Alex Palou among the best drivers nominated by ESPYs

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou has been nominated for the best driver category at the ESPYs. The voting has been opened up to the fans to select their favorite driver.

The Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, also known as the ESPYs, is a yearly award show hosted by ESPN that started in 1993. Since 2004, the fans have been allowed to choose their favorite athlete or team in each category through online voting.

IndyCar has received multiple nominations for the award over the years. The first time an IndyCar driver won this award was Al Unser Jr. in 1995. The last IndyCar driver to win this award was Ryan Hunter-Reay for two consecutive years in 2013 and 2014.

Here are the drivers nominated for this year's best driver category at the ESPYs

1. Alex Palou ( IndyCar)

Alex Palou drives the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing car powered by Honda. He has been having a spectacular season so far, as he has won six out of the nine races held. Notably, he also got his maiden victory at the Indianapolis 500 this year, making history by becoming the first Spaniard to do so.

Alex Palou earned his second consecutive IndyCar title last year, making him a three-time IndyCar Series champion. During the 2024 season, he won two races and had thirteen top-five finishes in the 17 races held. If he wins the ESPYs award, he will be the fourth driver to do so. This marks Alex Palou's third nomination for the award.

2. Max Verstappen (Formula One)

The four-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen is one of the other nominees for the award. Verstappen drives the #1 Red Bull Racing car powered by Honda and had a very dominant 2024 season. He won nine of the twenty-four races on the calendar to win the championship title. He has previously won the award for two consecutive years, in 2023 and 2024.

3. Oscar Piastri (Formula One)

The Australian driver Oscar Piastri bagged his first ESPYs nomination this year. The youngster drives the #81 McLaren in Formula One and had a spectacular 2024 season. He won two of the races and helped McLaren win the Constructors' Championship for the first time in 26 years.

4. Joey Logano (NASCAR)

Joey Logano drives the #22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske in NASCAR. The 35-year-old won the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship title. The three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion won four races during the 2024 season, of which three were in the playoffs. However, he was nearly eliminated during round 12, almost ending his championship run. He became the 10th driver in NASCAR to win three or more Driver's Championships. If Logano wins the award, he will become the fourth driver to do so for NASCAR.