IndyCar Wrap-Up: Chip Ganassi Racing's 2024 Season

We close our IndyCar Wrap-Ups with the champions, and for the second consecutive season it is Chip Ganassi Racing. Álex Palou successfully defended his title, and won his third championship in four seasons. For Ganassi, that makes its four titles in five seasons. While running five cars with two rookies and a sophomore didn't produce the most dominant seasons ever seen, Ganassi did not fall behind despite the inexperience. Its veterans still led the team ahead of the rest.

Álex Palou

It was always going to be hard to match his 2023 season, but Palou did not need to finish eighth or better in every race to claim another championship. The consistency remained insurmountable to the rest of the IndyCar field. While the door was left open as we saw Palou was human, no driver could overcome the methodically nature in which Palou wins championships. 

What objectively was his best race?
Palou won twice, the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and at Laguna Seca. He also on the exhibition race at The Thermal Club outside of Palm Springs, California, which paid $500,000 to the winner.

What subjectively was his best race?

Palou drove away with Laguna Seca. The Catalan driver stayed out under the Luca Ghiotto caution, which allowed him to drive flat out from those who did stop on lap 60. Palou opened a gap as others saved, and it allowed him to control a race that was not his in the early stages. He did have to hold on during some late restarts, but this race played into his favor and the competition gifted him one through conservative strategy.

What objectively was his worst race?
In the first Iowa race, Palou spun in the middle of the front straightaway somewhat inexplicably, and he finished 23rd. 

What subjectively was his worst race?

It proved not to be dire to his championship, but the second Milwaukee race could not have resulted in much worse after Palou's car died on the pace laps. With a chance of clinching the title early for a second consecutive season, Palou looked set on making Nashville a formality. When his car was unable to take the green flag, it appeared Palou could be heading to the Music City fighting from behind.

It was only a battery issue, but it still cost him precious laps. However, Palou plugged along and with a high attrition rate, plus Will Power spinning on his own while in the running for at least a podium position, 19th at Milwaukee turned out to be not so bad a result, and Palou maintained a healthy points lead into the finale.

Álex Palou's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 1st (544 points)
Wins: 2
Podiums: 6
Top Fives: 13
Top Tens: 13
Laps Led: 263
Poles: 3
Fast Sixes: 6
Fast Twelves: 7
Average Start: 8.411
Average Finish: 6.5294

Scott Dixon

In the later stages of his IndyCar career, Dixon may have found the one driver that can beat him at his own game. Not entirely of course, as fuel mileage continues to be the New Zealander's specialty, but the sheer unshakability of Palou's form is something we had only seen from Dixon, especially at this rate. As great as he has been, we have known Dixon is human this entire time. He looked more human this year than in others.

What objectively was his best race?
Dixon was the first driver to two victories this season, and they were both street races. He won at Long Beach and Detroit.

What subjectively was his best race?

Long Beach became another race of legend on what is an already long list for Dixon. Stretching his fuel to 34 laps over each of the final two stints, Dixon pulled off a stunning drive from eighth on the grid to win this race despite having Josef Newgarden, Colton Herta and Álex Palou all charging him down in the closing laps. 

Dixon never lost his cool and kept his calculated nature on point, not pushing too much to run out of fuel, but pushing enough to keep the competition at bay. Dixon wasn't the only one to use this strategy, but he finished over 15 seconds ahead of Will Power doing the same thing, and Power was ahead of Dixon after the first round of pit stops.

What objectively was his worst race?
Dixon did not complete a lap at Portland after contact with Pietro Fittipaldi sent Dixon into the barrier on the outside of turn eight. This came after Dixon went off course battling Kyle Kirkwood in turn seven. 

What subjectively was his worst race?

Portland was bad, but Mid-Ohio was worse because Dixon had the foreshadowing electrical issues that we saw trip up Palou at Milwaukee. Dixon's car died on the pace laps and instead of trying to win from 13th in the debut hybrid race, Dixon lost 20 laps and pretty much ran a 40-lap test session to claim 27th. This result signaled the downfall for his season. After six top ten finishes in the first eight races, Dixon would finish outside the top ten in four of the final nine races including two results outside the top 25.

Scott Dixon's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 6th (456 points)
Wins: 2
Podiums: 5
Top Fives: 8
Top Tens: 11
Laps Led: 98
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 8
Average Start: 11.352
Average Finish: 9.6471

Marcus Armstrong

The reigning Rookie of the Year was back for something new in 2024: A full season! Armstrong got to run all the ovals in combination with the road and street courses he was familiar with. There were some growing pains as Armstrong had a sophomore slump of sorts. He made mistakes at some unfortunate times, but he showed good pace and kept up with his senior teammates. 

What objectively was his best race?
Armstrong picked up his first career podium finish in Detroit. Running the same strategy as his teammate and fellow countryman Dixon, Armstrong clung to a podium result with a 44-lap stint to close the race. He was able to hold off Kyle Kirkwood, but Armstrong ran out of fuel on the cool down lap. 

What subjectively was his best race?

Detroit deserves strong consideration for being Armstrong's best race, but he also held his own in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis when the two senior Ganassi cars were quick. e started eighth while Palou was on pole position and Dixon was starting sixth. Armstrong ran with Dixon the entire race and both drivers went forward. This ended up being a triple top five day for Ganassi with Palou winning while Dixon was fourth and Armstrong was fifth.

What objectively was his worst race?
Armstrong lost his engine only six laps into the Indianapolis 500. It wasn't even six laps in anger. The caution came out after the first turn accident with Tom Blomqvist, Pietro Fittipaldi and Marcus Ericsson. Armstrong lost his engine on a caution lap, an awful way for his first Indianapolis 500 to end after a lengthy rain delay. With three cars out, at least he was 30th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Armstrong had two races where he started third this season. In both races, Armstrong ran over the pole-sitter, ending his race before it started and leaving him 26th in the final classification. 

The first one was Road America, where Armstrong punted his teammate Linus Lundqvist from pole position in the opening corner of the race. This didn't end Armstrong's race, but it got him a penalty. The mechanical issues ended his race. The next one was the second Milwaukee race where Armstrong had Lundqvist plow into the back of him when the start was waved off and this sent Armstrong into Josef Newgarden in pole position. 

Milwaukee was less his fault than Road America. Road America was likely worse of the two, but on two occasions it looked like Armstrong was poised to have a great day from a great starting position, and both times, he had trouble before he could complete a corner. 

Marcus Armstrong's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 14th (298 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 8
Laps Led: 4
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 3
Fast Twelves: 8
Average Start: 11.0588
Average Finish: 14.529

Linus Lundqvist

After making his IndyCar debut last year as a substitute, Lundqvist was back for a full season with Chip Ganassi Racing. The Swede had sparks of success, but he also stumbled along the way. For portions of the season, he was rather hidden in the field, but he did have a few standout performances against a splintered rookie class.

What objectively was his best race?
Lundqvist had two third-place finishes this season. The first one was at Barber Motorsports Park and the second one was at Gateway Motorsports Park. Maybe Lundqvist has a thing for "motorsports parks."

What subjectively was his best race?

I give the edge to Barber over Gateway because Gateway saw Lundqvist really benefit from other cars getting knocked out of the race. It was still a good run, but he probably should have been fifth or sixth. At Barber, Lundqvist had to stretch his fuel 34 laps while other quicker cars were around him and there was a late restart. Strategy gave him track position from 19th on the grid, but he pulled it off in a intense environment. 

What objectively was his worst race?
Lundqvist's first Indianapolis 500 ended after 27 laps when his car walked up the track from the inside of a four-wide situation in turn one. Somehow, he did not collect any other cars. Lundqvist did all he could to save it, but he slapped the barrier when he could not keep it straight on the sixth attempt. This placed him 28th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It might sound harsh because it wasn't his fault, but Road America was a massive disappointment. Lundqvist couldn't control being hit from behind, but for your maiden pole position to be see you spun in the first turn is deflating. Lundqvist did a good job recovering to finish 12th, but there is no silver lining when you are starting on pole position.

Linus Lundqvist's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 16th (179 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 2
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 4
Laps Led: 27
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 14.941
Average Finish: 15.353

Kyffin Simpson

Simpson came into the IndyCar season with low expectations after a rather underwhelming two seasons in Indy Lights. His saving grace was the sports car success he had along side his open-wheel form. This was never going to be a year where Simpson was challenging Palou and Dixon for best in the team. He had some bad days, but there more impressive days than complete disasters. 

What objectively was his best race?
Simpson's best result in the record book is 12th at St. Petersburg, which was actually 14th on the road, but improved to 12th after Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were disqualified for the push-to-pass manipulation that was found over six weeks after the race.

What subjectively was his best race?

There are two contenders here, and both were 14th-place results. 

Barber Motorsports Park, where Simpson drove a smart race and climbed from 23rd to 14th. 

