Parity Within Dominance: Storylines Outside of Alex Palou

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor

Riley Ogle (Motorsports Today, 2025)

Alex Palou's unprecedented dominance is the talking point of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. However, within his consistency, the parity throughout he rest of the field has been overlooked.

The Spaniard's consistency can be compared to that of four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen’s 2023 FIA F1 World Championship. Verstappen won 19 of the season’s 22 races en route to his third consecutive title, at the time. 

Fast forward to today, Palou has won eight races in 14 starts and has a 117-point lead heading into the Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland. All he needs is a 16th-place or better in the final three races or a win at Portland to lock up his title.

With the season practically locked up for the soon-to-be four-time champion, many fans don't think they have a storyline to lean on. If you take Palou out of the equation, this has been as diverse a season as IndyCar has had in years.

Through 14 races this season, 16 drivers and eight teams have placed on the podium. Adding to the variety, no three drivers have finished on the podium together in any race this year. 

AJ Foyt Racing’s Return to Grace

At the forefront of this change has been the duo from A.J. Foyt Racing: David Maulkas and Santino Ferrucci. Two years ago, A.J. Foyt Racing had not achieved a points finish inside 17th since 2010. Last year, Ferrucci finished ninth in the driver standings. 

Malukas and Ferrucci continued this upward trajectory for the team this year with multiple podiums, with both drivers sitting 10th and 13th in the standings, respectively. If they remain in their current positions, it would be the highest points finishes for two A.J. Foyt cars since Eliseo Salazar and Jeff Ward finished fourth and 11th in 2000.

These unprecedented results have been aided by the team’s technical partnership with Team Penske, enabling them to become a competitive threat again. However, this alliance has fueled rumors of Maulkas heading to Team Penske to replace two-time champion Will Power. The 23-year-old American has been identical in pace to Power and sits 13 points behind him.

The Young Guys Are Making Noise

Three drivers who have been making headlines this season are Robert Swartzman, Kyffin Simpson and Christian Rasmussen. The trio are on career years with Simpson and Rasmussen claiming their first-career podiums in Toronto and St. Louis, respectively. As for Swartzman, he earned pole position for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 with first-year team Prema Racing.

Simpson turned around his performance over the last two seasons, after having zero top-10s and a 21st-place points finish in 2024. The 20-year-old Caymanian earned his first podium and five top-10s so far this season. While not to par with teammates Palou and Scott Dixon, who sit first and third in the standings, Simpson has made steady improvement, sitting 16th in points.

Rasmussen had the most determined drive of any driver en route to a podium this year, as he drove through the field twice to earn his first podium at WWT Raceway in St. Louis. This added to his streak of a top-10 at every oval this season.

Then, it's rookie Swartzman, who's made the most noise of the three when he defied the odds to win the pole for the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” He backed his pace up, earning two top-10s at  St. Louis and Iowa, both short ovals, a track type with which he had no previous experience before his venture into IndyCar. 

Ongoing Issues With Team Penske

It’s been less than a typical season for Team Penske, as they are having one of their worst seasons in recent memory. Of the trio of Power, Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden, the latter two sit outside the top ten in the standings in 12th and 15th. Power is the only one who's made strides this season, sitting ninth in the driver standings, yet there is ongoing tension about his future at the organization.

All of these issues were set into motion minutes before the second day of Indianapolis 500 qualifying when Newgarden and Power’s Chevrolets were deemed illegal. In addition to this blow, McLaughlin's wreck in the practice session ahead of qualifying forced him to miss qualifying for repairs.

Team Penske fired several employees in leadership roles in response to the technical issue: Team President Tim Cindric, INDYCAR Managing Director Ron Ruzewski and INDYCAR General Manager Kyle Moyer. Since their departures, the performance of Team Penkse has worsened.

In the five races before the Indianapolis 500, the team combined for seven top-5s, ten top-10s, with each driver claiming a podium each. In the following eight races, two podiums, three top-5s and six top-10s. Instead, the trio has earned 12 finishes of 22nd or worse.

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES travels to Portland, Oregon, in two weeks for the Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland at the Portland International Speedway on Aug. 10 on FOX.