Pagenaud, Newgarden nominated for top rookie prize

Simon Pagenaud, who won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year, and Josef Newgarden are among the nominees for the Autosport Rookie of the Year Award.

Pagenaud finished fifth in the IZOD IndyCar Series on the strength of four podium finishes in his first full season in the IZOD IndyCar Series. He finished a season-best second at Long Beach.

Newgarden, who won the 2011 Firestone Indy Lights championship, had a respectable rookie campaign, highlighted by a front-row start at Long Beach and a seventh-place qualifying effort for his first Indianapolis 500.

Voting for the award, which will be presented in London during the Autosport Awards in December, is currently open at Autosport.com