The first Iowa race, where Simpson didn't do much wrong and went from 27th to 14th. 

No one did anything all that impressive at Iowa. It was pretty much came down to smart strategy, good pit stops and not losing ground on restarts. Simpson was ahead of Dixon and Josef Newgarden at Barber. Neither of those drivers had their best days, but they didn't have accidents or broken cars. They were just slow. Simpson wasn't blisteringly quick either, but he was better on this day than two of IndyCar's best.

What objectively was his worst race?
Simpson was spun off course on lap six at Road America after contact with Christian Rasmussen. It was entirely on Rasmussen and Simpson was hard done by such a turn of events. This placed Simpson in 27th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Simpson did not tear up much equipment this season. Laguna Seca was not good when he spun on his own in turn five and spun into the path of Graham Rahal. This left him in 23rd. He also had a lazy spin on his own at Gateway that left him to finish 25th as well. He slapped the wall in turn eight at Toronto. He didn't make minor errors this season, but he made a few as you would expect any rookie would.

Kyffin Simpson's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 21st (182 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 3
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 22.4705
Average Finish: 19.471

An Early Look Ahead

Palou and Dixon will continue, and we found out tw days ago Kyffin Simpson will continue with the team in the #8 Honda.

The third car is irrelevant to the team's success. Palou and Dixon are fine. Considering the form we have seen, we aren't going to see Ganassi fall off. Palou will continue to be a race winner and be running at the front. Even a few off days are not enough to throw Palou off championship pace. Dixon continues to pull out good results, but there are a few worrying signs from Dixon. 

In the final six races, Dixon's best starting position was ninth. He started outside the top fifteen in three of those races. His average starting position of 11.352 was the third-worst in his career. He hasn't started on the front row in 32 consecutive races. Five of his last six victories have been from starting positions outside the top five. Dixon has still been getting good results, but we aren't seeing Dixon as the man to beat on a regular basis. You could make the argument his last five victories have all come down to strategy and not speed. You could say it is six straight when you consider how he won at Nashville in 2022. Dixon is running better than most, but he has been beatable.

It doesn't help when your teammate is Palou. Palou makes everyone look pedestrian. In 2023, Dixon was in the top ten of every race but one. If it wasn't for Palou, Dixon would have controlled that championship. Ganassi still has the best 1-2 punch in IndyCar. 

The charter rules are forcing Ganassi to downsize to three cars. You must wonder what Ganassi could do if it put three serious drivers in its seats. Simpson could improve next year but he was 69 points off 18th. He was 115 points outside the top fifteen and 184 points behind tenth. Simpson only scored 182 points last year. He would need more than double his output to be in the consideration for the top ten. Simpson turned 20 years old last month, but how long a leash does he get considering how far he has to go? Even the richest sons have a limit. 

Armstrong was the best of the rest when it comes to the Ganassi drivers in 2024. He could be capable of winning races, but Ganassi could have hired Alexander Rossi, a past winner. Ganassi could have hired Théo Pourchaire, arguably the best rookie from the 2024 season. Callum Ilott was sitting out there basically the entire year. Ganassi could have done what it was once known for and hire one of the top drivers from Europe not in Formula One. It tested 2022 Formula Two champion Felipe Drugovich at Barber Motorsports Park in September. If you are talking about winners, there are better ones out there, and Ganassi allegedly likes them. 

Even with a weak third driver, Ganassi will remain a top team. It has won four of the last five championships. With Palou and Dixon still in the line up, you cannot write off another one being added in 2025.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Team Penske's 2024 Season

Our penultimate IndyCar Wrap-Up has us at Team Penske, and we could spend a few days talking about Team Penske's 2024 season. From technical infractions to contract negotiations, teammates bickering and uncharacteristically poor results, disqualifications and accidents to another Indianapolis 500 victory, Team Penske was a soap opera in its own right. However, it was still Team Penske. Despite all of its issues, it still won the most races this season, but the team was not clinical enough to claim the title.

Scott McLaughlin

Expectations are always high at Team Penske, but McLaughlin entered his fourth full season in IndyCar expecting to continue his ascension in IndyCar. After finishing fourth and third in the championship the previous two years, McLaughlin was looking to assert himself as the best at Team Penske, and he made a great case for it.

What objectively was his best race?
McLaughlin won three races. He won at Barber Motorsports Park, the first Iowa race and the second Milwaukee race. Iowa and Milwaukee were his first career oval victories.

What subjectively was his best race?

Milwaukee stands out the most because McLaughlin had the best car, but the way the strategies played out, he could not just rely on being the best car. He had to hold off the strategic drives of Will Power, Colton Herta and Scott Dixon. A late restart only added to the pressure, but McLaughlin was able to keep the field at bay and pick up his third victory of the season.

What objectively was his worst race?
It is the race where McLaughlin was disqualified. The push-to-pass violation found after St. Petersburg relegated McLaughlin from a third-place finish with 35 points to 27th and no points. That would prove to be costly. 

What subjectively was his worst race?

In combination to the St. Petersburg race, McLaughlin lost a gearbox in the second race at Long Beach. At that time in Long Beach, we thought it was a third combined with a 26th, two results that effectively canceled each other out. Once the disqualification was announced, it went from a third and a 26th and 41 combined points to a 27th and a 26th and a combined five points. 

It felt like it was season over at that point, but credit to McLaughlin to do all that he could to remain alive. Sadly, McLaughlin lost 39 points. The St. Petersburg penalty was a 39-point swing to Álex Palou as Palou gained four points in combination with the 35 points McLaughlin lost. If St. Petersburg's results remained unchanged, McLaughlin would have won the championship on tiebreaker.

Scott McLaughlin's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 3rd (505 points)
Wins: 3
Podiums: 7
Top Fives: 8
Top Tens: 11
Laps Led: 637
Poles: 5
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 9
Average Start: 6.411
Average Finish: 9.1765

Will Power

Power entered 2024 after experiencing the highest of highs and the lowest of lows over the previous two seasons. In 2022, Power was champion. In 2023, Power was winless for the first time since the 2006 Champ Car season. Add to it health concerns for his wife, 2023 was a much tougher season away from the track than on it. With his wife's health restored, Power found his old spark in 2024.

What objectively was his best race?
Power also won three races this season. The first came at Road America in a race that Team Penske dominated, but Power was the third-best of the three drivers until he leaped forward in the final round of pit stops. Power again found fortune in a pit cycle when Power had yet to stop when the caution came out in the second Iowa race. He was the only driver yet to stop and this put him into the lead for the remainder of the race. At Portland, he pounced at the start and led from second on the grid, and he went on to lead 101 of 110 laps.

What subjectively was his best race?

Considering how the Road America race was turning into Scott McLaughlin vs. Josef Newgarden and Power was an after-thought, this victory was far more impressive than the others. It felt inevitable the race would be decided during the final round of pit stops between McLaughlin and Newgarden. During the final round of pit stops, Power went the longest before making his final stop, and running long was the better strategy, as Power emerged clear of his teammates. Power was able to keep the other two Penske cars behind him and he ended up taking the victory, ending a 33-race winless streak.

What objectively was his worst race?
Power had two finishes of 24th, the Indianapolis 500 and Nashville.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Nashville should be viewed as a disaster because the most self-inflicted wound ended Power's championship hopes. His seatbelts were not properly fastened prior to the start of the race and Power had to come in to get that rectified 15 laps into the contest. The championship ended right then and there. It took five laps for Power to get his belts fixed and it was a race where he had to finish third or better. The remainder of the race was wondering what could have been.

Will Power's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 4th (498 points)
Wins: 3
Podiums: 7
Top Fives: 7
Top Tens: 11
Laps Led: 367
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 6
Fast Twelves: 9
Average Start: 6.705
Average Finish: 8.6471

Josef Newgarden

No driver was more vocal during the offseason about personal changes made than Josef Newgarden. After a good but not great year in 2023, Newgarden was set to re-focus his career and he worked on getting the most out of on-track results. Dropping off-track concerns like his YouTube series with McLaughlin and unfollowing everyone on social media, Newgarden was ready to return to the top of IndyCar. Newgarden could not have prepared for a more unconventional season than the one he experienced in 2024, and he ended up heading in the wrong direction.

What objectively was his best race?
The history books will credit Newgarden with two victories for the 2024 season. The first was the Indianapolis 500, his second consecutive time winning IndyCar's most famous race, and it put Newgarden in esteemed company. The second was Gateway Motorsports Park, a race where Newgarden overcame a spin and where he had a tight battle in the closing stages with McLaughlin.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is Indianapolis. Off the back of the push-to-pass controversy, Newgarden had been marred leading into Indianapolis. His results after the disqualification were poor, and he needed a bounce back. For it to come at Indianapolis, but not just in the form of a good run, but a daring passing to the outside of Patricio O'Ward in turn three of the final lap was the statement most drivers wish they could make in their careers. 

