5 drivers who excel on oval tracks in IndyCar ft. Josef Newgarden

Over 40% of the races on the 2024 IndyCar calendar were ovals. The skills required to excel around oval circuits differ from those of permanent circuits. Situational awareness, speed, and risk are all dialed up to ten while racing at ovals.

Regardless, some drivers do better around the ovals than their counterparts. Let's look at the current top five drivers who excel at ovals.

---

IndyCar's top five oval drivers

#5 Alex Palou

While it might be a controversial pick given that Palou has never won a race around ovals, the average finishing record speaks for his oval skills. Since joining CGR, Palou’s oval record of finishing in the top five is as good as Will Power's. The Spaniard goes toe to toe with Scott Dixon and Pato O'Ward in top-10 finishes.

AUTO: JUN 23 Alex Palou at the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

Palou led the most laps at race 2 in Iowa in 2024, finishing in P2, just behind Power. However, the current generation of IndyCar oval performances is more dependent on the machinery. Team Penske has an edge over CGR when it comes to ovals and the same translates into the results. Regardless, managing to keep the CGR in the top five shows Palou's excellent ability around ovals.

---

#4 Scott Dixon

Scott Dixon is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. The Australian started his IndyCar career in the early 2000s and won six championships. The CGR driver continues to perform at a high level but has been overshadowed by teammate Alex Palou’s performances.

AUTO: AUG 12 Scott Dixon at the Gallagher Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Regardless, the 44-year-old still aces his Spanish teammate on ovals. Dixon has the best average finishing position on ovals based on the 2023 results. Given Team Penske's advantage around ovals, the Aussie continues to deliver in the CGR car.

---

#3 Pato O'Ward

The Mexican driver comes alive when it comes to ovals. Before the 2024 oval season of the IndyCar calendar, Pato O'Ward had 21 oval starts. The Arrow McLaren driver finished in the top five 16 times. In the final six oval races of 2024, O’Ward stood on the podium thrice including a win in Milwaukee.

Pato O'Ward at the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico - Qualifying - Source: Getty

However, on two of the remaining three occasions, O’Ward ended up outside the Top 20. Unlike Alex Palou, O’Ward takes the risk around the ovals and goes for the ambitious moves. While it sometimes pays off in the form of wins on some occasions, it leads to a disaster on others.

---

#2 Will Power

The Penske driver has won 10 races around ovals, putting him third on the list of current IndyCar drivers with the most wins. The 43-year-old struggled around ovals in his initial years but improved significantly after the Dallara DW12 chassis was introduced. Power is extremely quick when it comes to a one-lap pace with the most poles recorded rightly his.

AUTO: AUG 17 Will Power at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

However, Power's performance fades in the race compared to Josef Newgarden. The two Penske drivers have excelled around ovals in the last couple of years. But Newgarden has more often than not come out on top with Power finishing runner-up.

---

#1 Josef Newgarden

The IndyCar community has often regarded the American as the King of Ovals. Josef Newgarden has won 10 of the last 18 oval races including the 2024 Indy 500 win. Newgarden's five consecutive oval wins in 2023 speak volumes about his skill set. A crash at Gateway prevented him from winning all the oval races during the 2023 season.