You might not have realized it, but this weekend at Portland will be a milestone event for the NTT IndyCar Series. It will be the 300th race held since reunification.
Back in 2008, the Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series merged in late-February, on the precipice of the 2008 season. A scurry was underway to have the Champ Car teams equipped with the correct chassis and engines for the new season, ending a tumultuous period in American open-wheel racing.
It has been almost 18 full seasons since peace was found and there was one IndyCar Series. There have been highs and lows along the way, but the series is better than where it was and the headaches of two series and split talent are over.
How do we honor such an occasion? We are grasping at low-hanging fruit and ranking all 160 driver who participated in IndyCar since reunification occurred. This only takes into account everything that has happened since reunification. Victories and championship that happened prior to 2008 do not impact this list.
The very top and the very bottom are the easy bits to sort out. It is the large middle that is difficult to arrange. Where do you place a driver who only made 19 starts over three seasons but had nine top ten finishes? What about the driver who made less than seven career starts but had one or two top ten finishes? Which career is better, one podium finishes and six top ten finishes in 27 starts or one podium finish and 24 top ten finishes in 100 starts?
These are all examples that came up during the ranking process, and I am going to tell you right now, you aren't going to like this list. There will be drivers higher than you would like, but at some point, somebody has to be 42nd. You rank them if it is so easy!
(Special shoutout to the following drivers who entered an IndyCar race post-reunification but who did not make a start either because of withdrawal, failing to qualify, injury or pandemic. Those drivers are Larry Foyt, Phil Giebler, Max Papis, Patrick Carpentier, Scott Speed, Rocky Moran, Jr., and Felipe Nasr).
We are going to start at #160 and work to #1. Enjoy!
The Very Bottom
160. Milka Duno
159. Francesco Dracone
158. Marty Roth
157. Cody Ware
156. Stanton Barrett
155. Benjamin Pedersen
These are some of the worst drivers we have ever seen in IndyCar.
In 36 starts post-reunification, Duno never finished on the lead lap, neither did the four drivers ahead of her. Her best finish post-reunification was 14th at Chicagoland in 2008.
Dracone made two starts in 2010 and then got five more starts five years later because Dale Coyne. Never finished on the lead lap, bowled over some pit green members. His best finish was 20th.
Roth made 12 starts post-reunification but that doesn't account for the four races he withdrew from due to practice accidents. Somehow, he qualified three times in the top ten. He only finished five races.
Ware was disqualified from the 2021 Nashville race for driving too slow. He did finish 19th on debut and on the lead lap at Road America.
Barrett made four starts in 2009. He failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and withdrew from Milwaukee after a practice accident.
Pedersen's best finish in his only IndyCar season was 15th in second career start at Texas in 2023. However, he was a minor hazard at times on track, and he too was disqualified in the second Iowa race for being too slow.
They Only Ran the 2008 Grand Prix of Long Beach
154. Juho Annala
153. Roberto Moreno
152. Antônio Pizzonia
151. Alex Figge
Technically, these four drivers are among some of the last drivers to run in fractured IndyCar. The 2008 Long Beach race was the same weekend as the Motegi race. The IRL teams went to Motegi. The Champ Car teams ran Long Beach. A few teams needed to fill seats with one-off drivers. Here, we rank these drivers based on finishing position.
Figge was 14th, Pizzonia was 16th, Moreno was 17th and Annala was 18th.
How Annala got the call after only running International Formula Master the year prior is an unsolved mystery. The Finn disappeared and appears to have last raced in Finnish touring cars.
This was Moreno's final start at 49 years old. He had run the Indianapolis 500 the year prior.
Pizzonia and Annala were teammates at Rocketsports. Pizzonia had run four races with the team two years prior.
Figge ran Champ Car the year before. He had moderate Atlantic Championship success. Ovals did not intrigue Figge hence Pacific Coast Motorsports' not transitioning to IndyCar full-time. Figge went on to race sports cars, notably in Pirelli World Challenge.