Any doubt over talent or ability was cast aside with Newgarden flying around the outside. With it all on the one, Newgarden took a gamble and it stuck. He stole it from the fingertips of another exceptional driver, and it could leave little doubt over Newgarden's greatness.

What objectively was his worst race?
Because he was run over when the start was waved off of the second Milwaukee race, Newgarden was classified in 27th with only five laps completed though he started on pole position. That was a dagger to what was a difficult season.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It wasn't one race, but the number of mental errors we saw from Newgarden all year. He made some blunders, and if it wasn't for the Indianapolis 500 victory, it would be the defining characteristic of his 2024 season. In some ways, it still is. 

He was woeful at Barber Motorsports Park and the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He spun on his own at Detroit and it cost him dearly. He spun out from fifth late at Laguna Seca and he was flat uncompetitive at Mid-Ohio, attempting a three-stop strategy that was never going to work. The track change at Iowa caught him out, though he stilled pulled out two good results. He coughed up a top ten finish at Toronto. Then he had the Milwaukee weekend from hell, tangling with Marcus Ericsson in the first race while looking for a top five finish and having Marcus Armstrong run over him before the second race even began. 

Newgarden had eight finishes outside the top fifteen this year, his most since eight in 2014. This was a stunningly poor season or Newgarden, and that isn't even taking into consideration he was disqualified from victory at St. Petersburg. And he was still eighth in the championship.

Josef Newgarden's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 8th (401 points)
Wins: 2
Podiums: 6
Top Fives: 7
Top Tens: 8
Laps Led: 137
Poles: 2
Fast Sixes: 6
Fast Twelves: 9
Average Start: 7.294
Average Finish: 12.765

An Early Look Ahead

We cannot think Team Penske will be this dysfunctional again in 2025. There is a very good argument that if the St. Petersburg penalty never comes, this season looks very different, and I am not talking about McLaughlin winning the championship on tiebreaker. 

After St. Petersburg, it felt like Newgarden was going to be the driver to beat this year. Even after fourth at Long Beach, it appeared Newgarden was at a level to match the consistency of Álex Palou. Once the penalty came down, it shook the organization. It shook Newgarden more than the rest.

Whether we will ever know who knew what about the technical infractions on the push-to-pass system, an otherwise steady organization was in turmoil. It clearly rocked the confidence of Newgarden. All three driver lost key crew members early in the season. The team was able to right the ship at the Indianapolis 500, and McLaughlin did win at Barber Motorsports Park, but it is fair to say this group was the most disjointed in IndyCar at the start of May. 

I cannot envision Penske being that off again. It isn't going to break the rules in such a manner that is for sure. 

Either way, it has McLaughlin entering 2025 riding a great wave of confidence and arguably the best in the team. Power is revived after a difficult 2023, but for all the speed we saw from Power, he wasn't clean now the stretch with five finishes outside the top ten in the final nine races. Newgarden had his worst year at Team Penske by a considerable margin. He could not string together three consecutive good weekends to save himself. 

McLaughlin and Power may have the easiest move into the new season, but Newgarden has work to do. Newgarden vowed to make changes for the better in 2024, and he went in the wrong direction. An Indianapolis 500 victory softens the blow, but too often the #2 team struggled to get into contention or Newgarden took them out of contention. They cannot afford a repeat of that next season, and Newgarden must figure out what is the best mindset for him outside the race car.

Everyone should get better, or at least be in a better headspace in 2025. If all three of these drivers are focused, Team Penske will improve from where it was in 2024, which is already a pretty great position despite the minor chaos that happened behind the scenes.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Andretti Global's 2024 Season

We are entering the final stretch of the IndyCar Wrap-Ups, and we move to another race-winning organization, one that saw a shot upward. With a new name and one fewer entry, Andretti Global made a stride back to where it once was. Renewed speed produced more competitive entries. Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood each had their best seasons in IndyCar. Marcus Ericsson had some good days but experienced some growing pains at his new home.

Colton Herta

Entering 2024, Herta had not won since May 2022. It had been quite the rough spell for the one that was seen as IndyCar's next great driver. Victory had not been all that close either in 2023. He was more known for letting good results get away from him over the previous year-and-a-half. This season started different, and it was clear this season was not going to be same as the recent past.

What objectively was his best race?
After going more than two years without a victory, Herta won twice in the final six races, a dominate victory from pole position at Toronto and a drive to the front with a late pass for the victory at Nashville Superspeedway, the first oval victory of Herta's career.

What subjectively was his best race?

Toronto should get a mention because Herta led 81 of 85 laps, but the most impressive part of Herta's season was his oval form. He spun in the Indianapolis 500 while running in the top five, but Herta probably should have won one of the Iowa races. If he didn't get caught on pit lane in the first race when Álex Palou spun, he could have won. Herta overcame starting at the back at Gateway to finish fifth. An unsecured tire on his final pit stop cost him in the first Milwaukee race, and he had another great drive forward in the second Milwaukee race.

It felt like Herta should have won an oval race this season, and the fact it came at Nashville, another race where he started in the middle of the field and worked forward, was fitting. It is more incredible when you consider Herta had to run down Patricio O'Ward and then pull off a daring pass while splitting the lapped car of Sting Ray Robb. Sticking to the inside of turn two, Herta was able to carry speed into turn three and pass O'Ward, running away from there to close the season with a victory.

What objectively was his worst race?
Herta was in second when he spun exiting turn one in the Indianapolis 500, leading to a 23rd-place result. It was getting into the final stages of the race, and at that point Herta was running better than he had been all race. 

What subjectively was his worst race?

Indianapolis was crushing, but there was a lot of time left and there is a chance Herta would not have been battling for the lead in the closing laps. Detroit is a race he should have won. He led from pole position and the way the cautions fell shuffled Herta back and put him in a precarious position. It was not long before Herta made an aggressive move on a damp track and wound up in the tires.

Colton Herta's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 2nd (513 points)
Wins: 2
Podiums: 6
Top Fives: 10
Top Tens: 13
Laps Led: 305
Poles: 3
Fast Sixes: 7
Fast Twelves: 8
Average Start: 8.647
Average Finish: 7.4118

Kyle Kirkwood

Coming off a two-win season in his sophomore year, Kirkwood was looking to build upon what was somewhat of a surprising season. Though he won, great results were still limited. This year, Kirkwood took a step forward. Results improved and Kirkwood showed more speed. In three years, Kirkwood has gone from stepping over the edge to living in the top ten.

What objectively was his best race?
Kirkwood was in Herta's shadow for the entire race at Toronto and Kirkwood made it an Andretti Global 1-2 after the two drivers started first and second.

What subjectively was his best race?

Starting on pole position at Nashville, Kirkwood led early but he was caught on pit lane when Felix Rosenqvist suffered a tire puncture and hit the turn two wall. Kirkwood was waved back onto the lead lap immediately, but he went from first to 11th. However, Kirkwood drove forward and ended up finishing fourth in what was an impressive recovery drive.

What objectively was his worst race?
At Gateway, Kirkwood was running high in turn two when he made contact with Conor Daly and Romain Grosjean. This took Kirkwood out of contention for a top ten result or better, and he spent most of the race running 30 laps down. He was classified in 22nd.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Kirkwood lost a top ten result in the second Iowa race spinning to avoid the Alexander Rossi and Sting Ray Robb accident. Kirkwood collected Ed Carpenter in the process. It was the final lap of the race and instead of finishing seventh or eighth, Kirkwood ended up 16th, his worst finish of the season up to that point.

Kyle Kirwood's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 7th (420 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 5
Top Tens: 13
Laps Led: 121
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 5
Fast Twelves: 8
Average Start: 10.176
Average Finish: 8.7059

Marcus Ericsson

Coming off a successful four-year stint at Chip Ganassi Racing, Ericsson moved to his third IndyCar team with hopes of repeating his form at a new outfit. It was going to be a challenging ask to step down from Ganassi, an organization that had won three of the previous four championships, and the Swede did experience a few more tougher days than he was accustomed to at his previous team. 

What objectively was his best race?
Though he spent most of the Detroit weekend as the third of the three Andretti cars, Ericsson ended up finishing second after all the cautions and pit strategies shook out. Ericsson had fresher tires and more fuel in the final stint than leader Scott Dixon, but Ericsson could not overtake the New Zealander in the closing laps.

What subjectively was his best race?

At Long Beach, Ericsson basically ran in a position to finish fifth the entire race. It wasn't anything special or spectacular, but after the tough start to the season, he needed a good day and he got it in Long Beach, putting two Andretti Global cars in the top five as Herta ended up finishing second.

What objectively was his worst race?
It is 33rd in the Indianapolis 500. Ericsson survived the Last Row Shootout after he suffered an accident in practice and lost his best car. Starting on the last row, Ericsson was collected when Tom Blomqvist spun. After finishing first and second in the previous two years at Indianapolis, this race was done before he even completed a corner. 

