O’Ward would have a strong start to 2020, posting finishes of 2nd at Road America race II, and 4th at Iowa race I. He held 4th in the overall points standings heading into the Indy 500 (held in August due to the COVID-19 pandemic). O'Ward would go on to finish 6th in his first Indianapolis 500 start and won the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year award for his performance. He followed that up with consecutive podium finishes in the doubleheader at World Wide Technology Raceway.