Today’s question: What NTT INDYCAR SERIES moment in 2025 was notable, but history might not remember it?

Scott Dixon

Curt Cavin: For me, it is Scott Dixon’s final pit stop of the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion had been dealing with radio communication issues, and it contributed to him pitting one lap later than Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Alex Palou. That created the opportunity for Palou to undercut Dixon, grab the lead and win the race. This is not to say Dixon (photo, above) would have won the race, but he would have had a golden opportunity to do so. If Dixon wins, the early momentum shifts – momentum is a real thing in sports! – and maybe the points race takes on a different form as the season unfolds. Also, Dixon would have 60 series wins at this point, a level only achieved in history by A.J. Foyt.

Eric Smith: I’m going with the ultimate quiet story in Callum Ilott (photo, top) and a set of moments. PREMA Racing was a major storyline all season as the new team on the block. Rookie Robert Shwartzman then grabbed headlines by becoming the first rookie since Teo Fabi in 1983 to win the Indianapolis 500 pole, and late in the year, the focus shifted again to questions surrounding the team’s future. Amid all of that, Ilott quietly shined. He posted four top-10 finishes in the final five races for his defining moment entering a busy offseason. For a driver who hadn’t competed full time since 2023, joining a rookie team and often being overshadowed by a pole-winning Indianapolis 500 teammate and broader organizational storylines, Ilott rose above the noise, met the challenges head-on and consistently flashed his skills.

Santino Ferrucci

Arni Sribhen: Santino Ferrucci (photo, above) finished fifth in the Indianapolis 500, which extended his streak of top-10 finishes in the "500" to seven. And while that's notable, it's the fact that it also started a streak of four straight top-five finishes for the AJ Foyt Racing driver that people may not remember. Up until June, it had been a while since the Foyt cars were a consistent threat to win, but both Ferrucci and David Malukas were fighting at the front from the end of May until July. Both faded back to the midfield as summer wore on, but Ferrucci's red-hot June is a storyline that deserved more coverage.

FOX Sports

Paul Kelly: I’ll head back to St. Petersburg, like Curt, but for a different reason – the TV rating. FOX Sports’ (photo, above) debut broadcast of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES attracted 1.4 million viewers for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, a 45 percent increase in viewership over the 2024 season opener at St. Pete on NBC. FOX clearly invested plenty of time and money in its preseason promotional campaign, especially the slick ads featuring Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou. I shudder to think how the optimistic tone for series growth of the 2025 season may have been dampened if that number was in the low single digits or even lower than 2024. It wouldn’t have been good at all. But FOX drew far more eyeballs to the sport at St. Pete, a trend that continued all season with an average audience of 1.36 million for the 17 races, a 27 percent overall increase. Some may remember that average season rating a year from now, but the VERY strong opening rating from St. Pete was contagious, setting the stage for the most-watched INDYCAR SERIES season in 17 years.