What subjectively was his worst race?

Expanding on Indianapolis, it is the ovals across the board for Ericsson. In seven oval races, Ericsson scored 81 points. That is ten fewer than Nolan Siegel, who did not qualify for the Indianapolis 500, and  only three more than David Malukas, who was not even entered for the Indianapolis 500. The only drivers that ran every oval race that had fewer points than Ericsson were Kyffin Simpson (73), Pietro Fittipaldi (72) and Katherine Legge (61).

It wasn't for a lack of speed. Some of it was poor fortune. Ericsson had the accident at Indianapolis after a trying practice week. He and Josef Newgarden got together while battling inside the top five in the first Milwaukee race. Ericsson brushed the wall on his own at Nashville. He had five finishes outside the top twenty in seven oval starts. That wasn't down to some lack of ability but more unlucky days than anything else, and that happens on ovals. The smallest mistakes can be greater amplified on ovals. That is what we saw for Ericsson in 2024.

Marcus Ericsson's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 15th (297 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 8
Laps Led: 14
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 3
Fast Twelves: 6
Average Start: 13.294
Average Finish: 15.176

An Early Look Ahead

Nothing is changing on the driver front for Andretti Global in 2025. The team found something in 2024. Herta looked like the driver we saw in 2020 and 2021 and who felt like he was inching closer to being a possible champion. Kirkwood picked up his form. Ericsson wasn't as clinical as we have seen, but the program did make a move forward. 

In 2023, the Andretti organization had only three races where it had multiple cars in the top ten. In 2024, that number increased to 12 races. In six of those races, all three cars finished in the top ten. Only once in 2023 did Andretti have three cars in the top ten. Andretti Global had seven races with multiple top five finishers in 2024. That happened only once in 2023. 

The problem with the Andretti organization is it has lacked that year-to-year consistency. It hasn't really pushed for the championship since Alexander Rossi in 2018 and 2019. The team hasn't won more than three races in a season since 2018, which was the most recent season it had multiple cars finish in the top five of the championship. 

Andretti Global has lacked pace over every track discipline. Over the last few seasons, it can be good in one area but weaker in others. At one point, Andretti was the best team on short ovals, but it did not have competitive pace on road and street courses. It was once the team to beat at Indianapolis but it hasn't been in the conversation the last few years. Recently, the team has looked better on street courses but its oval form took a turn. 

This past season felt like the first time in a while Andretti had good oval cars while its street course performances remained strong, but its road course form took a dip. It must find a way to be strong everywhere if it hopes to return to championship form. The drivers are there. Herta is the favorite, but Kirkwood has what it takes as well. Even Ericsson could carry the Andretti flag if called upon. The driver lineup is not a weak point for the organization. 

Considering how this season ended, Andretti Global should remain in the picture for 2025. However, the team ended on an upward trend in 2021 and by the end of 2022, its best driver in the championship was ninth. 

Álex Palou will remain the most consistent driver in IndyCar with an outstanding Chip Ganassi Racing. Team Penske will bounce back after a chaotic 2024. Patricio O'Ward is carrying confidence into next year. Andretti Global does not have its work cutout for itself, but the team ended 2024 heading in the right direction. Herta earned second in the championship through a strong finish to the season with two victories and eight top five finishes in the final ten races. That form is not accidentally. It will take more of that for Andretti Global to usurp the championship from the Penske-Ganassi tandem that has been controlling IndyCar for over a decade. 

Everyone is improving, and Andretti Global must continue working to pick up on where it left off at the end of this season.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Arrow McLaren's 2024 Season

We are getting into the final IndyCar Wrap-Ups, and we are getting into the race winning teams. After not winning a race in 2023, Arrow McLaren had a significant bounce back, winning three times. One of those might have been a gift, but McLaren still had strong days. It did have rough patches. Its season started rather slow. Too often did it feel like all the success came from one driver. When the team was off, everyone was off. It was not a bad season, but McLaren was not really pushing for a championship, something it expects to be doing.

Patricio O'Ward

After four runner-up finishes in 2023, it did not take long for O'Ward to get a victory. He technically won the first race, but it wasn't on the road and weeks after the checkered flag had flown. However, good days would come for the Mexican driver. He had some stellar outings to show he still has what it takes in IndyCar. Mechanical issues did befall his season, as well as a few mental errors. This was better than the year before, but it is ok to be wishing for more.

What objectively was his best race?
O'Ward won three races, one of three drivers to win three races this season. O'Ward won at St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio and the first Milwaukee race. The St. Petersburg victory was awarded to O'Ward after Josef Newgarden and Team Penske was disqualified for a rule infraction of manipulating the push-to-pass system. The Mid-Ohio victory came after leap-frogging Álex Palou in the final pit cycle. At Milwaukee, O'Ward drove a splendid race and won over Will Power.

What subjectively was his best race?

Mid-Ohio was probably his best drive of the season as O'Ward and Palou went at it for the final third of the race and neither could give an inch, but the most satisfying victory must be Milwaukee. Days after being disrespected when IndyCar CEO Mark Miles suggested O'Ward was not popular enough for a race in Mexico City, O'Ward beat down the entire IndyCar grid. It was a statement victory at the best possible time.

What objectively was his worst race?
O'Ward lost an engine at Gateway after only 42 laps and he finished 26th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

No one was more heartbroken after a race than O'Ward after finishing second in the Indianapolis 500. He was less than a mile from victory entering turn three when Josef Newgarden made a daring pass around the outside in turn three and it stuck. Newgarden was gone. O'Ward could not counter, and for the second time in three years, he was runner-up. It was an outstanding drive, and in no ways a bad performance, but we only saw one driver truly heartbroken after losing a race this season. This was crushing. O'Ward might have won over the crowd, but glory again escaped him.

Patricio O'Ward's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 5th (460 points)
Wins: 3
Podiums: 6
Top Fives: 6
Top Tens: 10
Laps Led: 189
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 8
Average Start: 8.529
Average Finish: 10.118

Alexander Rossi

After a good first year for Arrow McLaren, Rossi needed to make a big step forward in 2024. That didn't really happen. He more or less matched his 2023 output, which was good, but not great. While O'Ward won races, Rossi wasn't really in the conversation. There wasn't a race where Rossi was the clear McLaren leader and leading the entire field. He could finish in the top ten, but not be a regular in the top five, and now changes are coming for 2025.

What objectively was his best race?
Rossi's only podium finish was third at Laguna Seca. Pit strategy looked to be in his favor before it wasn't and the team made a pit stop under caution, gifting control of the race to Palou.

What subjectively was his best race?

Indianapolis was again one of Rossi's best races and it looked like he had a real shot for his second Indianapolis 500 victory. He was the best Arrow McLaren driver for most of the race. A decision to stop the earliest on the final round of pit stops proved to be costly. Rossi had to watch his fuel in the sprint to the finish. He couldn't keep up with the leaders, and he was fortunate to finish fourth.

What objectively was his worst race?
An unsecured tire on a pit stop at Barber Motorsports Park took Rossi out of the race and he finished 25th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It is the race Rossi missed. A broken wrist in Friday practice at Toronto took him out of the car, ending a streak of 142 consecutive starts to begin a career. Worst of all, Rossi finished one point outside of ninth in the championship. If he starts at Toronto, he gets at least five points.

Alexander Rossi's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 10th (366 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 3
Top Tens: 9
Laps Led: 109
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 5
Average Start: 10.625
Average Finish: 10.438

Nolan Siegel

Nobody saw the 2024 season playing out like this for Nolan Siegel. Committed to Indy Lights, Siegel was looking to be in a title fight with Jacob Abel and Louis Foster. The door opened for a handful of IndyCar races with Dale Coyne Racing, and Siegel was set to run on all the weekends that did not have Indy Lights races. However, the driver carousel at McLaren opened up an opportunity, and his relationship with Zak Brown saw him end up making the move to IndyCar earlier than expected.

What objectively was his best race?
Through the mess at Gateway Motorsports Park, Siegel ended up finishing seventh as a number of drivers fell out of the race. He benefitted from more than the accidents. The cautions also fell in his favor that allowed him to finish seventh.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is Gateway, and it was a race going well even before the accidents. Siegel was on a conservative strategy, and he was in the thick of it, but a pit lane speeding penalty took him out of the running. The cautions allowed him to get back on the lead lap and finish in seventh.

What objectively was his worst race?
Siegel did not qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Driving for Dale Coyne Racing, Siegel had an accident in practice and that set him behind the eight-ball. He made an attempt to qualify, but Coyne could not get the car up to speed. Siegel spun on his final qualifying run, the final run of the Last Chance Qualifying session.

Siegel's actual worst finish in a race he participated in was 25th in the second Milwaukee race after his gearbox broke only 24 laps in.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It doesn't get worse than failing to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Siegel was put in a bad situation and Dale Coyne Racing was not best situated for the Indianapolis 500 this year. There can be positive to take away from that experience. Siegel still experienced what it was like to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and a practice week. He is prepared for 2025 and there will be no surprises.

