By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

Open-wheel superstar Alex Palou was honored for his third NTT IndyCar Series championship in the past four years during Monday’s Victory Lap Celebration in Indianapolis, where the mercurial Spaniard put an exclamation point on an incomparable 2024 season for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Palou won two races in the No. 10 DHL Honda and scored 13 top-five finishes in 17 races to become just the 13th driver in history to earn at least three INDYCAR championships. The Spaniard is just the seventh driver to win three titles in four years and first since Scotsman Dario Franchitti won three straight from 2009-11 _ also for Chip Ganassi Racing.

“I have to thank everyone working on the No. 10 car. Super-proud,” Palou said. “It’s been an amazing year, and I’m happy we got the championship back home.”

Palou won the Astor Challenge Cup by 31 points over Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian’s Colton Herta, earning the 16th INDYCAR championship for CGR and the organization’s fourth in the last five seasons.

Palou placed 11^th in the 2024 season-ending Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway on Sept. 15, a finish more than enough to secure his third Astor Challenge Cup. At 27 years, 5 months and 14 days, Palou is the second-youngest driver to win three INDYCAR championships. Only Team Penske’s Sam Hornish Jr. was younger _ 27 years, 2 months and 8 days _ in 2006.

Ganassi’s list of INDYCAR champions also includes Jimmy Vasser (1996), Alex Zanardi of Italy (1997-98), Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia (1999) and six-time champ Scott Dixon of New Zealand (2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2020).

Palou seemingly has only begun to tap into his world-class race craft. “The guy never broke a sweat,” Ganassi said during a Victory Circle interview with Palou and his crew in Lebanon, Tenn. “It’s unbelievable the way he drives. The way he came into our team a few years ago down in Alabama _ he won his first race out and it’s been smooth sailing since. The No. 10 team likes winning, that certainly helps.”

Chip Ganassi Racing continued its ascent into rarified INDYCAR air by winning its 16th series championship, including four in the last five seasons. Only Team Penske _ which has enjoyed a 23-year head start on CGR _ has logged more open-wheel titles with 17. CGR, however, has claimed the most INDYCAR championships of any team since it entered the sport in 1990 _ seven more than the next-best team and nearly half of all INDYCAR championships awarded since 1990.

Since the unification of open-wheel racing in 2008, the Ganassi juggernaut has recorded 11 titles _ nearly 75 percent of the championships during that time-span. Palou’s latest championship is CGR’s 23rd across all forms of motorsports.

Palou was one of four members of the Ganassi lineup to be recognized during the ceremony at the Gallagher Pavilion at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Linus Lundqvist, a 25-year-old native of Sweden, received the Rookie of the Year Award as top-finishing first-year driver in the standings. The 2022 INDY NXT by Firestone champion recorded one pole, two podiums and four top-10 finishes in the No. 8 The American Legion Honda to surpass 19-year-old CGR teammate Kyffin Simpson of the Cayman Islands by 97 points.

Ganassi, himself a former INDYCAR regular, accepted the Championship Owner Award while Palou’s chief mechanic, Ricky Davis, was presented the Pennzoil Chief Mechanic Award. Additional season honors for the Ganassi team included the NTT IndyCar Series Team Manager award to Blair Julian and Mike LeGallic.

The hardware haul capped a dominant year by Indianapolis-based CGR, which took the top spot in the driver standings and Rookie of the Year title in the same season for the second straight year.

Much like the NTT IndyCar Series championship and Rookie of the Year, the Manufacturers Award race produced a familiar result. Chevrolet edged corporate OEM rival Honda by just 132 points to win its third consecutive engine manufacturer title and ninth overall since it returned to the series in 2012.

Eric Warren, General Motors executive director of global motorsports competition, accepted the award on behalf of Team Chevy.

Team Penske earned a pair of end-of-season awards. Native New Zealander Scott McLaughlin claimed the season-long NTT P1 Award in his No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, while two-time series champ Will Power of Australia accepted the Firestone Pit Performance Award on behalf of his No. 12 Team Penske Chevy crew.

INDYCAR’s developmental series also was recognized, as Englishman Louis Foster of Andretti Global was honored as 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion. Foster, 21, won a series-high eight of 14 races in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies entry. Foster led the series in wins, poles, podiums, laps-led and completed every lap of competition to beat Abel Motorsports’ Jacob Abel to the title by 122 points.

HMD Motorsports’ Caio Collet was named INDY NXT by Firestone Rookie of the Year. Collet, a 22-year-old native of Sao Palou, Brazil, won one race en route to finishing third in the standings.

Ed Carpenter Racing will field Alexander Rossi as fulltime teammate to Christian Rasmussen beginning with the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season.

Rossi, who won the landmark 100^th edition of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016 as a series rookie, will drive the No. 20 Chevrolet.  Rasmussen _ the 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone champion who just finished his rookie season with ECR _ has been elevated to fulltime status in the No. 21 Chevrolet. Both drivers signed multi-year deals.

