The NTT IndyCar Series is always full of high-speed action, drama and entertainment – both on and off track. Each year, drivers from around the world compete across super speedways, street circuits, traditional circuits and ovals – including the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway – to determine who will become the IndyCar Champion. In 2025, the stage is set for the wick to be turned up a notch – does this mean we’re about to enter a golden age of IndyCar?
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As the start of the new season draws nearer, here are five storylines that you should be keeping an eye on across the course of the year.
1. Can anyone stop Palou?
Alex Palou has become IndyCar Champion in three of the last four years. Will Power beat him to the punch in 2022 when Palou had to settle for a joint P5 finish. He ended the year on the same amount of points as Scott McLaughlin but lost out on countback. Despite this blip, Palou has been riding high during this period. Twelve wins and a further nineteen podiums have perfectly demonstrated the type of consistent and rounded driver that you need to be to become Champion.
But that doesn’t mean that it will be plain sailing for the Spaniard in 2025. It came down to the wire in 2024 and there is most definitely a target on his back in 2025. Of the twenty-seven drivers competing this year, thirteen of them are race winners and four of those are IndyCar Champions (Palou included). With a plethora of points on offer at each and every race and unpredictability around every corner, you wouldn’t want to call it too early.
Will Power will be back with a vengeance after coming close to stealing the title in 2024. Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward are more determined than ever to get their first. And that’s before you throw drivers into the mix like Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Marcus Ericsson and Scott McLaughlin.
Josef Newgarden Wins The 108th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 Josef Newgarden Wins The 108th Running Of The Indianapolis 500: A Golden Age of IndyCar in 2025?It’s difficult to dominate in IndyCar, even if it may have appeared that Palou has managed that before. That’s why in 2025, things will likely be even more unpredictable than an episode of Jerry Springer.
2. Fox Sports – a Golden Age for IndyCar?
2025 sees the NTT IndyCar Series move from NBC Sports in the US to Fox Sports. Many were uncertain what to expect when this was first announced. But we are now getting a clearer image of what IndyCar at its new home will look like – and if it’s anything like the recently released adverts for IndyCar from Fox Sports themselves, we might be in for quite a treat.
The promo perfectly captures what Formula 1 has been attempting to achieve in its many recent visits to America – pure Americanness. It’s big, bold and doesn’t take itself too seriously – while also embedding an undertone of fierce competitiveness. It appeals to fans both old and new and puts the spotlights onto the drivers in a way that hasn’t been done before – think along the same lines as what Drive to Survive did (and attempts to do) for Formula 1 drivers.
The presenting line-up has a fresh take on it too with Will Buxton making the jump back from F1 into IndyCar alongside James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell. We don’t know who else will be joining this trio yet, either on a full time or temporary basis but these three will be IndyCar’s presenting cornerstone for the foreseeable future.
https://everythingtrackside.com/indycar-2025-schedule-released-alongside-new-fox-deal/
What else does Fox Sports have in store? We don’t know quite yet. But having had the advantage of others across motorsport try and test various methods for motorsport coverage in a social media and content heavy driven world, don’t be surprised if they imitate Clarkson, Hammond and May when they made the move to Amazon Prime from the BBC. Much bigger, more outrageous, more thrilling – more everything. The adverts alone show they’re willing to pay the big bucks to get results.
3. New (ish) Regulations
Last year saw IndyCar move into the new Hybrid Era of the sport in the last third of the season. With plenty of testing under their belts, this new era began pretty smoothly for the series but there were a few inevitable malfunctions.
IndyCar’s New Hybrid System Debut’s in Mid-Ohio: A Golden Age of IndyCar in 2025?Despite this, the initial transition was pretty seamless. If you were a casual fan and didn’t know there had been a change, you might not have even realised there had been one. While there are not any major hiccups expected this season, you can never truly rule anything out in motorsport so watching how this hybrid era develops and is assessed by fans will be intriguing to see.
The Charter System – Securing a Golden Age for IndyCar?
There is also the debut of the new IndyCar Charter System.
The charter system was the first to be introduced in the history of the NTT IndyCar Series.
“A chartered entry is guaranteed a starting position on the grid at all NTT INDYCAR SERIES races, excluding the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Entrants must still go through the standard qualifying process to earn one of the 33 starting positions in ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’”
Any entrants must also be chartered to qualify for the annual NTT IndyCar Leaders Circle program. This is an annual award program that compensates the top twenty two finishers in the prior year’s championship. The terms of the initial, long-term charter agreements are committed through to the end of 2031.
Charters were extended to team owners based on full-time entries over the previous two seasons, with a maximum of three awarded per team.
