HELIO CASTRONEVES: Ryan Hunter-Reay

Wow. I mean, it's bad not to say your own teammate, and Will [Power] was amazing, but you've got to say Ryan Hunter-Reay. The guy pulled it off the last few minutes. It doesn't take credit away from Will, but you've got to say Ryan because he also had some races out there he was able to overcome. That's the guy I think… to beat Will and Dario and everybody else, including myself, I thought Ryan did a good job.

JAMES JAKES: Ryan Hunter-Reay

The IndyCar driver of the year. I don't want to sound predictable and I'm sure everybody’s already said it, but I think it’s got to go to Ryan Hunter-Reay, really, because just the level of competitiveness he showed on the ovals and then the road and street courses. That is what the series is looking to show; the most versatile drivers. And Ryan showed that. And Will fell through.

JAMES HINCHCLIFFE: Ryan Hunter-Reay

I’m sure they didn’t and I can certainly appreciate anybody's opinion, but having sat beside him the entire season, having seen the amount of bad luck that he had, having seen how down him and the whole No. 28 crew got at some points for the year, the fact that they rallied back and they never gave up, it has to be Ryan Hunter-Reay. Their specialty was Sunday, and Sunday’s what pays the bills. And it was awesome to see that group, Ryan and Ray [Gosselin], his engineer, they were so committed. And even after Sonoma, it looked like it was all washed away, Ryan drove the race of his life probably in Baltimore and the team called it perfectly and they just never gave up. And so, as far as I'm concerned, most race wins and he had still some of the worst luck of anybody in the top five, maybe with the exception of Scott Dixon, who just breathed bad luck. But I think Ryan is a worthy champion and I think he was the driver of the year.

ORIOL SERVIA: Ryan Hunter-Reay

You have to say Ryan Hunter-Reay did everything right; there's a reason why he’s the champion, there's a reason why he won from a team that I don't think had the most means. You would still rate Penske and Ganassi as better operations. Nothing against Andretti, but they’re the Target team and the Penske team for a reason, no doubt. And Ryan and the team did an outstanding job. They executed everything perfect.

I would say him and myself were at a very similar level the year before, when I was at Newman/Haas, I finished fourth and he [seventh] in the points, and I think we got the best out of every opportunity we had in 2011. In 2012, they stayed at the top and they continued that path and just made one step more. Every time they could win, they won. And if not, they were putting themselves in the best spot all the time. You know how big of a fan I am of Power and Dixon, let’s say, but Ryan, definitely, definitely just did everything right last year. Again, he wasn’t a champion by luck. Hats off to Ryan.

CHARLIE KIMBALL: Scott Dixon

You know, I've got to go with Scott Dixon. I have a huge amount of respect for both of my current teammates and the fact that they both work so hard and put a huge, huge effort in. And Scott, it seems like Scott is the unluckiest man in motorsports. Chip Ganassi said to me as we were leaving Mid-Ohio after Scott had won the race, he said, “I don't know what Scott did. It's like he's got a refinery under his right foot, the way he can run at such competitive lap times and make fuel numbers that people just dream about, and yet still drive away from everyone is fantastic.”

And he really has built such a strong team around him. The Target guys would do anything for him. I think a third place in the championship wasn’t what he wanted but I think it's an indication that with a little bit of luck, he'll destroy everyone else in the championship.

MARCO ANDRETTI: Ryan Hunter-Reay

It's definitely Ryan Hunter-Reay. It's what I said before; he steps up when he needs to, when it counts. He might not have had the best car at that time but he got all that he could out of the car and that's the driver’s job.

SUMMARY: That's 17 Votes for Ryan Hunter-Reay, five for Scott Dixon and one for Simon Pagenaud, making RHR the clear choice among his constituents to receive SPEED.com's 2012 IndyCar Driver of the Year award.

I'd also cast my personal vote for RHR as the Driver of the Year and Dixon as the year's best individual performer.

RHR received a lot of praise for his mid-season winning streak and the amazing drives he put in to close the championship, but he also opened the year with a third at St. Pete, a sixth at Long Beach and a memorable run to second at Sao Paulo that made a world of difference in the final standings.

Based on his consistency--using Franchitti's proven championship formula of banking maximum points when going for the win is too much of a risk, and the four impressive victories he earned, RHR is a fitting choice for this season-long honor.

As many drivers noted, Dixon seemed to be a magnet for engine problems or silly instances that robbed him of valuable points on a regular basis. He and Ferrari Formula One driver Fernando Alonso essentially had the same year: they drove like mad men, had the respect of drivers and fans alike and could have earned their third respective championships if fortunes has fallen in their favor.

It's a meaningless consolation prize, but in terms of a single IndyCar driver performing at his or her highest level from round to round, Dixon had no equal.

Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, and covers the IndyCar Series. Before joining SPEED, Pruett worked in open-wheel racing for 20 years as a mechanic and engineer. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.