Nolan Siegel's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 23rd (154 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 8
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 19.75
Average Finish: 17.5

Théo Pourchaire

Prior to the introduction of Nolan Siegel, Pourchaire was McLaren's squeeze. As Callum Ilott had scheduling conflicts with his FIA World Endurance Championship responsibilities, McLaren needed a driver. Pourchaire was loaned out from Sauber to race in IndyCar. Results were good and it looked like Pourchaire was going to run out the season. Unfortunately for the Frenchman, he signed with the most volatile IndyCar team when it comes to drivers, and Pourchaire was out for nothing he did wrong.

What objectively was his best race?
Pourchaire's only top ten finish in IndyCar was tenth at Detroit. It wasn't the cleanest race, as he had a run-in with Agustín Canapino that we will never forget. However, Pourchaire still took a damaged car and finished in the top ten on a weekend where he looked comfortable. He qualified seventh and was caught in the opening lap stack up, but he looked competitive and really looked good.

What subjectively was his best race?

His debut at Long Beach was pretty good. Pourchaire made his debut on short notice with no testing. It was always going to be a struggle, especially at a street course, but McLaren ran a smart race with Pourchaire. They didn't put him on a conservative strategy. They didn't try to make him save fuel. He was put on a strategy to run hard and he finished 11th coming in colder than most drivers before an IndyCar debut.

What objectively was his worst race?
Pourchaire was bulldozed late in the Barber race by his own teammate. Patricio O'Ward drilled Pourchaire and it cost both drivers as none of the three McLaren entries finished in the top twenty. Pourchaire was classified the best of the three but that was in 22nd position.

What subjectively was his worst race?

The race he didn't get to run, Laguna Seca. It was stunning when it was announced Pourchaire would be removed of the #6 Chevrolet ahead of the Laguna Seca race for Nolan Siegel. McLaren had practically confirmed Pourchaire would close out the season with the team, including the Frenchman running the ovals. Pourchaire tested at Gateway! But, suddenly, he was dropped for Siegel, and worst of all, Pourchaire had openly expressed his excitement for running at Laguna Seca. It felt like we were watching a young driver have his dreams come true, only for it to be ripped out from underneath him. It was a tough break. He got one more race substituting for Alexander Rossi at Toronto, but it was a harsh end to what was a positive part of this 2024 season.

Théo Pourchaire's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 28th (91 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 19.1667
Average Finish: 14.833

An Early Look Ahead

McLaren needed this season. A second winless would not go over well. It is a team that clearly goes as far as Patricio O'Ward can take them. 

In the last five season, O'Ward is the only Arrow McLaren to win a race. O'Ward has 26 podium finishes in that time. Every other McLaren driver in that timeframe have a combined six podium finishes. While O'Ward has finished in the top five in the championship in four of the last five seasons, the next best championship finish for a McLaren driver during that time is eighth. 

For all the waves McLaren has made in creating a "Big Four" in IndyCar when there is really only a "Big Two," it is still far off from being a force in the series, and it is fair to wonder if McLaren is benefitting more from having O'Ward as one of its drivers than O'Ward is benefitting from driving for McLaren. 

We are heading into 2025 with McLaren about to add another promising young driver, and in each of the previous occasions, we have not seen that driver flourish at his highest levels while at McLaren. Felix Rosenqvist did not wildly outperform his time at Chip Ganassi Racing while driving for McLaren. Alexander Rossi did not become a championship threat again. Oliver Askew got one broken season, which was altered due to the pandemic and in which he was knocked out of a car due to a concussion. We should not be surprised if Christian Lundgaard is outstanding, but we also should not expect great things for Lundgaard. It is not because of talent but because of the team he is driving for. We should expect a bumpy road because every equal talent before him has experienced the same thing. 

From what we have seen from Lundgaard, he has the ability to be level with O'Ward. If you can finish eighth in the IndyCar championship with a victory at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with a rather strong qualifying record, you should be able to move to Arrow McLaren and be more competitive, but we saw Rossi compete for championships at Andretti Global and not even come close to a victory in two seasons at McLaren. 

Lundgaard should experience an ease moving to McLaren where it has more resources and it is not woefully slow on ovals. He is a driver hungry for more after stalling out at RLLR. Maybe that is a hunger that was missing in Rosenqvist and Rossi, and with Lundgaard it can turn two McLaren entries in regular front-runners. Eventually, McLaren will hit on one of its hires and it will have multiple drivers threatening for victories on a regular basis. If that is the case, it is more likely Lundgaard completing the one-two combo than Siegel. 

Siegel had good results in Indy Lights, but there was nothing to suggest Siegel was some kind of can't-miss talent that teams were running to hire. Other than Dale Coyne Racing taking Siegel's money to run four events, people were not knocking down the door to hire Siegel, nor has anyone been rushing to hire anyone from Indy Lights and the Road to Indy system. There are no Oscar Piastris or Andrea Kimi Antonelli's in the Road to Indy system where you have multiple teams fighting for their service. 

Generally, top IndyCar teams let young talent go, see what they can do spending their own money at a mid-pack team, and then they will hire them at a favorable price. Chip Ganassi Racing could have hired Linus Lundqvist after his Indy Lights championship season, but it needed to see him run three races for Meyer Shank Racing before making its decision.

Let's put it this way. Siegel averaged 12.833 points per start. Prorate that over a 17-race season, and that is 218 points, good enough for 19th this year in the championship and still 33 points behind Graham Rahal. Théo Pourchaire averaged 18.2 points per start, which is 309 points over 17 races, good enough for 12th in this year's championship and only three points off Lundgaard's point total.

McLaren does not have a long leash for drivers in IndyCar. Siegel will only turn 20 years old on November 9, but if this team is willing to part from an Indy Lights champion after one season, cut ties with Rosenqvist after three years and punt Rossi after two years, why should we believe Siegel is safe? The noise McLaren makes is about being one of the best teams in IndyCar. It pays drivers well, but the results do not match. McLaren could easily upgrade its driver lineup and find a replacement for Siegel. There is a certain Frenchman without a job who likely was the better candidate still on the sidelines.

This might be the team we know the most about heading into 2025. McLaren will ride O'Ward to the top, and somewhere over the course of the season we will hear about a potential shakeup. Prepare for choppy waters.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: A.J. Foyt Racing's 2024 Season

We have moved into the final half of our IndyCar Wrap-Ups and we are starting to click off the drivers that finished in the top ten of the championship. Little did we expect to wait this long to get to A.J. Foyt Racing, but the team had its best season in a long time. Victory did not occur, but for the first time in 22 years, the team had a driver finish in the top ten of the championship. Results were a little one-sided in this organization, but the first year of the Team Penske technical partnership yielded great fruit.

Santino Ferrucci

Year two with A.J. Foyt Racing could not have gone much better for Ferrucci. After a year where he was third in the Indianapolis 500 but that was his only top ten finish in the entire 2023 season, Ferrucci became a regular top ten finisher in 2024. He showed pace at many different circuits with ovals still being his comfort zone. He wasn't closer to victory, but he was more competitive across the board.

What objectively was his best race?
Ferrucci's only two top five finishes were both fourth place finishes and both were at Milwaukee. In the first race, Ferrucci went from 19th to fourth and was making up five to six spots on every restart. In the second race, he went from 12th to fourth, again making aggressive passes all over the place.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is probably the first Milwaukee race, but the second one also deserves a mention. In both races, he kept taking the outside and flying pass other cars. Barber Motorsports Park also deserves a mention because Ferrucci went off strategy at that race and ran a three-stop strategy. It saw him lead 14 laps and he finished seventh in a race where if he ran a two-stop strategy he likely finishes 15th at best. 

What objectively was his worst race?
At the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Ferrucci was 27th, retiring after completing only 55 laps after he damaged his own car when running Romain Grosjean of the road. Ferrucci's aggressive was his own downfall in this race.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It is the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, but some of the antics carried over the entire season. In the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, it was pretty deliberate the driving he did to Grosjean, and this was after the two had a run-in during practice. It was a theme this season where Ferrucci was stepping on toes in practice and unnecessarily so. He ended up having a good season, but there were still things where Ferrucci could work on. 

Santino Ferrucci's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 9th (367 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 11
Laps Led: 21
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 3
Average Start: 14.764
Average Finish: 10.941

Sting Ray Robb

Expectations were not that high for Robb's sophomore season. After failing to score a top ten finish and never starting inside the top twenty as a rookie for Dale Coyne Racing, minimal gains were expected. Robb had some rough days and repeated many of his 2023 performances, but he did make strides in other areas, though was still well off his Foyt teammate.