As PREMA Racing will be a new full-time team to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2025, it did not receive a charter and therefore must qualify for all races based on speed. Think back to how Formula 1 used to be. Furthermore, twenty-seven car and driver combinations will be permitted to start all races other than the Indy 500.
NASCAR introduced a Charter System a while back and has had mixed results depending on who you talk to. How this will unfold with IndyCar will be fascinating. It has the potential to make or break the sport. If it’s the former, then there’s another way for the golden age of IndyCar to be realised.
4. PREMA
One team that is not part of the Charter System are the new kids on the block – PREMA. If you’re a fan of motorsport generally, this name will not be new to you. If they are new to you, then you’ll definitely know some of the drivers that have driven for them in the past. Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri both became Formula 2 Champion with them on their way into Formula 1. Piastri also won his Formula 3 title with them. They’ve won multiple championships across F1 Academy, F3 Asia and Formula Abarth to name a few. Generally, if you want to win, being with PREMA is a good call.
Having had a great deal of success in Formula 2 and Formula 3, PREMA decided to branch out into the American market. Callum Ilott will return to IndyCar after a one year hiatus and race for the team. Alongside him will be former F2 competitor and Sauber F1 Reserve Driver Robert Shwartzman. Romain Grosjean will be taking up the mantle of Reserve Driver.
PREMA then are not new to motorsport. But taking on IndyCar will be one of their biggest challenges to date. Their unknown capabilities here are what make them exciting. Should they be successful, PREMA will be able to play an integral part in the new golden age of IndyCar.
Prema Indycar: Team announce entry numbers for next season: A Golden Age of IndyCar in 2025?5. Rookies
There are three brand new rookies on the IndyCar grid in 2025. Each one has a point to prove and wants to make an impact. Therefore, each one will definitely be worth keeping an eye on this season.
Louis Foster
British driver Louis Foster won eight of the fourteen races in the Indy NXT Season in 2024. On top of that, he finished on the podium a further four times. This meant he only had two no-podium finishes all year! His lowest result was P7 in Indianapolis and he didn’t have a single retirement. Racing for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, he’ll be able to get his feet under the proverbial table without a high level of pressure. Don’t be surprised if he gets on the podium this season.
Jacob Abel
Abel won three races last season in Indy NXT. The other three were won by Caio Collet, Nolan Siegel and Jamie Chadwick. Abel also achieved a further seven podium finishes. Despite this, he was still a whopping one hundred and twenty two points behind Foster come the end of the season. The upside of that is that he was in P2. He was also eighty one points ahead of his nearest rival. It’s a unique situation to find yourself in as a racing driver. Racing for Dayle Coyne Racing in 2025, like Foster, he doesn’t have any pressure on his shoulders that a larger team might bring. When cultivating rookies, this environment can be ideal.
Robert Shwartzman
The Russian Israeli driver has had a bit of tough time of it lately. Since competing in Formula 2 back in 2021, he’s been on the side lines in single seater racing. Having finished second in 2021 to Oscar Piastri, he then became a Ferrari F1 Test Driver. Shwartzman also became a Test Driver for Formula E Team, DS Penske. He remained in those roles until the end of last year. Having switched to Endurance Racing for the last two years, it may also take him a moment or two to get back up to scratch in the single seater game.
Bonus – Indy NXT & the Indy 500 – Parts of a Golden Age for IndyCar?
Just like in Formula 1, IndyCar has its own feeder series – Indy NXT. In 2025, there will be a enticing mesh of fresh and experienced drivers up and down the grid. Caio Collet. Sophia Flörsch. Dennis Hauger. Mile Rowe. Hailee Deegan. These are just a few of the competitors who’ll take to the track with their eyes fixed on coming out on top and making that final leap into IndyCar for 2026.
Finally, we couldn’t talk about things to look forward to in 2025 without mentioning the Indy 500. Every year, it’s an epic event that keeps everyone on the edge of their seat. It’s also the race where one off appearances occur as drivers are lured back to the series with the hope of attaining one third of the triple crown.
So far, Kyle Larson (of NASCAR fame) has confirmed he’ll return. So too will Marco Andretti. These two are bound to not be the only ones to get back into the driver’s seat for this legendary race. Who would you like to see join them?
A Golden Age for IndyCar?
A potential free for all title fight. A brand new broadcast network. New rules and regulations. A brand new IndyCar team. Three brand new drivers. Indy NXT. Unlimited potential. That is what is in store for us in 2025. Will it all lead us into a golden age for IndyCar? We can’t be sure. But it certainly has all the ingredients necessary to bake us one of the most extraordinary seasons of IndyCar…ever.