Team-owner and oval track specialist Ed Carpenter will complete the team’s revamped three-car lineup for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

Rossi joins ECR after spending the last two seasons at Arrow McLaren. The native Californian replaces Dutchman Rinus VeeKay, who drove for ECR since his rookie season in 2020.

“It’s an exciting day to not only welcome Alex to the team, but to extend our relationship with Christian,” Carpenter said. “We are very excited about our lineup and other partnership announcements that will be forthcoming.

“As excited as I am about these additions, I also want to thank Rinus for his five years with the team. It’s always hard to say goodbye to a teammate and a friend, but I’m confident that Rinus’ career will continue. As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, I’m fully focused on getting ECR back to new heights, winning races and contending for championships.”

The revised driver lineup was confirmed one day after ECR announced a co-ownership deal with Ted Gelov, owner of Heartland Food Products Group. The company’s brands, Splenda and Java House, will be featured at ECR.

Rossi joins ECR after nine seasons in INDYCAR, including seven with Andretti Global and two with Arrow McLaren. Rossi has 30 career podium finishes, including eight victories, most notably in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at IMS in 2016.

“I’m honored that Ed and the entire ECR ownership group recognize the value I can bring to the team,” said Rossi, 33. “Their commitment to excellence, along with the power of Chevrolet and the ambitious plans they have for the future, made this opportunity impossible to pass up. I’m eager to get started and contribute to the team’s continued success.”

Rasmussen’s performance in his rookie NTT IndyCar Series season earned the opportunity to continue with ECR in a fulltime role. Rasmussen joined ECR in 2024 after winning three championships in four years, including the 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone title. In his debut Indianapolis 500, he drove from 24th to 12th and was the highest-finishing rookie in the traditional 33-car field.

While Carpenter was scheduled to drive the No. 20 in the final three oval races of 2024, he “loaned” the seat to Rasmussen to continue his development. To that end, while Rasmussen had not previously logged a lap at The Milwaukee Mile, he finished just outside the top-10. During the season-finale at Nashville Superspeedway, Rasmussen drove from 25th to 14th and secured a coveted Leaders Circle position for the No. 20 Chevrolet.

“I’m incredibly excited to earn a fulltime role with Ed Carpenter Racing,” said Rasmussen, a 24-year-old native of Copenhagen, Denmark. “My rookie year in INDYCAR was full of firsts, and I can’t wait to bring everything I’ve learned into my second season. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to team-up with Alexander to push the team forward and fight toward the front of the grid more consistently.”

INDYCAR has established its first charter system across the NTT IndyCar Series paddock. The owners of 10 teams have accepted charters for 25 entries competing in North America’s premier open-wheel series, beginning immediately.

“This is an important development that demonstrates an aligned and optimistic vision for the future of our sport,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President/CEO Mark Miles said. “I want to extend my sincere appreciation to our team-owners for their collaboration and ideation throughout this process. Ultimately, we’re pleased to have a system in place that provides greater value for our ownership and the entries they field.”

A chartered entry is guaranteed a starting position on the grid at all NTT IndyCar Series races, excluding the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. An entry also must be chartered to qualify for the annual NTT IndyCar Series Leaders Circle program _ an annual award initiative that compensates the top-22 finishers in the prior year’s championship. Terms of the initial, long-term charter agreements are committed through the end of 2031.

“When you look back in the ‘Modern Era’ of INDYCAR racing, you will look at a few important moments,” said team-owner Chip Ganassi, whose organization repeated as series champion with Alex Palou in 2024. “The first (moment) being the unification of the sport, the next being Roger Penske buying INDYCAR and IMS. I truly believe the third will be the charter system.

“We’re very pleased to begin this new era. The process has been thorough but, in the end, very exciting. This charter system will clearly strengthen our teams as we continue to grow the sport. I would like to thank Roger and his entire team at INDYCAR.”

The list of Chartered 2025 INDYCAR teams, alphabetically, includes A.J. Foyt Enterprises (2 entries), Andretti Global (3), Arrow McLaren (3), Chip Ganassi Racing (3), Dale Coyne Racing (2), Ed Carpenter Racing (2), Juncos Hollinger Racing (2), Meyer Shank Racing (2), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (3) and Team Penske (3).

Charters were extended to team owners based upon fulltime entries over the previous two seasons, with a maximum of three awarded per team.

“I appreciate the efforts made by the INDYCAR and Penske leadership groups, as well as all the owners, to get this charter system started,” said Larry Foyt, team president of Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Enterprises. “It’s incredibly challenging to get a large group of owners to agree on something, and certainly there was some give and take. But in the end, I believe this is a path that is beneficial for all of the owners and for INDYCAR, while also maintaining the availability for open competition.”

Mike Shank, co-owner of Meyer Shank Racing, termed the charter agreement “the single-most important piece for the future of the series. I’m grateful that we all came together on this and thank the Roger Penske group for working with the team owners for getting it done.”

