It’s almost time for drivers to start their engines for the fastest racing on earth in the biggest race on Earth, the 109th Indianapolis 500.
But who should fans root for when the green flag drops on Sunday at 12:47 p.m. ET live on FOX?
Well, there are 27 full-time drivers in the series, so there are quite a few to choose from.
Below, we give you some helpful nuggets about each, along with their explanations of why fans should cheer for them to reach Victory Lane at The Brickyard.
Who is he? More than any other INDYCAR driver, Pato O’Ward has the strongest following — at least on social. It’s no wonder the Mexican driver has his country wanting an INDYCAR race. The McLaren driver has seven wins in the last four years.
Fun fact: He considers himself a foodie.
O’Ward says: “I promise to be great entertainment all year.”
Who is he? The 34-year-old Newgarden has won 31 races over the last 11 INDYCAR seasons, including back-to-back Indy 500 triumphs. The Penske driver seems to be one of the more emotional INDYCAR drivers when things go wrong and one of the most cold-blooded when he sees a chance to pounce.
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Fun fact: Has appeared on “American Ninja Warrior” and participated in the NFL Combine. Yes, really.
Newgarden says: “If you want to cheer on someone that is the ultimate competitor that wants to do anything to essentially fight for a victory, that’s me. That’s what I wake up every day trying to figure out how to do better.”
Who is he? Alex Palou rarely seems to have a bad day. The 28-year-old Spaniard has been running at the finish in 47 of the last 48 races. In those 48 races, he finished in the top three 24 times (that’s good for 50 percent). No wonder he has won the championship the last two years and three of the last four – and has a big lead already as he eyes a fourth title.
Fun fact: Is a passionate pickleball player.
Palou says: “They should root for me because I’m going to give all of them attention at the track if they see me and I’m always going to try my best on track.”
Who is he? Colton Herta just seems to attract a following, whether it’s because of his wavy hair or the Formula 1 rumors that come with him. The Andretti driver has nine wins and is in his seventh season in INDYCAR.
Fun fact: Plays drums in the rock band The Zibs.
Herta says: “I’m extremely fast. I win races and I’ve got a great team behind me.”
Who is he? The 44-year-old Power is known to have emotional outbursts when someone angers him with a move or a decision. However, the Penske driver seems to get over it somewhat quickly — or at least much quicker than the highlight remains viral.
Fun fact: Enjoys drumming and purchased his first drum set at the age of 15.
Power says: “I’m very, very passionate about what I do. I love what I do. I love racing. I love the series. I love competing against the best in the world.”
Who is he? There are several drivers who have won titles, but Scott Dixon leads all active drivers with six championships and 58 victories. The 44-year-old New Zealander looks like he could race another 10 years for Ganassi, although we figure his career will end sooner than later.
Fun fact: Appointed Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.
Dixon says: “The question is probably why shouldn’t they [root for me]? … And try to celebrate a seventh championship.”
Who is he? Kyle Kirkwood lives in Florida. He likes his surfing. And fishing. And diving. Oh, and he can race, too. The Andretti driver won twice in 2023 and once in 2025.
Fun fact: Enjoys deep-sea fishing.
Kirkwood says: “They should root for me because I’m the best. Plain and simple. Just kidding. I’m the guy that came up from karting with no racing background [in my family].”
Who is he? Marcus Ericsson races hard and seems to just go about his business racing. The 34-year-old Swede has four career wins, but it’s been more than two years since his last victory in the 2023 season opener. He’s changed teams since then, going from Ganassi to Andretti before the start of last year.
Fun fact: Was once a youth hockey goalie before pursuing a racing career.
Ericsson says: “I’m just a normal guy from Sweden coming over to America and living my dream.”
Who is he? The 25-year-old Shwartzman was born in Israel and raised in Russia. He is well known to those who follow Formula racing in Europe. He was a test driver for Ferrari, but questions remained on how he would adapt to INDYCAR and be successful. He has a huge following of 1.6 million on Instagram and they probably were delighted when he won the pole for the Indy 500.
Fun fact: Is a massive Star Wars fan and has a large collection of lightsabers.
Shwartzman says: “I’d like to believe that they like me. I’m funny and as an athlete, I want to believe I can deliver results where they can cheer for me.”
Who is he? Scott McLaughlin brought his New Zealand spirit to the United States after winning three consecutive Supercar championships. His transition to INDYCAR wasn’t easy, but it’s still unknown whether the Penske driver will reach superstar results.
Fun fact: Enjoys golf and plays weekly rounds with Penske teammate and NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney.
McLaughlin says: “I feel like I’m a fun guy. … Ever since I’ve come from Australia and New Zealand, I’ve had a ton of American fans jump on board the “Thirsty 3s” [his number] and I think everyone appreciates that we have fun but are serious about our business as well.”
Who is he? Santino Ferrucci gets under the skin of other drivers with what some would say are outlandish moves on the track. He only seems to care a little bit about that, though. The 26-year-old driver from Connecticut loves to race, so driving for A.J. Foyt seems appropriate.
Fun fact: Was featured in GQ magazine as an 11-year-old karting prodigy.
Ferrucci says: “I’m a breath of fresh air for the series … and overall a very hard racer.”
