Four of the top five finishers in the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings were between 24 and 28 years old. Fourteen of the season’s 17 races were also won by drivers younger than 28.

That trend has continued this season, with three of the top four drivers in points fitting that age range. The lone exception is Alex Palou, who turned 29 on April 1.

Is the INDYCAR SERIES entering a generational shift ahead of Sunday’s 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge?

“Young blood is always good to see,” said Pato O'Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

O’Ward, who turned 27 on May 6, finished runner-up in last year’s championship and owns nine career victories. He seeks his first Indy 500 victory after runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2024. His teammate, Christian Lundgaard, 24, entered 2026 following a career-best fifth-place championship finish. Lundgaard earned his second career victory May 9 in the Sonsio Grand Prix while driving the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Kyle Kirkwood, also 27, has emerged as a title contender. The driver of the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda for Andretti Global won three races in 2025 after earning just two victories and three podium finishes combined in his first 51 starts. Kirkwood is second in points with five top-five finishes in six races.

David Malukas (photo, top, left), 24, is third in points in his first season with Team Penske. He owns five consecutive top-seven finishes entering the “500” and starts third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, one row ahead of O’Ward, who starts sixth.

Lundgaard starts 18th and Kirkwood 25th.

At the top remains Palou, the benchmark of the series. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has won four championships in the last five seasons and captured three victories in the first six races this year. The defending Indy 500 winner starts on the pole in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

“I feel like I’m in my prime years now,” Palou said. “I still have that hunger. I'm still hungry like I was when I was 18, but I have a lot more experience than when I was 18 or 20. The thing is that you don't know when that's going to finish.”

Still, experience remains critical in the Indianapolis 500.

Eight of the last nine Indy 500 winners were 31 or older. Since 2009, only Palou and Alexander Rossi have won the race before turning 31. Coincidentally, they qualified first and second for Sunday’s race. Rossi, 34, is one of 16 drivers age 31 or older in this year’s field.

Mick Schumacher

Indianapolis 500 Rookies Honored During Luncheon

Tuesday’s annual American Dairy Association Rookie Luncheon brought a unique blend of tradition and humor to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as the 2026 Indianapolis 500 rookie class participated in the annual cow-milking ceremony in the shadow of the Pagoda.

Unlike the heavy rain that fell during last year’s luncheon, blue skies and sunshine greeted the drivers before they milked the cow and entered the luncheon in Pagoda Plaza.

Mick Schumacher (photo, above), driver of the No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda, is the highest-starting rookie in 27th. Schumacher’s family owns a North Texas ranch, and he is accustomed to being around animals, including cows and horses. He admitted he has milked a cow before today.

His mother, Corinna, and sister, Gina, have competed in elite equestrian championships and train and raise horses at the ranch.

Schumacher joined Dennis Hauger in the No. 19 Only Bulls Honda of Dale Coyne Racing, Jacob Abel in the No. 51 Abel Construction Company Chevrolet of Abel Motorsports and Caio Collet in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet of A.J. Foyt Enterprises as featured rookies preparing for their Indianapolis 500 debuts.

The cow-milking tradition, introduced in 2016, continues to provide lighthearted moments amid the intensity of Race Week.

“I got to milk a cow for the first time, so there's a lot of fun this month to be done, but for sure it's a busy month,” Hauger said.

Indianapolis 500 Milk Choices Unveiled

The Indiana Dairy Association revealed the traditional milk preferences for all 33 drivers competing in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

Twenty-five drivers selected whole milk. Seven drivers chose 2% milk, including all four Arrow McLaren drivers -- O’Ward, Lundgaard, Nolan Siegel and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay -- along with four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, two-time winner Takuma Sato and his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate Graham Rahal. Dale Coyne Racing driver Romain Grosjean was the lone driver to choose skim milk.

That split is close to the previous two years, when 28 of the 33 drivers chose whole milk and five selected 2% milk.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the milk-drinking tradition at the Indianapolis 500. The tradition dates to 1936 when Louis Meyer requested buttermilk after winning the race. The drink was intended to be refreshing, and the tradition stuck.

Drivers now select their milk preference ahead of time so the Indiana Dairy Association can have the proper bottle ready in Victory Lane.

INDYCAR SERIES engine

Odds and Ends

  • All 12 full-time Chevrolet-powered entries changed to race engines after Monday’s practice. It is customary each May for both Honda and Chevy to introduce fresh engines for the Indianapolis 500. Honda changed engines on Thursday night ahead of PPG Armed Forces Qualifying Weekend. Under INDYCAR rules, engine changes for the “500” do not require drivers to move to the rear of the starting lineup, allowing each driver to keep their starting position.
  • The Speedway Redevelopment Commission, in partnership with the Town of Speedway, unveiled the completed Al Unser Sr. Roundabout on Tuesday morning. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place under blue skies with energetic onlookers. The roundabout sits outside Turn 1 of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and includes lyrics from “Back Home Again in Indiana.” Unser won the Indianapolis 500 four times – 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987. He is tied with J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Castroneves for the most Indy 500 victories in history.
  • Rossi poked fun at his accident during practice Monday with a social media post Tuesday morning that read: “Morning, what did I miss?” Rossi, who qualified second in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet for ECR, suffered minor injuries to a finger on his left hand and his right ankle in a Monday practice crash. He underwent an outpatient procedure and is expected to be evaluated later this week with plans to compete in Miller Lite Carb Day final practice and Sunday’s race.
  • INDY NXT by Firestone rookie driver Tymek Kucharczyk is on the entry list for the USF Pro 2000 race at Lucas Oil Raceway Park on Thursday, May 21. The oval is located about 15 minutes west of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kucharczyk, who drives the No. 71 HMD Motorsports entry in INDY NXT, has never raced on an oval and will use the event for experience while driving the No. 28 TJ Speed Motorsports entry in his first series start.