Ranked: 2025 IndyCar drivers on the basis of championship wins

2025 is upon us and the new IndyCar season isn't far away. Ahead of the season opener at St. Petersburg on March 2, several storylines are competing for the spotlight. From Josef Newgarden aiming for an unprecedented three-peat at the Indy 500 to Alex Palou aiming for a championship three-peat, history awaits to be written.

The 2024 season went down to the wire, with Palou taking the championship home in the season finale at Nashville. Moreover, the series provided fans with an unpredictable, action-packed year, with seven different winners emerging in 17 races.

While drivers like Scott McLaughlin, Pato O'Ward, and Colton Herta seem strong enough to compete for their maiden championship in 2025, they have a four-driver monopoly to overcome. In the last 8 IndyCar seasons, the championship has exchanged hands between four drivers, who continue to be at the top of their game and are the only active championship winners on this year's grid. Without further ado, let's take a look at these four maestros.

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#4 Will Power - Two-time IndyCar champion (2014 and 2022)

Will Power, AUTO: SEP 11 IndyCar - Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

Will Power was a force to reckon with in 2024. Even at 44, what some consider retirement age for an athlete, he improved his seventh-place finish in 2023 to fourth-place last year with a series-high three victories. With that, he extended his streak of finishing in the Top 10 in the standings to 15 years.

Age is definitely not catching up with the two-time champ. However, it is the last year of Power's current contract with Team Penske, which could potentially make it a farewell year for the 2018 Indy 500 winner.

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#3 Josef Newgarden - Two-time IndyCar champion (2017 and 2019)

Josef Newgarden, AUTO: MAY 27 NTT IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 Champion - Source: Getty

Josef Newgarden will remain IndyCar's man of the moment till the 109th running of the Indy 500 on May 25. If he wins it and converts his two-peat into a three-peat, he'll become the first driver in series history to achieve the feat.

Apart from winning the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing", the Team Penske driver's 2024 season was lackluster. 'Disastrous' was the word he chose to describe it. Yet, his 10-year streak of finishing in the Top 10 in the standings continued with an eighth-place finish.

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#2 Alex Palou - Three-time IndyCar champion (2021, 2023, and 2024)

Alex Palou, AUTO: MAY 26 INDYCAR Series The 107th Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Alex Palou arrives into the 2025 IndyCar season in style as the defending champion. The Spaniard took his second consecutive championship, and third overall, in 2024 with an 11th-place finish in Nashville.

However, after the introduction of the hybrid power units from race 10 onwards in Mid-Ohio, he relatively struggled compared to the first half of the season. Yet, analysts consider him to be the favorite to win the 2025 championship, which would level him with retired four-time IndyCar champ Dario Franchitti.

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#1 Scott Dixon - Six-time IndyCar champion (2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2020)

Scott Dixon, AUTO: AUG 27 INDYCAR Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

Scott Dixon is one of the most successful IndyCar racers of all time. With six championships to his name, all with Chip Ganassi Racing, the 2008 Indy 500 winner can never be ruled out of victory contention.

He is the oldest driver on the current grid, waiting to turn 45 on July 22. The last time Dixon finished a season outside the Top 10 in the standings was in 2005. Statistics don't get any better than his. In 2024, Dixon finished 6th in the standings, matching his previous worst from 2016.