Today’s question: Who is the most likely among the winless NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers in 2024 to enter or return to the winner’s circle in 2025?
Curt Cavin: It’s funny how races and seasons tend to run together, and I say that because I was surprised when I reviewed 2024 and saw that Kyle Kirkwood didn’t win a race. Obviously, he contended for the top step on the podium on several occasions last season, leading 121 laps in all and following teammate Colton Herta to the checkered flag in Toronto. Kirkwood had four other top-five finishes last year and won the pole for the season-ending race at Nashville Superspeedway. Yet, he didn’t win and hasn’t since the Nashville street race in the 13th event of 2023. Given Andretti Global’s overall strength and the recent improvement it has made on ovals, I’d be surprised if Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson don’t have better seasons this year. I’m expecting to see Kirkwood in Victory Lane somewhere, if not twice as he was in 2023.
Eric Smith: I think Marcus Ericsson breaks the two-year winless drought in 2025. His last win came in the 2023 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding and my hot take is he picks up a win before we get to the Month of May. Finishing 15th in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points standings in the first year with Andretti Global wasn’t ideal. While 2024 was littered with what seemed like bad luck, Ericsson doesn’t subscribe to that thinking. He spent a lot of time this offseason to ensure a season like last doesn’t occur again. A better mindset, coupled with seven top-10 finishes in the final 12 races of last season, gave the No. 28 team a jolt of energy. Plus, Andretti Global produced a strong street course package last season. Drivers Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood qualified 1-2 and finished there in the last street race of the 2024 season in Toronto. Ericsson finished second in the previous street race, at Detroit. Three of Ericsson’s four career wins have come on street circuits, and two of the first three races of the season, March 2 at St. Petersburg and April 13 at Long Beach, are on city streets. On top of that, Ericsson was the quickest of six drivers testing a few weeks ago at The Thermal Club. That’s the site of the second race of the season, March 23.
Paul Kelly: I think it’s high time for Marcus Armstrong to break through with his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in 2025. As Curt outlined in his Meyer Shank Racing team preview, everything seems to be in place for the New Zealand native to win this season in his first year with MSR. The team has a new technical partnership with Armstrong’s old team, Chip Ganassi Racing, so his transition to a new group should be seamless. He’s also continuing to work with talented and highly regarded engineer Angela Ashmore. Plus, it’s just too hard to ignore the numbers of Armstrong’s momentum in the second half of the 2024 season: He drove to five top-10 finishes in the final eight races. It was hard for me to decide between Armstrong and MSR teammate Felix Rosenqvist, as the answer to this question. But I’ll go with Armstrong joining Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin as Kiwi winners in the series in 2025.