The 2025 TIMMY's: Motorsports Today Staff Gives Out End of Year Awards

Courtesy of a 10-win rookie campaign, Connor Zilisch wins the TIMMY Award for "Best Driver."

As Max Verstappen took the checkered flag first at Yas Marina earlier this month, while Lando Norris crossed the start/finish line third to crown his maiden Formula One World Driver's Championship, it marked the end of the 2025 major motorsports season.

After a year marked by record-setting performances, unexpected moments, and thrilling action, let's take a look back at the best of the best, and the worst of the worst.

On a special episode of Motorsports Today Monday evening, now available on YouTube and Spotify, we hosted our first annual "TIMMY Awards." Nine Motorsports Today contributors (president Eddie Kalegi, vice presidents Adam Tropper and Tim Moore, staff writers Jeffrey Hrunka and Kelsey Christman, photographer Riley Ogle, producer Drew Jewah, podcast contributor Tyrell Baker, and former contributor Colin Ward) voted on a variety of categories. What follows is a breakdown of who took home the hardware.

BEST DRIVER: CONNOR ZILISCH

Others Receiving Votes: Alex Palou, Max Verstappen, Denny Hamlin

This particular recipient sparked quite the debate between Jeffrey Hrunka and Tim Moore on our awards show given Zilisch's failure to win the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, but the numbers don't lie: Connor Zilisch wins the "TIMMY," and his season was historic. The rookie, who was 18 years-old at Daytona back in February, won the regular season championship, set the series' rookie record with 10 victories, and also had an unbelievable streak of 18 consecutive top five finishes, all in the midst of being sidelined with both a back injury and a broken collarbone during the season. Alex Palou's fourth NTT INDYCAR Series championship campaign was impressive, particularly finally breaking through on an oval at the Indianapolis 500, but it's Zilisch, bound for the Cup Series in 2026, who takes home the hardware.

BEST TEAM: MCLAREN

Others Receiving Votes: Joe Gibbs Racing, JR Motorsports

Yes, there was drama. Yes, there was infighting. But there were also 14 Grand Prix victories, a second straight Constructors' title, and most importantly, a World Drivers' Championship win ending Max Verstappen's dynastic run of dominance. Zak Brown and company built two unbelievable cars that were threats to win each and every weekend, Lando Norris is a champion, and the team boasts the two most exciting young talents in the sport. McLaren left no doubt in 2025, and were easily voted our "Best Team."

MOST IMPROVED DRIVER: CHASE BRISCOE

Others Receiving Votes: Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Christian Rasmussen

Although he was statistically Stewart-Haas Racing's best driver not named Kevin Harvick over the past half decade, Chase Briscoe had big shoes to fill at Joe Gibbs Racing, replacing perennial championship contender Martin Truex Jr. The Indiana native exceeded all expectations, scoring three wins, leading the NASCAR Cup Series in poles, and advancing all the way to the Championship 4, where if it wasn't for a flat tire and some pit road issues, the 2025 title could have been his. Briscoe proved the doubters wrong, transforming from a good driver to a great driver and a viable championship threat.

CO-MOST DISAPPOINTING DRIVER: KYLE BUSCH & SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN

Others Receiving Votes: Josef Newgarden, Lewis Hamilton, Alex Bowman

From Ferrari, to Penske, to some former NASCAR champions, there were plenty of contenders for "Most Disappointing Driver," so it's no surprise that this was our only vote that ended in a tie. Kyle Busch's downfall is well noted, going winless for a second consecutive season, and often being outrun by Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon. Busch showed promise at the end of 2024, nearly winning at Kansas Speedway in the fall, which gave Rowdy Nation what proved to be false hope heading into 2025. In INDYCAR, all three Team Penske drivers made a case for this award, but Scott McLaughlin stands out the most. Following three straight top five points finishes, "Scotty Mac" had to settled for tenth in the final standings, and unlike teammates Will Power and Josef Newgarden, failed to score a late-season victory. Plus, who can forget the generational blunder, where McLaughlin crashed warming up his tires before the Indianapolis 500 even started.

