Indianapolis 500 Rookie Of The Year

The Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year is an annual award "presented to the driver who has performed with the most distinction among first-year drivers in the Indianapolis 500." Criteria includes "on-track performance in practice, qualifying and the race, media and fan interaction, sportsmanship and positive influence on the Indy 500." Sportsmanship is a drivers' relationship to fellow racers and fans, and media interaction is their availability to spectators and the press during the event. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) guidelines encourage balloters to consider all the criteria "as the same as any other." Leeway is provided to competitors who outperform in their equipment during qualifying and the race, and those who led laps but retired. The accolade is thus not necessarily awarded to the highest-finishing rookie, and it is not presented should there be no rookie entrants. Its past sponsors include Stark and Wetzel, American Fletcher National Bank, Bank One, Chase, and Sunoco.

Rules specify that the driver must be a rookie who participates in qualifying and the race. Past Indianapolis 500 racers and prize money earners are ineligible for the award in future editions of the event. Previous rules stipulated the judging of drivers on their wiliness to comply with United States Auto Club regulations, mental attitude, wiliness to take advice from experienced individuals, actions to improve the welfare and safety of fellow participants, and their personal performance in both qualifying and the race. In 1958, officials clarified that the term appearance would be interpreted as a driver who paid for or partook for prize monies for one of the event's 33 starting spots. They barred drivers who crashed before the start of the 1958 Indianapolis 500 from eligibility in the following year's event.

It was established before the 1952 edition to reward rookie drivers for their performance in the Indianapolis 500. A select committee of current and previous media members, as well as IndyCar Series and IMS officials cast votes following the race's conclusion each year. They cast their first and second-choice ballots via a points-scoring system. The winners' name is inscribed onto the Stark and Wetzel Rookie of the Year Award Trophy in the IMS Museum, and they receive $50,000 prize money as well as a cut glass trophy. The -high trophy cost the Herff-Jones Co. $6,000 to construct. Its onyx base is decorated with sterling rest googles and mounted on a central walnut shaft is a sterling plate. The trophy's head has a sterling bar with the official IMS emblem of sprouted wings from a racing tire and features the number 500 with a gold race car going through the middle numeral. The award presentation is made annually at the Victory Banquet in Indianapolis following the race. Previous prizes included a year's supply of meat from Stark and Wetzel, as well as plaque and a ring.

In the 70 years the award has been presented, 76 drivers have won. The inaugural recipient was Art Cross in the 1952 race. It has normally presented to one driver per year but it has been awarded to two racers for their form in a single race on five occasions: Parnelli Jones and Bobby Marshman for the 1961 race, Rick Mears and Larry Rice in the 1978 event, Michael Andretti and Roberto Guerrero at the 1984 edition, Bernard Jourdain and Scott Pruett for the 1989 race, and Alex Barron and Tomas Scheckter in the 2002 event. American Lyn St. James became the first woman driver to win the award at the 1992 edition. Since then, two other women have won: Danica Patrick for the 2005 race and Simona de Silvestro after the 2010 event. Juan Pablo Montoya (the 2000 race), Hélio Castroneves (the 2001 event) and Alexander Rossi (the 2016 edition) are the three drivers who have won the award and the race in the same year. The most recent winner was Jimmie Johnson in the 2022 race.

A subsidiary award, the Fastest Rookie of the Year, is also given by the American Dairy Association Indiana (ADA) since 1975 to the fastest rookie qualifier regardless of their starting position and speed. During the annual ADA Fastest Rookie Luncheon, the quickest rookie qualifier receives $10,000, a commemorative poster, a plaque, and their name is inscribed on the permanent Fastest Rookie trophy on display in the IMS Museum. There have been 48 winners of the award. The first was Bill Puterbaugh in the 1975 race, and the most recent was Romain Grosjean at the 2022 edition.

Rookie of the Year winners

Statistics

Fastest rookie qualifier

Statistics

See also

* IndyCar Rookie of the Year

Notes

References

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{{Indy 500

Rookies of the Year
Auto racing trophies and awards