18. Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing
Though the voters (expectedly) picked Kyle Larson, everybody watching last year's Indy 500 saw that Christian Rasmussen was the real Rookie of the Year. His bold moves scored him a surprise 12th place finish, and he did it after starting 24th for an Ed Carpenter Racing team typically known to qualify better than they race.
17. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing with Cusick Motorsports
Ryan Hunter-Reay ran a lot better than a lot of people expected out of him last year, advancing to the second round of qualifying before ultimately being taken out in an awkward crash on the back straightaway during the race. The 2014 Indy 500 winner has had success in two years working with the one-off Dreyer & Reinbold Racing program, and despite not running the full schedule, they have proven time and time again that they need to be taken seriously.
16. Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global
From his practice crash to his qualifying miscommunication on Bump Day to being taken out in someone else's mess in turn one of lap one, Marcus Ericsson had an abysmal follow-up to the Indy 500 which arguably should have made him the race's first back-to-back winner since 2002 in 2023. Surely things can't go nearly as poorly for the 2022 winner in 2025, right?