What objectively was his best race?
Robb got his first career top ten finish at Gateway Motorsports Park. He was ninth after starting 24th, and his first career top ten finish came in the 30th start of his career.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is Gateway, though this ninth-place finish wasn't all due to a phenomenal drive from Robb. Robb benefitted from the misfortune of others. Patricio O'Ward lost his engine early. Marcus Ericsson had mechanical problems. Kyle Kirkwood had damage after contact with Conor Daly and Romain Grosjean. David Malukas, Will Power, Alexander Rossi and Jack Harvey all were caught in accidents. Robb probably should have finished 15th or 16th but he kept his nose clean.

Robb's Indianapolis 500 should also get a mention because he finished 16th, but he went off-strategy early in an attempt to pull off some unthinkable strategy to leap ahead of the front runners. It put him in the lead and at the front for a bit, where he held his own, but as the race played out, he settled into the middle of the field.

What objectively was his worst race?
Robb had an accident at Barber Motorsports Park leave him 26th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Top ten finish aside, this year was a slight improvement from 2023 from Robb, and he didn't have many horrible days. Barber is probably his worst race in terms of on-track performance, but he didn't have many other races where he made notable mistakes. He did have two spins in the second Milwaukee race. 

Sting Ray Robb's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 20th (185 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 31
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 23.882
Average Finish: 19.176

An Early Look Ahead

There will be a slight change in the Foyt line in 2025, as Ferrucci will stay but David Malukas will join the organization and take over the #41 Chevrolet from Robb. 

Expectations are high and might have unreasonably shot through the roof. 

Ferrucci had a great season by Foyt's standards. He set a personal-best for top ten finishes in a season. He won a pole position at Portland. He finished better than his starting position in 13 of 17 races. He did something no Foyt driver had done since 2002, finishing in the top ten of the championship. Foyt hasn't had the greatest list of drivers ever, but it has had some good names. None of Vitor Meira, Mike Conway, Takuma Sato, Tony Kanaan nor Sébastien Bourdais could do it. Ferrucci did.

It appears the alliance with Team Penske has benefitted A.J. Foyt Racing, but every other team will be making improvements into 2025. Chip Ganassi Racing will focus in on its three cars after spreading resources over five teams. Andretti Global is coming off its best season in a few years, and Marcus Ericsson is bound to rebound. Meyer Shank Racing is now in cahoots with Ganassi and that lineup has only gotten better with Marcus Armstrong joining Felix Rosenqvist. Arrow McLaren added Christian Lundgaard. Alexander Rossi moved to Ed Carpenter Racing. 

It will take a lot of work just to get back to ninth in 2025 for Ferrucci and Foyt. Let's not forget Lundgaard was eighth in 2023, was the surprise of that season, and then he and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing came back down to earth in 2024. It was not a disastrous season for Lundgaard and RLLR, but it wasn't as good as the year before.

We do not have a long track record of sustained success for Foyt. Prior to 2024, Foyt had gone four consecutive years without a driver finishing in the top fifteen in the championship. Ferrucci was only the third Foyt driver since 2012 to finish in the top fifteen in the championship, and that isn't including 2013, the most recent year a Foyt driver won a race and was leading the championship entering the Indianapolis 500 with Sato. 

Excitement is understandable, but history tells us to settle down. 

Even with Malukas coming in, we should adjust emotions accordingly. For all the buzz Malukas has generated in three seasons in IndyCar, his results haven't been as flawless as they have been made out to be. 

Malukas might have been on the path to a podium finish at Gateway, but his average points per start this year was only 14.8. That would have put him 18th in the championship, practically level with Graham Rahal. It actually down from Malukas' first two seasons when he averaged 17.941 points and 15.588 points per start. 

Head-to-head with Felix Rosenqvist over the final ten races of 2024 with Meyer Shank Racing, Rosenqvist beat Malukas 6-4 in races and 7-3 in qualifying. They were nearly identical in average finish with Rosenqvist having the slight edge at 15.8 to Malukas' 16th. Malukas did have the edge in qualifying at 8.7 to Rosenqvist's 8.9. 

There were positive signs from Malukas, but in three seasons his entire career is built upon three Gateway races. That should not make up for the ten finishes outside the top twenty in 44 career starts. He has finished outside the top fifteen in 21 of those starts. Malukas only has 11 top ten finishes in his career. He should be an improvement over Robb, but let's pump the brakes before thinking A.J. Foyt Racing is about to have two drivers finish in the top ten of the championship and each will be race winners. We have plenty of evidence to suggest that is unlikely no matter what fantasy we can create in our heads.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Meyer Shank Racing's 2024 Season

We hit the halfway of the IndyCar Wrap-Ups, and out of the cellar is Meyer Shank Racing. After a year to forget in 2023, which saw MSR lose its top driver due to injury, the team came into 2024 with a new lineup. There were concerns if this new duo could produce better results than the tried-and-true experience of Simon Pagenaud and Hélio Castroneves. The good news is the speed was there, and MSR was at the top immediately. However, an experiment was aborted early, but the early choice to make a change might have proved to be poignant and earned the team at least $1 million when this season was said and done. 

Felix Rosenqvist

After three good but not great years at Arrow McLaren, Rosenqvist moved to the third organization in his IndyCar career. It was a new situation for everyone. Rosenqvist became a team leader after taking secondary roles at his first two stops. Meyer Shank Racing had hired a driver with a somewhat unproven track record. The pace had been there and he had gotten good results, but not with great consistency. For where things were for each driver and team coming into this season, 2024 was a promising sign for the future.

What objectively was his best race?
Rosenqvist's best finish this season was fourth at Barber Motorsports Park after sticking to a two-stop strategy. Rosenqvist was able to pass Álex Palou late in the race to take fourth after spending the entire race in the top ten and competing for a top five for most of that time.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is tough to say St. Petersburg is anyone's best race because the results are a tad misleading. The record book will say Rosenqvist was fifth, but he really finished seventh on the road. Regardless of the finish, this was a great statement to start the season for him and the MSR organization. He qualified second and he was hanging with pole-sitter Josef Newgarden over the opening stint. Rosenqvist struggled on the primary tire and that cost him, especially on restarts. He still got a top ten result, which turned into a top five after the fact, and it was a positive start.

What objectively was his worst race?

Twice did Rosenqvist finish 27th this season. He was 27th in the Indianapolis 500 after losing his engine while running in the top ten. He suffered a tire puncture while running in the top ten at Nashville.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Overall, we could say the let down of Rosenqvist's season was finishing so far behind where he started. Too often would he start sixth or seventh and finish outside the top ten or he would start in the top five and then finish eighth. His 23rd at Toronto was not entirely due to a driver fault. The hybrid let him down, but Rosenqvist was running in contention for a top five result. He had a bad pit stop cost him time and he went off in turn three before the hybrid issue ended his race.

Felix Rosenqvist's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 12th (306 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 6
Laps Led: 5
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 5
Fast Twelves: 7
Average Start: 9.411
Average Finish: 13.882

David Malukas

Nobody had a more chaotic season than David Malukas. Set to drive for Arrow McLaren, coincidentally to replace Felix Rosenqvist at the organization, Malukas suffered a wrist injury in a mountain biking accident less than a month before the start of the season. The injury was so severe that it kept him out for an extended period of time. After the Barber Motorsports Park round, McLaren released Malukas from his contract. It wasn't until there was an opening at MSR did Malukas get his shot to race in 2024, returning for the final ten races of the season. 

What objectively was his best race?
While Toronto was one of Rosenqvist's worst races, Malukas had his best race in Canada, starting and finishing sixth, but Malukas did catch a break avoiding all the chaos in this race and he made up spots us other drivers fell out. For a portion of this race, it wasn't certain he would finish in the top ten.

What subjectively was his best race?

Malukas probably should have been on the podium at Gateway Motorsports Park. After starting on the front row, Malukas was holding his own batting at the front with Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Scott McLaughlin. Malukas was the best Honda for majority of this race before he was squeezed in turn two by Power, taking Malukas out of the race and placing him 21st.

What objectively was his worst race?
On the opening lap in the first Iowa race, Malukas spun exiting turn two and he was out of the race before completing a lap.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It is Gateway because this felt like Malukas' best chance at victory. He was in the picture for the entire race and he was probably going to finish on the podium if it wasn't for the contact. Malukas did nothing wrong, and it was surprising Power did not receive a penalty for what looked to be avoidable contact. 

David Malukas' 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 24th (148 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 2
Laps Led: 19
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 3
Average Start: 8.7
Average Finish: 16

Tom Blomqvist

The Tom Blomqvist experiment had already been put into motion in 2023. Blomqvist ran three races as a substitute for the injured Simon Pagenaud. Those were some rough days, but Blomqvist was returning to open-wheel competition after having been away from it for practically a decade. Expectations were low, and Blomqvist looked more comfortable than his IndyCar sampling the year before, but the results were not good enough and pressure forced MSR to make a difficult decision.

What objectively was his best race?

