While the NTT IndyCar Series does not officially hand out a most improved driver award, the 2026 season certainly delivered a compelling group of candidates among its 25 full-season participants. These racers elevated their status, whether by launching themselves into legitimate championship fights or simply outperforming expectations within their respective squads.
At the sharp end of the grid, Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood turned heads by finishing second in the standings. The 27-year-old Floridian even held the points lead through four races and applied serious pressure to reigning champion Alex Palou. Kirkwood strung together top-10 finishes in 12 of the first 13 races, grabbing four podiums along with victories at the inaugural street race in Arlington, Texas, and later in Washington.
Christian Lundgaard mirrored that upward trajectory, jumping from fifth to third in the points table with Arrow McLaren. The 25-year-old Dane dominated on road courses with wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Road America, plus podiums on the streets of St. Petersburg and Washington. Crucially, Lundgaard unlocked speed on short ovals too, highlighted by a career-best third and sixth in the Milwaukee Mile doubleheader.
Perhaps no move raised more eyebrows initially than Team Penske signing David Malukas, but the 24-year-old Chicago native quickly silenced any doubters. Malukas finished fifth in the standings—outscoring more experienced teammates Scott McLaughlin (sixth) and Josef Newgarden (eighth). His stellar campaign featured four second-place finishes, including a narrow defeat in the closest Indianapolis 500 finish in history, alongside leading a career-high 93 laps in the second Milwaukee race after placing 11th in last year's standings with AJ Foyt Racing.
Among the veterans, Marcus Ericsson authored a brilliant bounce-back after hitting a low point with a 20th-place finish in 2025. The 36-year-old Swede vaulted 13 spots to finish seventh in his third season with Andretti Global, the biggest statistical gain on the grid. Ericsson secured his first career pole at Arlington, led laps in five different races, and closed out the year with seven straight top-10 finishes—capping it off with his fifth career win at the new street event in Markham, Ontario. Meanwhile, 26-year-old Rinus VeeKay put together his most complete campaign yet, taking Juncos Hollinger Racing to a career-high 10th in the standings by stringing together seven top-10 finishes in the final 12 races.
Finally, Kyffin Simpson quietly put together a breakthrough third year with Chip Ganassi Racing. The 21-year-old finished 13th in the standings—just four points behind teammate and six-time series champion Scott Dixon—marking a four-position gain from his previous campaign. Simpson secured a pair of top-five finishes, taking fourth at Road America and fifth in Washington, alongside a personal-best eight top-10 finishes and a 14th-place run at the Indianapolis 500.
