Alex Palou secured a second-place finish in the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES finale at Nashville Superspeedway, concluding a highly successful season. Palou’s performance throughout the 2025 IndyCar season demonstrated his skill and consistency as he led Honda to a dominant championship campaign.
Dominance of Honda and Palou’s Winning Streak
Palou was instrumental in Honda’s success this season, securing eight of the twelve wins for Honda-powered cars, including key victories at St. Petersburg, Thermal, Barber, the Indianapolis Grand Prix, Road America, Iowa, Laguna Seca, and the prestigious 109th Indianapolis 500. Over 17 races, Palou amassed 13 podium appearances, highlighting his relentless competitiveness and consistency.
Aside from Palou, Honda’s success was bolstered by Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood, who took three wins at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Detroit Grand Prix, and World Wide Technology Raceway, and teammate Scott Dixon, who won at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. This collective effort propelled Honda to claim their seventh championship in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and their 11th overall in American Open Wheel racing history.
Top Honda-Powered Drivers and Championship Standings
The 2025 season saw six Honda drivers finish within the top ten in the championship standings. Scott Dixon secured third place, Kyle Kirkwood finished fourth, Felix Rosenqvist came sixth, Colton Herta seventh, and Marcus Armstrong eighth. This depth of talent underscores Honda’s competitive strength and the performance excellence of its teams and drivers.
Louis Foster Clinches Rookie of the Year Title in Tight Race
Louis Foster, driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, claimed the Rookie of the Year award in a close contest with Robert Shwartzman. Foster edged out Shwartzman by a narrow two-point margin, 213 to 211, marking the fourth consecutive Rookie of the Year title for a Honda-powered driver. This accolade reflects Honda’s continued investment in nurturing emerging talent.
Honda’s Historic Triple Championship Sweep in 2025
The 2025 season marked a historic achievement for Honda, who secured victories in the Indianapolis 500, Drivers‘ Championship, and Manufacturers‘ Championship all in the same year—an accomplishment not achieved since 2005. Honda’s 12 wins and 10 pole positions over the season, including an unparalleled streak of 10 consecutive wins, reflect their powerful presence on the IndyCar circuit.
Memorable Moments from the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix
The final race of the 2025 season at Nashville’s Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix showcased strong performances from Honda drivers. Alex Palou finished second despite struggling with car handling in heavy traffic during the latter stages, while Kyffin Simpson of Chip Ganassi Racing secured a solid fourth-place result. Kyle Kirkwood overcame a tough moment near lap 200, finishing sixth, and contributed significantly to Honda securing the manufacturers‘ title.
Voices from the 2025 IndyCar Season
Reflecting on his runner-up finish, Alex Palou said,
“I’m happy, but also a little sad that the season has just ended and that we couldn’t get the win as well to close it out. I tried really, really hard but I was not really comfortable with the car in the second lane, so that made it a bit tough when heading into traffic. I feel as though the #10 Honda was the fastest car when running in clean air. We had all the speed that we needed; it was just not the best at going through traffic. I’m still super happy with the P2 and of course to celebrate the championship today. I can’t thank this #10 team, that has been working so hard to make us so good on track, enough. I also can’t thank Honda enough—congratulations to everyone at Honda and HRC. Let’s do it again!”
—Alex Palou, 2025 IndyCar runner-up
Kyffin Simpson shared his enthusiasm after finishing fourth:
The #8 Honda felt great. We had great power and it was super strong all day. It felt like we could race against anyone in the field on that restart near the end. We were super strong from the get-go and I was able to capitalize on it. It was a great, great day for us, for Honda, and for Chip Ganassi Racing. I’m super happy about it!
—Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing driver
Kyle Kirkwood recounted his race with optimism despite challenges:
It was a good day for the Hondas. Not quite a win here today, but very, very close. It was smooth sailing for us for most of the race until around lap 200, I got pinched onto the apron and it almost sent me into the wall. I was able to save it, but that cost us a handful of positions but that’s part of it. We’ll take a sixth place today, and we finished fourth in the championship, which is huge. Good day for us in the #27 Honda. We’ve secured the manufacturers’ championship for Honda, and this team has worked tirelessly to get us further up in the drivers’ championship than we’ve ever been. It’s certainly been a great season.
—Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global Honda driver
Louis Foster expressed pride in his Rookie of the Year victory:
This means a lot. This is the main thing that the team has been trying to achieve this year. Rookie of the Year was one of our biggest goals to accomplish and we managed to just scrape it right the end. It’s a great relief, honestly. I’m super, super happy that we’ve been able to do that and massive thank you to RLL and Honda. I think there’s a lot to learn still, but we’ve also learned a lot in return. There’s still more to come from me and the team. Next year and we’re going to work hard to try and achieve even more.
—Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver
David Salters, President of Honda Racing Corporation USA, praised the team’s achievements:
Indy 500 win, Drivers’ Championship, Manufacturers’ Championship, Rookie of the Year, 12 wins and 10 pole positions from 17 races—winning the first 10 in succession—what an absolutely superb achievement for Honda by our brilliant HRC associates. There is no greater pleasure than contributing to Honda Racing’s rich racing history and heritage. Our teams were brilliant, all contributed points towards the manufacturers’ championship, together with Chip Ganassi’s outstanding team at CGR and the prodigiously talented Alex Palou, we had a dominant season. The greatest achievement in a sporting series is to dominate, it happens rarely. Thank you to the challenging spirit of our Honda Racing associates, we dominated. We will pat each other on the back, hug, and enjoy the moment, then re-group and back to work. Thank you team HRC US—Bravo!
—David Salters, President of Honda Racing Corporation USA
Looking Forward: What the Future Holds After 2025
With the 2025 Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix closing out the season, Honda and their drivers have set an impressive benchmark going forward. The team’s dominance—including Alex Palou’s outstanding campaign and Louis Foster’s promising rookie season—signals strong momentum heading into 2026. Honda’s sweep of major IndyCar championships this year cements their status as a powerhouse in American open-wheel racing, raising expectations for continual success in the upcoming season.
