And it is over. The 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season has concluded, though we knew how the championship would play out since the middle of April. What we did not know was how in the fictitious world of a head-to-head league format would a champion be started.
When we last played with this exercise, we were entering the final weekend of the regular season. We knew a few playoff teams, knew some seeds and knew the #4 A.J. Foyt Racing entry and the #66 Meyer Shank Racing entry would be two of the promoted teams for 2026.
How did the rest shake out?
How did the playoff line up?
Who was promoted? Who was relegated?
This is our chance to sort through the final weeks of the 2025 season, and a chance to look ahead to 2026.
League One
We went into the final weekend of the regular season at Laguna Seca knowing half the playoff teams. The final half would be decided on that final weekend, as well as who would be safe for 2025, and who would have to go through the relegation playoff.
Results
Conference One Standings
#10 Ganassi 12-2#5 McLaren 12-2
#7 McLaren 7-7
#12 Penske 7-7
#12 Penske 7-7
#60 Meyer Shank 6-8
#28 Andretti 6-8
#2 Penske 3-11
#15 RLLR 3-11
#2 Penske 3-11
#15 RLLR 3-11
Álex Palou secured the #1-seed over Patricio O'Ward while Christian Lundgaard moved up to the #3-seed. Will Power backed into the final seed while Felix Rosenqvist secured a spot in League One for the 2026 season in fifth.
Marcus Ericsson and Josef Newgarden would go to the relegation playoff. Graham Rahal had already been relegated before we got to the final week of the season.
Conference Two Standings
#26 Andretti 11-3
#27 Andretti 10-4
#9 Ganassi 8-6
#6 McLaren 7-7
#14 Foyt 6-8
#14 Foyt 6-8
#3 Penske 6-8
#21 ECR 5-9
#45 RLLR 3-11
#21 ECR 5-9
#45 RLLR 3-11
Colton Herta took the #1-seed from Kyle Kirkwood on the final day of the season. Scott Dixon took third while Nolan Siegel somehow backed into a playoff spot. Santino Ferrucci had the #14 A.J. Foyt Racing entry safe for a spot in League One for 2026.
Scott McLaughlin and Christian Rasmussen would be in the relegation playoff. Louis Foster won on the final week, but it was only for consolation.
Playoffs
Quarterfinals (Portland):
#10 CGR def. #6 McLaren (3-16)
#7 McLaren def. #27 Andretti (2-20)
#9 CGR def. #5 McLaren (11-25)
#12 Penske def. #26 Andretti (1-10)
Palou was never really troubled in advancing to the semifinals. Lundgaard spent most of the race at the front while Kirkwood struggled. Dixon had a walkover once O'Ward experienced mechanical issues in the first quarter of the Portland race. Will Power picked the right time to score his first race victory of the season.
Semifinals (Milwaukee):
#10 CGR def. #7 McLaren (2-6)
#9 CGR def. #12 Penske (9-26)
Palou was the best car of the race and Lundgaard never came close to knocking off Palou.
Dixon scored a break when Power brushed the barrier, and Power’s race was over before we were halfway through.
Final (Nashville):
#10 CGR def. #9 CGR (2-12)
The champion is the champion. Palou's near-flawless season saw him take the league championship with ease. Even though he suffered a cut tire in the first stint at Nashville, Palou spent most of the race ahead of Dixon. Dixon was never pressuring for the victory. Once we got into the final stages, Palou was well clear of Dixon. All he had to do was keep the car out of the barrier. With that accomplished, Palou took the title without much of a challenge from his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate.
Relegation Playoff
Semifinals (Portland)
#21 ECR def. #28 Andretti (12-22)
#3 Penske def. #2 Penske (7-24)
Despite his questionable driving, Christian Rasmussen did enough to secure a spot in League One for 2026 while Marcus Ericsson could not run at a competitive pace.
Meanwhile, a spin after contact from Scott Dixon knocked Newgarden from potentially locking up security at Portland, and Newgarden would have to fight for his League One life at Milwaukee.
Final (Milwaukee):
#2 Penske def. #28 Andretti (7-19)
On a weekend when Newgarden just needed nothing to go wrong, he spent most of the race in the top ten and was in a podium position in the latter stages. Not taking tires under the final caution cost Newgarden a few spots, but it did not entirely unravel. It helped that Ericsson was never close to knocking off Newgarden.
