Racing, went to Dale Coyne Racing last season and now is with Juncos Hollinger Racing. The 25-year-old has finished 12th to 14th in the standings each year at ECR but did not earn a podium finish in 2023 or in 2024. So the split from ECR is somewhat understandable but also was a little bit of a surprise, and he has been scrapping for a ride each of the last two years. Fun fact: Enjoys cycling. The Ready To Prove: Christian Rasmussen ECR Racing No. 21 Chevrolet Who is he? Christian Rasmussen, like Lundgaard, is from Denmark, and after doing 13 races for Ed Carpenter Racing in 2024 (he didn’t do four of the oval races), he ran well enough that he has been full time since 2025. Fun fact: Rasmussen has a passion for old cars. The Survivor: Romain Grosjean Dale Coyne Racing No. 18 Honda Who is he? Google Romain Grosjean’s name and you will see the fiery F1 accident he was previously in — you’ll be amazed that he is still racing. Fun fact: He started an esports racing team in 2020. The Improved: Kyffin Simpson Chip Ganassi No. 8 Honda Who is he? While still inconsistent, Kyffin Simpson is showing steady progress as he is now in his third season at Chip Ganassi Racing. Fun fact: He is from the Cayman Islands. The Doubted: Sting Ray Robb Juncos Hollinger Racing No. 77 Chevrolet Who are they?  Sting Ray Robb is in his fourth season in the series and second with Juncos Hollinger Racing with two top-10s over the last three-plus years. Fun fact: Robb’s unique name is from a combination of his ancestral roots in Stirlingshire, Scotland, and his grandfathers’ names. The Potential: Louis Foster Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing No. 45 Honda Who is he?  Louis Foster is finding his way in his second season as the reigning INDYCAR rookie of the year. Fun fact: Foster’s father is a former British Touring Car champion. The Prospect: Dennis Hauger Dale Coyne Racing No. 19 Honda Who is he? Denis Hauger is the defending Indy NXT champion and is an Andretti Global driver on loan to DCR for this season. Fun fact: Hauger wears an amulet, which he received from his grandmother, for good luck. The Unknown: Caio Collet A.J. Foyt Racing No. 4 Chevrolet Who is he? Collet finished second in the Indy NXT Series last year, his second season in the series after racing formula cars for several years. Fun fact: His father raced quadbikes and competed in the Dakar Rally.