Blomqvist's best result was 15th in the season opener at St. Petersburg. It was better than any of his first three results in IndyCar from the previous season. It was an improvement of two spots from his starting position.

What subjectively was his best race?

It was St. Petersburg, though Blomqvist had a good showing at Barber Motorsports Park. He made a surprise appearance in the second round of qualifying at Barber, and he did well though he slid back to 19th. Blomqvist did complete all the laps.

What objectively was his worst race?
It was 31st in the Indianapolis 500 after Blomqvist spun in turn one after getting a little too low on the opening corner of the race.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It is Indianapolis because Blomqvist's season ended right then and there. His best finish through five races was 15th, his average finish was 22nd, he had only scored 46 points, and he was 24th in points as was the #66 Honda 24th in the entrants' championship. Meyer Shank Racing could not afford to have this entry not be in the Leader Circle for a second consecutive season, and a change had to be made. 

Tom Blomqvist's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 30th (46 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 19
Average Finish: 22

An Early Look Ahead

We know the 2025 lineup. Rosenqvist is staying and Marcus Armstrong is being farmed out to the #66 Honda from Chip Ganassi Racing as Meyer Shank Racing will form a technical alliance with Ganassi after having run in partnership with Andretti Global since its IndyCar debut in the 2017 Indianapolis 500.

MSR should be feeling significantly better than it did at this point last year. Last year, MSR was coming off a year where nothing went right and it didn't appear the team could do anything right. This year, MSR look competitive and had good days, but there is still another step this team must take. 

The qualifying pace is there, but the race pace was notably absent. That hurt the team on a consistent basis. The team must work on having better cars over entire races and also employing correct strategies to yield the best result. Too often did we see the MSR cars go backward after everyone was enthused to see them at the front at the end of qualifying on Saturday. 

Before this season, I questioned if Rosenqvist could be a leader. He did a great job qualifying and putting MSR at the front, but the race results must follow in 2025. Not all his bad days were entirely driver error. MSR is a team that has struggled to maximize strategy to get a result and Rosenqvist is a driver that has struggled to maximize turning single-lap pace into a result. It is a rough combination when neither side's strength can make up for the other's weakness. 

Considering how 2023 went, 12th in the championship is a great result for Rosenqvist and MSR. This team was not going to leap into the top five in the championship, but this was the step it had to see. Top ten in the championship looks reasonable, especially if it can have its race finishes more close match its qualifying efforts.

Marcus Armstrong will lift this team and Armstrong will push Rosenqvist. These are two drivers that should be able to work off one another. Armstrong had some teething moments in his sophomore season, but he had flashes and if he can have a car that is regularly starting in the top ten and occasionally making the Fast Six, Armstrong could be lined up to improve from his second season. 

The Ganassi relationship should help. Rosenqvist has history with the team and it seems he is still well regarded at that organization. This could feel like a five-car team even if these are two separate entities. Top ten in the championship is possible, but MSR could reach new heights. This could be the sleeper team that wins a race or two in 2025. All the pieces are there on paper. It is a matter of what they do in reality starting March 2. 

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's 2024 Season

The fourth IndyCar Wrap-Up has us looking at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team that won in 2023 and showed competitiveness despite some shortcomings in the organization. Those shortcomings came to the forefront in 2024. The speed was not quite there. A few races saw the team stand out but most of the races had RLLR cars fighting from behind. The team was not close to the same level, and it was a long season.

Christian Lundgaard

Last year, Lundgaard had a breakout season and scored his first career victory at Toronto. The expectations were high for 2024, as Lundgaard looked to take RLLR to the next level. There were some good days early, but the speed was not there at the same consistent level. Lundgaard was not the surprise frontrunner, he was not nearly as much of a frontrunner as he was the year before. 

What objectively was his best race?
His only top five finish of the season, Lundgaard was third in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, and he was in contention for the race victory. Lundgaard led from the start and led much of the first third of the race, but he was caught out in pit strategy when he was caught behind Felix Rosenqvist, who made an early second pit stop. This traffic caused Lundgaard to lose time and he fell back to finish third behind Álex Palou and Will Power.

What subjectively was his best race?

Sadly, the only race where Lundgaard looked like Lundgaard from 2023 was the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. If he stops a lap or two earlier, he might win this race as he avoids losing time in traffic and he could have kept Palou and Power behind him. He led 35 of the first 39 laps and only did not lead during the pit cycle over that portion of the race.

What objectively was his worst race?
Lundgaard had a top ten running going in the Grand Prix of Long Beach until he was penalized for an unsafe release on his final pit stop after he made contact with Kyle Kirkwood in pit lane. Then Lundgaard had to make a stop for a splash of fuel on the final lap as his car was not full. This led to a 23rd place finish for the Dane.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Ovals were not Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's strong suit in 2024, and Iowa wasn't fair to anybody, but Lundgaard spun on the opening lap in the first Iowa race and he needed repairs. He was able to rejoin the race, but he was only able to complete 178 of 250 laps and he finished 22nd.

Christian Lundgaard's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 11th (312 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 5
Laps Led: 53
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 8
Average Start: 14.529
Average Finish: 13

Graham Rahal

In his 17 seasons in IndyCar, Rahal has been all over the place. He has competed for championships, he has been at the bottom, he has been in the middle. This year, Rahal was back toward the bottom, and it was continuing a trend backward. Rahal took another slip back and he was not close to the level we saw the year before. 

What objectively was his best race?
Ovals were tough for RLLR, but Rahal qualified eighth and finished eighth in the second Iowa race. The nature of Iowa meant as long as you did nothing wrong, you were not going to fall down the running order. Rahal didn't make a mistake. The pit stops were clean. Rahal ended up finishing where he started, benefitting from the misfortunes of others.

What subjectively was his best race?

RLLR has the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course figured out, and Rahal had a good run in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He lost time on the primary tire but he was still able to finish ninth and he spent the entire race in the top ten. He didn't quite get to the same level as Lundgaard.

What objectively was his worst race?
Rahal was collected when Kyffin Simpson spun exiting turn five at Laguna Seca, and this ended up putting Rahal in 24th in the final results, but the race was not going that well prior to that accident.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Fifteenth in the Indianapolis 500 should be a decent day, especially since Rahal started 33rd, but this was another case of Rahal being in the Last Row Shootout and facing being bumped from the Indianapolis 500 for a second consecutive year. RLLR had Takuma Sato qualify tenth, but its other three cars started 28th, 30th and 33rd. Rahal had a better race car than a qualifying car, but it was another long week in May and there were few moral victories to take from this experience. 

Graham Rahal's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 18th (251 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 5
Laps Led: 7
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 5
Average Start: 17.235

Average Finish: 15.588

Pietro Fittipaldi

RLLR was looking for a jumpstart in its third entry after two years of struggling to get all three cars competing at a high level. Enter Fittipaldi, a driver who had dabbled in IndyCar, but had yet to compete full-time. Full-time competition was rather rare for Fittipaldi over the last five years. IndyCar was a change of pace for the Brazilian. In his first foray in IndyCar, Fittipaldi had some impressive results and hopes were high. Reality did not live up to it.

What objectively was his best race?
Fittipaldi had two finishes of 13th. He was 13th in the season opener at St. Petersburg and he was 13th at Detroit. It was a 13-spot improvement at St. Petersburg and a two-spot improvement at Detroit. Two of those spots at St. Petersburg came from the disqualification of Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin.

What subjectively was his best race?

Even if you don't consider the disqualification of the two Penske cars, Fittipaldi still made up 11 spots at St. Petersburg. However, I don't think Fittipaldi had a good race all season. Even at Detroit, he mostly just stayed in-between 13th and 15th. He wasn't a threat at any race.

What objectively was his worst race?
Fittipaldi was caught in the opening lap accident in the Indianapolis 500 when Tom Blomqvist spun in turn one and this left Fittipaldi in 32nd of the final results.

What subjectively was his worst race?

There were many rough days. Barber Motorsports Park was particularly tough. Fittipaldi was run into by Patricio O'Ward and this knocked Fittipaldi off the course when he was doing nothing wrong. Fittipaldi had a steering rack failure in practice. It was a tough weekend across the board, and it ended with a 27th-place result.

Pietro Fittipaldi's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 19th (186 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 2
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 21.0588
Average Finish: 19.647

An Early Look Ahead

Lundgaard is gone. Rahal is around, but he has been talking about stepping away from competing recently. I don't know what the team does with Fittipaldi. At the end of 2021, it felt like RLLR was on the verge of breaking into a higher level. After last year, you could argue RLLR was IndyCar's fourth-best team over Arrow McLaren. At the end of 2024, it is difficult to see how much ground RLLR can gain in 2025, but it will at least have a promising young talent joining the team with Indy Lights champion Louis Foster signed to a multi-year contract.

It had a good thing with Lundgaard, but Lundgaard wanted more. Struggling to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 gets old quickly. If Lundgaard can win with RLLR and finish in the top ten in the championship, he must believe at a better team he can compete for more. We are going to see if that is the case at McLaren.