Who is he? Conor Daly loves to talk racing, so it’s not a surprise that he has a podcast where he … talks racing. That love of the sport, as well as talent, has kept him in and out of rides and substitute roles over the last 10 years. He hopes this will be a full-time year (pending sponsorship, as always) with Juncos Hollinger Racing.
Fun fact: Hosts “Speed Street” podcast for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media.
Daly says: “Fans should root for me because we like to have a great time and celebrate if we’re successful. … I like to be a fan myself. I love racing.”
Who is he? Rahal is in his 19th year of full-time INDYCAR racing. The son of driver and team co-owner Bobby Rahal, Graham Rahal has six career wins.
Fun fact: Is a diehard fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Rahal says: “I think I’m a nice guy. I’ve been through the goods, the bads. I’ve fought the battles, and we keep pushing on.”
Who is he? Rossi is in his 10th season in INDYCAR and this season has had a new firesuit as he joined Ed Carpenter Racing. This is his fourth organization. The 33-year-old Rossi has had plenty of highs and lows with eight victories and finishes as high as second in the standings and as low as 11th. He does a podcast each week, where he details the ups and downs of a driver who had just two podium finishes in the last two-plus years.
Fun fact: Enjoys flying and has his private pilot’s license.
Who is he? Talk to people around INDYCAR and many say Rosenqvist is one of the nicest people in the paddock. The Meyer Shank Racing driver appeared to be on the brink of a breakout season a couple of years ago but is still searching for it.
Fun fact: Hobbies include skiing, skateboarding, hiking and video games.
Rosenqvist says: “Why is the sky blue? I don’t know [why fans should root for me]. That’s a question for you.”
Who is he? VeeKay spent the last five years at Ed Carpenter Racing. The 24-year-old has finished 12th to 14th in the standings each year but did not earn a podium finish in 2023 or in 2024. So the split from ECR is somewhat understandable but also was a little bit of a surprise. He’ll drive for Dale Coyne Racing this season.
Fun fact: Enjoys cycling.
Who are they? These three drivers are all young and all have shown the ability to wheel a race car fast. The expectations from themselves and from their fans are that they will have the best seasons of their careers. The 24-year-old Armstrong had four top-five finishes in 29 starts over the last two years at Ganassi before moving to Meyer Shank this year. The 20-year-old Siegel ran 12 races last year (one top 10) and is in his first full season at McLaren. The 23-year-old Malukas had two podiums in 2022 and 2023 driving for Dale Coyne and then missed his breakout year last year after being sidelined early with a broken hand. Now, he is running in his first season with Foyt.
Fun fact: Siegal was admitted to Stanford University but deferred his enrollment to focus on his racing career.
Armstrong says: “They should root for me for performance reasons … and because I’m, like, kinda cool.”
Siegel says: “I drive a good-looking race car, I have a good time and I’m going to win some races.”
Malukas says: “We’re going to have some really good results … and a lot of memes to come out of it for sure.”
Who are they? Christian Lundgaard moved from Rahal to McLaren this year, and there were higher expectations — from fans and from Lundgaard himself – and he has delivered as he sits third in the standings The 33-year-old from Denmark had one win in his three seasons at Rahal. He stepped into a solid opportunity after showing promise the last three years. Rasmussen is also from Denmark, and after doing 13 races for Ed Carpenter Racing last year (he didn’t do four of the oval races), he ran well enough that he is doing all the events this year. Meanwhile, Ilott joined the new Prema Racing team, and while he didn’t have an INDYCAR ride in 2024, he finished 11th in a pair of respectable substitute roles for McLaren last year.
Fun fact: Rasmussen has a passion for old cars.
Lundgaard says: “Hopefully I’m going to beat all of them. That’s the plan.”
Ilott says: “I’m fun, still just about young. I love racing.”
Rasmussen says: “Good things are happening for Ed Carpenter Racing … that will boost our competitiveness.”
Who are they? These three drivers are still relatively young in their INDYCAR careers and will need to show that they can be in the mix. Simpson is in his second season at Ganassi, and his best finish is 10th at Long Beach this year. Robb is in his third season in the series and first with Juncos Hollinger Racing with two top-10s over the last two-plus years. DeFrancesco was full-time in 2022 and 2023 (his best was 12th) and is back this year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Fun fact: Robb’s unique name is from a combination of his ancestral roots in Stirlingshire, Scotland, and his grandfathers’ names.
Robb says: “I’m fun, I’m an American patriot, I love racing and my faith is a big part of who I am.”
DeFrancesco: “I’m a fun, outgoing Canadian. How about that?”
The New Kids: Louis Foster and Jacob Abel
Who are they? The drivers who finished first and second in the INDY NXT standings last year both made the move to INDYCAR’s top series — Foster at Rahal Letterman Lanigan and Abel at Dale Coyne. They won’t find success as quickly as they did in the developmental series but no one expects them to do so, either. Abel went to Butler University, not too far from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but suffered the disappointment of not making the race.
Fun fact: Abel attended Butler University in Indianapolis.
Foster says: “I’m a rookie and I’m new. … It’s going to be quite a fun year of learning and hopefully not too many mistakes.”
Abel says: “At my heart, I’m just a normal, Midwest, American kid. … I’m one of the most relatable drivers to all the fans in the paddock.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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