Kyle Larson has been named the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of The Year, officials from IMS and the NTT IndyCar Series confirmed on Monday.
The 31-year-old NASCAR Cup Series champion was credited with an 18th-place finish, the second-highest of the six rookie drivers that qualified for the prestigious event, behind only Christian Rasmussen, who finished 12th for Ed Carpenter Racing.
According to IndyCar, being the highest-finishing rookie isn’t a requirement in being named Rookie of The Year, as the annual award looks at all on-track results, as well as off-track factors like fan interaction, and positive influence on the Indy 500.
The criteria for the award are as follows: “The driver who has performed with the most distinction among first-year drivers in the Indianapolis 500. Criteria include on-track performance in practice, qualifying, and the race, media and fan interaction, sportsmanship, and positive influence on the Indy 500.”
Piloting the No. 17 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren, Larson spent the entire build-up to the Indianapolis 500 looking like a veteran, posting fast times in practice sessions, engaging with fans, and qualifying inside the top five.
In the race, the Elk Grove, California native spent much of the 200 laps running inside or around the top-10, before a speeding penalty on the first cycle of green-flag pit stops tossed him back outside the top-20.
To win this award, which comes with a $50,000 bonus, Larson was selected in a class that included Marcus Armstrong, Tom Blomqvist, 2022 Indy Lights champion Linus Lundqvist, defending Indy NXS champion Christian Rasmussen, Kyffin Simpson, and the race’s sole DNQ Nolan Siegel.
Former winners of the event include Jimmie Johnson (2022), Scott McLaughlin (2021), Pato O’Ward (2020), Fernando Alonso (2017), Alexander Rossi (2016), Kurt Busch (2014), Alex Tagliani (2009), Danica Patrick (2005), Juan Pablo Montoya (2000), and Tony Stewart (1996).
