Note: The Penske Entertainment editorial staff is looking back at the 10 biggest moments of 2024 in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in this year-end series, with one installment appearing on the site per day in countdown fashion from Dec. 22-31.

As Ryan Hunter-Reay once said, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and, specifically, the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge are better when AJ Foyt Racing is relevant and competitive.

Certainly, the organization owned by the legendary A.J. Foyt has become just that in recent years, and the 2024 season was its most successful in years.

Led by the driving of Santino Ferrucci and later the hiring of fellow young star David Malukas, AJ Foyt Racing spent the year creating quite a stir.

Ferrucci posted a career-high 11 top-10 finishes in the recently completed season to finish a career-best ninth in the championship standings. Both marks were bests for the team in more than two decades. Ferrucci also won the first series pole of his career (at Portland International Raceway) and the first for the team since 2014.

Ferrucci and the team were strong in the “500,” too, as they were in 2023. The driver pushed his streak of consecutive top-10 finishes to six by finishing eighth. A year ago, he finished a career-best third.

The hiring of Malukas for 2025 gives the Foyt organization two drivers who have a history of excellence on oval tracks. After missing the season’s first seven races due to the ramifications of a wrist injury suffered in February which caused him to be dropped by Arrow McLaren, Malukas joined Meyer Shank Racing and delivered a series of strong results.

The driver who challenged Team Penske at the front of the field at World Wide Technology Raceway while a member of Dale Coyne Racing – Malukas finished second in 2022 and third in 2023 – was back near the front at that short track this year, too. Malukas qualified on the front row and, a few weeks later, was again second in qualifying for the first of the races at the Milwaukee Mile.

In 10 races with Meyer Shank Racing, Malukas qualified in the top 10 on seven occasions, including each of the final three and six of the final seven. With AJ Foyt Racing, he could be a factor for more such success next season.

Off the track, the team has consolidated its efforts in Indianapolis, and team members can practically see Indianapolis Motor Speedway from their shop. That works well since it’s expected that the pairing of Ferrucci and Malukas, along with a continued technical alliance with Team Penske, could potentially be a winning combination in 2025.