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The NTT IndyCar 2025 season will commence on March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. The upcoming season is all set and defending champion Alex Palou returns looking to regain his title in what will be the 114th season of American open-wheel racing.
The 2025 IndyCar season is highly anticipated after a thrilling 2024 season that saw Palou win in the Chip Ganassi car to claim his third title. The Spaniard will be going for a third consecutive championship, while Josef Newgarden will look to defend his Indy 500 win on May 25 at the 109th running of the event.
The biggest question heading into 2025 is whether the reigning champion can defend his title. The Spaniard was a model of consistency last year, blending precision driving with masterful strategy.
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But the road to a repeat will be anything but smooth as Pato O'Ward, Colton Herta, and Newgarden are three out of a lot of names who will be hoping to claim a title for themselves. The veteran Scott Dixon is another potential contender if the Ganassi team produces another consistent car.
Another fascinating angle to the 2025 season will be seeing Prema make its debut in the series. Callum Illot and Robert Shwartzman will join the incoming team, with the latter also making his debut in the series.
Illot mentioned that he expects the new team to face a lot of early challenges in its first season. He said (via ASAP Sports):
"It's definitely a lot more work starting from scratch than all the other teams have from the end of last season. We're going to have to be patient."
"You never know at which point it kind of clicks and the results start coming," he added.
There is also a broadcast change for the 2025 season with FOX Sports gaining the official rights to broadcast the series after IndyCar's contract with NBC ran out at the end of 2024. FOX has announced Will Buxton will be joining its team as lead commentator, while James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell will retain their roles over from NBC.
IndyCar to implement new charter system in 2025
Starting in 2025, IndyCar is introducing a new charter system, taking a page from NASCAR’s playbook. This news was announced in September 2024 via a press conference by the series owners.
The charter will be limited to three per team as the system will guarantee starting positions for certain cars for all races except the Indianapolis 500. Chartered entries can also compete for the 22 Leaders Circle spots, given to the top 22 finishers and can earn up to $1 million.
The idea was reportedly the brainchild of Penske Entertainment, the owners of the IndyCar series. Roger Penske, owner of the aforementioned company, also owns Penske Racing.
