The Louis Schwitzer Award (also called the Louis H. Schwitzer Award for Engineering Innovation and Excellence) is presented by the Indiana Section of SAE International to an engineer or team of engineers "for their innovative design and engineering excellence" and acknowledges "engineers with the courage and conviction to explore and develop new concepts in racing technology" in racing vehicles for the Indianapolis 500. The accolade also distinguishes engineers who were most responsible for designing and developing the winning concept to comply to IndyCar Series technical regulations, and awards "functional and recent permutations" that improve energy efficiency, performance or safety in chassis, drive train profiles by "emphasizing competitive potential along with future automotive industry possibilities." Although the award specifically recognizes new concepts, experimental ideas arising from previous winners are considered if the development in engineering improves it.
It was established at the 1967 event and renamed after automotive engineer, inventor and former chairman of SAE International's Indiana Section Louis Schwitzer by SAE before the 1978 race. Schwitzer also won the first automobile race to be held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1909. Each year before the Indianapolis 500, an Indiana Section SAE International members committee meet with IndyCar Series technical officials to identify potential candidates. The committee interviews candidates and votes to determine the winner. The Indiana Section of SAE International provides $10,000 prize money to the recipient or team, who receive a plaque and have their names added to a permanent trophy on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. The presentation of the award is made annually at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before the Indianapolis 500. It is currently sponsored by Allison Transmission and Valvoline.
Since the award was first presented in 1967, there have been over 102 individual recipients. The inaugural winner was Andy Granatelli, who developed the gas-turbine run STP-Paxton Turbocar. The award has been presented for two concepts in a single year just once: in 1977, to Bob Bubenik and Bruce Crower for developing the automatic clutch and flat-eight engine, respectively. Two years later, John Barnard and Jim Hall were the first team to be recognized for designing the Chaparral 2K chassis for that year's Indianapolis 500. Since then, another 25 teams have been recognized. Firestone tire engineer Cara Adams became the first female recipient in the 2019 edition. The award has been presented posthumously once, to Don Burgoon in the 2017 race. The most recent honorees were senior aerodynamicist Andrea Bongiovanni, and designer Dominic Coffey in the 2026 event; they were recognized for their work on the design and development of the Dallara superspeedway rear tire ramp flaps.
Recipients +KeyIndicates posthumous award +Louis Schwitzer Award winners Year Image Winner(s) Concept1967STP-Paxton Turbocar1968 Low cost racing engine1969Lotus Type 641970McLaren M151971 –McNamara chassis1972Eagle chassis1973 – Stock block engine1974Coyote chassis1975Parnelli VP6J chassis1976 – Lightning chassis1977 –Automatic clutch –Flat-eight engine1978 – Laydown Lightning chassis1979Chaparral 2K chassis1980 Penske PC-9 chassis1981 –Eagle chassis1982Penske PC-10 chassis1983Gleason-Torsen differential1984March 84C chassis1985Buick V6 Turbo engine1986Ilmor-Chevrolet V8 engine1987 –Goodyear Racing radial tire1988 –Tilton Carbon-Carbon clutch –1989 –Intelligent dashboard1990 – Beadall racing helmet – –1991Truesports 91C chassis1992Galmer 9200 chassis1993Penske PC22 chassis1994Mercedes-Benz 500I engine1995 –Tire monitoring system –1996 – Racing EyeCue – – –1997 –Oldsmobile Aurora V8 engine –1998 –GM Motorsports Safety Technology Research Program –1999Dallara chassis2000G-Force GF05 chassis2001 HANS device2002 SAFER barrier2003Dallara IR3 chassis2004 –Honda HI4R-A engine – – –2005 –Delphi Earpiece sensor system – – – –2006 –Rear wing adjuster tool – –2007 –Delphi Accident data recorder 3 – – – –2008 –Variable ratio rack and pinion steering technology – – –2009 – Head and neck support extension2010 – Mezzo microChannel radiator – – –2011 – Honda refueling safety interlock system – – –2012 –Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Engine – – –2013 –Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 Race Tire –2014 Dallara Advanced Driving Simulator2015 2015 Chevrolet Aero Kit2016 – Rear Beam Wing Flap – –2017 – PFC Carbon Disc Brake System – – – –2018Dallara DW12 UAK18 Universal Aero Kit2019 –Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 race tire – –2020 – IndyCar Aeroscreen cockpit protection device – – – – – – –2021– Biomedical engineering for driver safety 2022 – EM Marshalling System – – – 2023 – Shell 100% Renewable Race Fuel – –2024– Xtrac Electric Servo Actuator2025 –INDYCAR Hybrid Power Unit – – – – –2026 –Dallara superspeedway rear tire ramp flaps –
Statistics + Multiple winners Name Wins 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
See also List of motor vehicle awards PACE Award
Notes
References
External links Louis Schwitzer Award winners from Indianapolis Motor Speedway