Newgarden kept the #2 Penske entry in League One while the #28 Andretti entry had been relegated.
Promotion Playoff
We knew there was one matchup left in the group stage for the Promotion Playoff. After that, the top two from each group would advance to a playoff with the winner moving up to League One for next year.
Group A
#83 Prema 2-1
#18 Coyne 2-1
#51 Coyne 1-2
#8 Ganassi 1-2
Laguna Seca
#18 Coyne def. #8 CGR (23-27)
#83 Prema def. #51 Coyne (21-26)
Kyffin Simpson having an accident on the opening lap gifted Rinus VeeKay a spot in the playoff round. Ten laps later, Jacob Abel had an accident, and Robert Shwartzman locked up a playoff berth.
Group B
#76 JHR 3-0
#90 Prema 2-1
#20 ECR 1-2
#30 RLLR 0-3
Laguna Seca
#76 JHR def. #20 ECR (14-15)
#90 Prema def. #30 RLLR (6-20)
Conor Daly didn't need to win the final weekend of the group stage, but Daly knocked off Alexander Rossi for good measure, and that took Rossi out of the playoff picture. Callum Ilott scoring his best finish of the season was for good measure as Devlin DeFrancesco had slim hopes of making the playoff round.
Semifinals (Portland)
#90 Prema def. #83 Prema (6-15)
#18 Coyne def. #76 JHR (17-26)
Prema had the dream with at least one of its cars secure in the promotion playoff final. Both cars drove good races, but Ilott had the right strategy early and he spent much of the race in the top ten while Shwartzman wasn't that good.
Daly's battle with Christian Rasmussen likely kept him from advance. Daly's spin into the barrier ended his hopes of promotion, and VeeKay brought the car home in one piece to seal a spot in the final.
Final (Milwaukee):
#18 Coyne def. #90 Prema (15-25)
This one proved to be a bit anticlimactic because Ilott lost an engine around halfway through the race. VeeKay spent much of the day moving forward and ahead of Ilott. The engine failure for Ilott guaranteed the #18 Dale Coyne Racing entry a League One spot, and it made the final half of the race a little meaningless. Coyne joined the #4 A.J. Foyt Racing entry and the #66 Meyer Shank Racing entry, which earned promotion from the regular season.
What does the league structure tentatively look like for 2025?
2025 League One - Conference One
#10 Ganassi
#27 Andretti
#7 McLaren
#26 Andretti
#12 Penske
#2 Penske
#21 ECR
#6 McLaren
2025 League One - Conference Two
#5 McLaren
#9 Ganassi
#60 MSR
#66 MSR
#3 Penske
#4 Foyt
#18 Coyne
#14 Foyt
2025 League Two
#20 ECR
#8 Ganassi
#76 JHR
#15 RLLR
#28 Andretti
#45 RLLR
#90 Prema
#83 Prema
#77 JHR
#30 RLLR
#51 Coyne
Things were shaken up a little bit this season. Different teams were at the top though the champion and finalist felt rather usual. Team Penske is in a disadvantageous spot for 2026, but that also means we will get toss-up matches early. Instead of waiting for late May and early June when some big names will face each other, we will see Josef Newgarden take on Christian Lundgaard immediately. An Andretti entry and a Penske entry will meet in week one. If the rumors prove to be true, the #26 Andretti vs. #12 Penske at St. Petersburg could not have been scripted any better.
The system took care of itself. Drivers and teams that performed better than expectations were rewarded. That is why a Foyt car and a Coyne car were promoted, but teams that struggled and performed below expectations will have to spend a year in League Two before having another chance to be on top. That is why Andretti Global and Marcus Ericsson will look to rebound, and all three Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entries are in League Two.
Potential driver changes could see the leagues entire shaken up. There is a chance Will Power could be in a League Two entry. Of course, in this exercise I reserve the right to make amendments should anything seem too ridiculous to allow. Other than switching the draw so one team doesn't have three entries in one conference, I cannot recall a time when a League Two team has been promoted simply due to the driver while a League One team was moved to League Two to make room.
There is always time for a first, but let's see how this plays out. The best course of action could be to do nothing at all. I feel we will have a lengthier discussion about the 2026 format when we get around to finalizing the leagues next February. There is plenty to keep in mind as this offseason gets underway. It will probably force us to answer some tougher questions even in this made-up exercise.