WILDEST WRECK: AUSTIN HILL AND MICHAEL MCDOWELL TRIGGER 15-CAR CRASH AT WATKINS GLEN

Others Receiving Votes: Zane Smith flip, Ryan Preece flip, Josef Newgarden flip

The laws of physics can hardly explain Ryan Preece's front blowover in the Daytona 500, nor can they rationalize Gabriel Bortoleto's frightening home race crash in Sao Paulo. Zane Smith and Josef Newgarden's flips came at the most unexpected times possible. But the NASCAR Xfinity Series "big one" at Watkins Glen tops our list. A race more infamous for Connor Zilisch falling off his car in victory lane, this 15-car pileup was gnarly. Michael McDowell caught air, nailing the guardrail exiting the carousel in a nearly identical spot as his crash at the track 11 years prior. The smoke caused more than a dozen cars to come crashing in, including poor Josh Bilicki, who also got lifted off the ground. And by the way, it was all triggered by Austin Hill, who was already on thin ice after intentionally wrecking Aric Almirola and getting suspended just two weeks earlier at Indianapolis.

BEST RACE: NASCAR SUMMER ATLANTA

Others Receiving Votes: INDYCAR Gateway, Coke 600, Indy 500

The NTT INDYCAR Series race in St. Louis was one of the best open wheel oval races in years. The Coca Cola 600 delivered yet again. This year's Indianapolis 500 lacked passes for the lead, but was chock full of bizarre moments. However, none of these stood out like NASCAR's Saturday night trip to newly named Echo Park Speedway in Atlanta. Whether or not you agreed with turning the Hampton, Georgia oval into a glorified superspeedway in 2022, you can't deny that the track doesn't produce some of the best racing in the NASCAR Cup Series on every visit. On this particular occasion, while a huge crash in stage 2 took out several favorites and busted several more brackets in NASCAR's inaugural In-Season Challenge, the racing that followed was spectacular. The remaining 20 drivers didn't back down after the wreck. Instead, they got more aggressive. There was constant side-by-side action, amazing slicing and dicing at the front of the pack, and at the end of it all, NASCAR's most popular driver made a memorable run to the lead, scoring his first win of the season. We cannot wait for two more races in 'Hotlanta' in 2026.

BIGGEST CONTROVERSY: NASCAR LAWSUIT AND TRIAL

Others Receiving Votes: NASCAR Playoffs, McLaren Beef, Austin Hill wrecks

With 67% of the vote, this was our most sizable winning margin for an award. Sure, 2025 had its fair share of on-track controversies across NASCAR, Formula One, and INDYCAR. But the talk of the town was Michael Jordan and two race teams suing NASCAR, especially with those teams having their charters stripped midway through the season. Unlike the other controversies, this was picked up by the mainstream media, especially during the two-week trial in North Carolina. Gladly, it's all over now. As Tim Moore said, "thank God."

BEST UNDERDOG STORY: ROBERT SHWARTZMAN & PREMA WIN INDY 500 POLE IN DEBUT

Others Receiving Votes: Nico Hulkenberg Silverstone podium, Bubba Wallace Brickyard 400 win, Josh Berry win, Williams 2025 F1 season

Formula One had plenty of shining moments from its backmarker teams, including Nico Hulkenberg's astonishing first podium in his 239th career start, and NASCAR had a couple underdog winners (though noticeably less than usual). That being said, the best underdog story of the season by far, and without hyperbole, one of the most stunning results in American auto racing history, was Indianapolis 500 qualifying. Competing against mainstays Ganassi, Penske, Arrow-McLaren, and Andretti, rookie Robert Shwartzman, the former F2 driver competing at his first oval EVER, set the fastest time to earn the pole position for the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing," piloting an unsponsored car for Italian constructor PREMA, also making their Indy 500 debut. Shocking is an understatement.