The 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season will begin Sunday, March 2, at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on the Streets of St. Pete in Florida. The entire 17-race schedule will be available live via new network TV partner FOX and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

“With this groundbreaking development, the new TV deal with FOX and the momentum that had been building, INDYCAR’s future is very bright,” team-owner Ed Carpenter said.

Junior open-wheel standout Myles Rowe will be joining Abel Motorsports with Force Indy as driver of the No. 99 car in the INDY NXT by Firestone Series in 2025. Rowe, a 24-year-old native of Powder Springs, Ga., will continue with support from Penske Entertainment’s Race for Equality & Change Initiative.

Rowe’s 2024 season was highlighted by seven top-10 finishes and two top-five results en route to 11th in the championship standings.

“I’m thrilled to be part of the Abel Motorsports family with Force Indy for the 2025 season,” Rowe said. “Abel has not only shown great skill, but they have a great deal of respect among the INDYCAR community. It’s a privilege to represent them and Force Indy on this journey. I want to thank HMD Motorsports and Henry Malukas for giving me a good start at this level of racing.”

Rowe’s journey into INDY NXT was preceded by his USF Pro 2000 championship in 2023, when he became the first African-American driver in history to win a North American open-wheel championship. Rowe scored an impressive nine podiums and 11 wins during his tenure in the lower formula.

“When we first heard about the opportunity to bring Myles and Force Indy on board, we were immensely excited,” Team Principal Bill Abel said. “(Team Manager) John Brunner and I have been watching Myles for a number of years, and to see his progression as a driver has been remarkable and something we knew we wanted to be a part of.

“Not only do we look for competitive drivers on-track, but we look for the right personality and off-track presence that will represent us well. Myles absolutely checks that box for us too, so excited for 2025 is an understatement.”

Rowe will begin his run with Abel Motorsports with Force Indy on Oct. 18 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test. Live timing and scoring will be available through racecontrol.indycar.com with social media updates throughout.

“Our goal year-in and year-out is to put the most competitive program we can on-track, and Myles will be a huge piece of that puzzle in 2025,” Brunner said. “Myles will bring a new perspective to the team, and I think pairing him with our staff and with Yuven Sundaramoorthy will make us that much more competitive in 2025.”

Force Indy President Rod Reid also is looking forward to what this driver pairing can accomplish in 2025. “It’s so important to have an organization not only interested in driver development, but understanding our mission of bringing an expanded audience to the sport,” Reid said. “Abel has been a strong supporter of our effort since Force Indy opened its doors across the street from their shop back in 2020. We’re looking forward to a successful season with them.”

Team principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued a family racing tradition. Abel Motorsports was launched in 2015, starting in the USF 2000 Series and building up the junior open-wheel ladder. The team captured the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood in 2018.

Abel Motorsports currently competes in INDY NXT by Firestone, the official developmental series for the NTT IndyCar Series, led by third-generation driver Jacob Abel. The team made its INDYCAR debut in 2023 with driver R.C. Enerson in the Indianapolis 500. For more information visit the official team website at abelmotorsports.com.

Established in October 2020, Force Indy is a change-agent in the motorsports industry. The foundation of Force Indy is an alliance with NXG Youth Motorsports founder Reid and motorsports mogul Roger Penske. Force Indy’s priority is finding skilled and talented individuals and mentoring them for success. Force Indy’s vision is to see motorsports grow both ethnically and across gender.

Final 2024 NTT IndyCar Series point standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 544; 2, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 513; 3, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 505; 4, Will Power, Team Penske, 498; 5, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 460; 6, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 456; 7, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 420; 8, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 401; 9, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 367; 10, Alexander Rossi, Arrow McLaren, 366;

11, Christian Lundgaard, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 312; 12, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 306; 13, Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing, 300; 14, Marcus Armstrong, Chip Ganassi Racing, 298; 15, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 297; 16, Linus Lundqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing, 279; 17, Romain Grosjean, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 260; 18, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 251; 19, Pietro Fittipaldi, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 186; 20, Sting Ray Robb, A.J. Foyt Racing, 185;

21, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 182; 22, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 163; 23, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 154; 24, David Malukas, Meyer Shank Racing, 148; 25, Jack Harvey, Dale Coyne Racing, 143; 26, Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 119; 27, Augustin Canapino, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 109; 28, Theo Pourchaire, Arrow McLaren, 91; 29, Katherine Legge, Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing, 61; 30, Tom Blomqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 46;

31, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 45; 32, Toby Sowery, Dale Coyne Racing, 45; 33, Callum Ilott, Arrow McLaren, 39; 34, Luca Ghiotto, Dale Coyne Racing, 27; 35, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing, 26; 36, Kyle Larson, Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren, 21; 37, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 19; 38, Tristan Vautier, Dale Coyne Racing, 12; 39, Juri Vips, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 11; 40, Colin Braun, Dale Coyne Racing, 10; 41, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing-Cusick Motorsports, 6; 42, Hunter McElrea, Dale Coyne Racing, 6; 43, Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb Agajanian, 5.