Where does RLLR go from there?

It has signed Foster, a driver that dominated Indy Lights, but Indy Lights has not been the great indicator for success in IndyCar. The previous ten Indy Lights champions have made an average of 37.3 starts in their IndyCar careers. Of those ten drivers, only Patricio O'Ward has surpassed 75 starts in IndyCar. Whether that is down to talent or ability or opportunity is a matter of debate. Either way, Indy Lights champions don't get a long leash. 

RLLR found a gem with Lundgaard. It felt like the team was ready to take on the big time. It will give Foster a chance but Foster is not entering with a buzz. It is hard to believe he will lift RLLR's level, especially considering the team's oval form. Foster has only made eight oval starts in his life, the largest being the 1.333-mile Nashville Superspeedway. Though RLLR has him on retainer, Jüri Vips is not at the level of Lundgaard. Vips could be a suitable driver, but it does not seem he can be the answer for something greater.

Though Lundgaard took RLLR to great heights, the perception of the team has taken a hit over the last few seasons. It drew some big sponsors. It found IndyCar's newest great partner in HyVee, but RLLR has kind of let HyVee down. At HyVee's big event at Iowa Speedway, RLLR has not been anywhere close to competitive. If a sponsor does not feel like it is getting the most bang for its buck, it will leave, either the series entirely or for another team. There are other more competitive teams out there.

This is a team whose leader is a driver close to completing two decades in IndyCar with one championship push and who is going on eight years without a race victory. It has hired the Indy Lights champion who was clearly best driver from that level. RLLR has gone from a team on the verge of breaking into that upper tier to a team on the decline with no sight of where this team will fall, but it is re-tooling and hoping for the best.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Ed Carpenter Racing's 2024 Season

The third IndyCar Wrap-Up brings us to Ed Carpenter Racing, which came to a fork in the road in 2024. Entering its fifth season with with Rinus VeeKay, the team was looking to break out of the middle of the pack. The team also made a change and returned to splitting the #20 Chevrolet between Ed Carpenter on ovals and another driver for road and street courses. That other driver ended up being Christian Rasmussen fresh off of his Indy Lights championship. Unfortunately, a return to an old way did not lead to better results, and more changes are coming for the ECR organization.

Rinus VeeKay

This was the fifth season for VeeKay in IndyCar, all with Ed Carpenter Racing. He had established a pattern in his career with championship finishes of 14th, 12th, 12th and 14th in his first four seasons. This felt like a pivotal season for VeeKay to break above the middle, especially after not having a top five finish in 2023. Not much changed from his previous seasons, though some positives could be found.

What objectively was his best race?
Based on pit strategy and keeping his nose clean, VeeKay ended up finishing fifth in the first Iowa race after starting 13th. Just based on the nature of the race and the lack of passing, this wasn't VeeKay doing anything brilliant but mostly having better pit stops and making up spots on restarts.

What subjectively was his best race?

Managing his tires in the second Milwaukee race netted VeeKay a seventh-place finish. He was in the running for a top ten finish the entire race, but deciding to save his tires over the penultimate stint before stopping early in the final stint helped get a few more positions. VeeKay was able to keep the car in the top ten with this strategy and finish better than if he had not been on this strategy.

What objectively was his worst race?
Twice did VeeKay finish 26th this season. At the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, VeeKay had a slow pit stop and a drive-through penalty for an improper pit exit. This caused VeeKay to finish a lap down and the last car to finish the race. At Laguna Seca, the Dutchman spun on his own and an mechanical issue ended his race after 23 laps.

What subjectively was his worst race?

The Grand Prix of Indianapolis was a bit of a disappointment because VeeKay had qualified 12th and that was an advantageous position to start in.

Rinus VeeKay's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 13th (300 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 7
Laps Led: 8
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 3
Average Start: 15.294
Average Finish: 13.706

Christian Rasmussen

It was not a full season, but Rasmussen got a healthy slate of IndyCar races after winning the Indy Lights championship. Along with the road and street course races, he was also given the Indianapolis 500 with ECR. An unexpected change ended up giving Rasmussen more races than originally thought. It definitely looked like a rookie season. There were some good days, but there is much to improve upon. 

What objectively was his best race?
Rasmussen's only top ten finish of the season was ninth at Mid-Ohio. The Dane spent the entire race in the top ten and did come back after losing a few spots on the first pit cycle. It was a clean day for him.

What subjectively was his best race?

It was the Indianapolis 500 where Rasmussen drove from 24th to 12th. Rasmussen made a number of notable passes and spent a good number of laps in the top ten. He was holding his own in the biggest race of his career. He looked like he was going to finish in the top ten but 12th was still good enough for best finishing rookie in the race. 

What objectively was his worst race?
In three races did Rasmussen finish in last, 27th position. Those races were Long Beach after he brushed the barrier and spun in turn four, Detroit after an engine failure 25 laps into the race, and Toronto after he was checked into the barrier exiting turn one and th contact ended his race before he could even get to turn two.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It is tough to separate these events from one another. When you cannot even complete a lap, that is a rough race. He started 13th as well at Detroit, a good position to get a good result. Toronto or Detroit. You decide which was worse.

Christian Rasmussen's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 22nd (163 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 18.357
Average Finish: 18.929

Ed Carpenter

After a few seasons running a third car on the ovals, Carpenter went back to his familiar #20 Chevrolet for the ovals in 2024. He had not had a top ten finish in either of the previous two seasons, both in a third entry, but a move back to the #20 Chevrolet did not boost his results. Carpenter struggled to keep pace, and he ended up making a difficult decision before this season was even over.

What objectively was his best race?
In two races, Carpenter finished 17th, the Indianapolis 500 and at Gateway.

What subjectively was his best race?

None of Carpenter's races were all that good. Indianapolis was a little more work because Carpenter had to overcome Callum Ilott being punted into Carpenter's pit box, causing a significant delay for Carpenter to make his pit stop in the middle of the race. It was a recovery drive to 17th that day.

What objectively was his worst race?
Carpenter was collected in the final lap accident in the second Iowa race after Sting Ray Robb ran over the back of Alexander Rossi's car out of fuel, which also collected Kyle Kirkwood. This accident knocked Carpenter down to 22nd in the final results.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Gateway was also a recovery drive to 17th, but Carpenter being slammed into by Katherine Legge eight laps into the race did not lead to an easy day for him. He lost time and ended up climbing to 17th as others had trouble, but it was a rough weekend prior to that incident. This ended up being the race where Carpenter decided to step out of the car for the remaining three oval races and let Rasmussen finish out the season. 

Ed Carpenter's 2024 Statistics

Championship Position: 32nd (45 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 3
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 22.25
Average Finish: 19

An Early Look Ahead

We already know the 2025 lineup for Ed Carpenter Racing. Alexander Rossi will take over the #20 Chevrolet and Rasmussen will be full-time in the #21 Chevrolet. Carpenter will only run the Indianapolis 500. 

We also know the team has added a new partner in Ted Gevlov, owner of Heartland Food Products Group, which is famous for its Splenda and Java House brands. 

Considering less than two years ago Rossi was saying he wanted to win a championship and that played into his decision to leave Andretti Autosport for Arrow McLaren, nobody joins Ed Carpenter Racing hoping to win a championship. 

The team hasn't had a top ten championship finisher in eight seasons. The team has one victory in eight seasons. It has only nine podium finishes during that time. It doesn't help that Rossi has one victory in the last five seasons in his own right and beggars cannot be choosers, but for a driver that has contended for a championship and believes he still has that ability, ECR isn't the team to choose if hoping to win a title. 

This move could come down solely to the Indianapolis 500, and ECR has had competitive cars in that race, but that speed has not regularly translated to cars being there at the end of the race. The cars look great in qualifying, but four-lap success does not equal 200-lap triumph. The team has only three top five finishes in the Indianapolis 500 in its 13-year history. It really is a case of this was the best Rossi could do at this point in his career and with the current IndyCar climate. 

For the last five seasons, Rossi has been either ninth or tenth in the championship. For the last five seasons, VeeKay was 12th, 13th or 14th in the championship. We know who Rossi is as a driver and we know what ECR is capable of. Something will have to break in 2025. 

Rasmussen will need to make a stride forward and clean up some of the mistakes. He at least knows he will have a full season. 

As much as we talk about the drivers, engineering plays a crucial role. The drivers are only as good as the cars they are given. Outside of Indianapolis, ECR hasn't really been good anywhere. This year ended on a positive note with VeeKay scoring five top ten finishes in the final eight races, but there needs to be more than that, and for the last few seasons ECR has not been consistently good anywhere.

ECR hasn't had a top five finisher on a road/street course since Mid-Ohio in July 2022. The team didn't have a car make the Fast Six on a road or street course this past season. These are two areas the team must improve upon if it wants to break into that higher level.