They Only Made One Start and It Wasn't Their Fault
150. Jean Alesi
149. Dillon Battistini
148. Lucas Luhr
147. Ho-Pin Tung
146. Jeff Simmons
145. Kosuke Matsuura
144. João Paulo de Oliveira
143. Michel Jourdain, Jr.
142. Hunter McElrea
All these drivers made one start, but it did not go well.
Jean Alesi started the 2012 Indianapolis 500 with a Lotus, ran 11 laps and then was penalized two laps for not pulling off the track when told. One start, 33rd in the Indianapolis 500, and Alesi is little more than a trivia question.
Battistini won four races in the 2008 Indy Lights season but it took over three years for his one IndyCar start. At Kentucky 2011, he pulled in after 124 of 200 laps due to fatigue.
Did you remember Luhr ran one IndyCar race? He was Josef Newgarden's teammate at Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing for the 2013 Sonoma race. Luhr had not run a single-seater since 1998. He qualified 24th out of 25 cars at Sonoma, and his race ended four laps early due to a mechanical issue. Luhr did finish ahead of Newgarden, who retired 25 laps earlier due to a mechcanical issue.
Tung attempted to make the Indianapolis 500 in 2011 with Panther Racing, but had an accident in qualifying that left him concussed. Tung made his only start later that year at Sonoma. He had an accident with 12 laps remaining in a day where he ran mostly outside the top twenty.
Simmons took over the #41 A.J. Foyt Racing entry for Larry Foyt at the 2008 Indianapolis 500. He ran 112 laps before an accident ended his race.
Matsuura made one start post-reunification. He was five laps down in the 2009 Motegi race in 17th.
De Oliveira ran the 2011 Motegi race, which was on the road course after the oval was damaged in the Tōhoku earthquake. The Brazilian was a champion in Formula Nippon and race winner in Super GT, and he had won a few races at Motegi prior to this chance with Conquest Racing. He qualified 12th but a fuel pump failure ended his race after 19 laps.
Jourdain, Jr. is likely remembered more for failing to qualify for the 2013 Indianapolis 500 than him completing 199 laps and finishing 19th in the 2012 Indianapolis 500.
McElrea made his debut last year at Toronto. He only completed 57 laps before hitting the barrier.
I Don't Know How To Sort These Guys
141. René Binder
140. Alfonso Celis, Jr.
139. Richard Antinucci
138. Nelson Philippe
137. Roger Yasukawa
136. Ben Hanley
135. Jüri Vips
134. Jaques Lazier
133. Buddy Lazier
132. Jay Howard
131. Tatiana Calderón
Binder and Celis, Jr. each ran for Juncos Racing in its first endeavor into IndyCar racing. Neither were that good, but neither were terrible either. They each could have been worse.
Antinucci took over Stanton Barrett's entry on road and street courses in 2009. His best finish was 15th at Sonoma. It was Antinucci's only chance at IndyCar despite finishing second in the 2008 Indy Lights championship.
Philippe ran the 2008 Long Bech race and the 2009 Indianapolis 500. He was 15th and 25th in those races. Philippe's career is most remember for the accident with Will Power at practice for the 2009 Sonoma race. Philippe suffered a concussion and broken ankle. He returned to competition in 2010 driving a Daytona Prototype in Grand-Am for three races with Starworks. The highlight was leading 18 laps at Mid-Ohio. It appears these were his final professional races, and his career was over before he was 24 years old.
Yasukawa ran Motegi from 2008 to 2010, never finishing on the lead lap. He was 14th in the 2008 race, which only featured 18 cars. Yasukawa's biggest contribution to IndyCar since reunification was guiding Álex Palou to the series.
Hanley joined IndyCar with DragonSpeed over a decade since his last single-seater experience. The team made the second round of qualifying on debut at St. Petersburg in 2019 thanks to mixed conditions. He made two Indianapolis 500 starts. A broken driveshaft ended his 2019 race. In 2020, he and DragonSpeed were called upon to fill the field of 33. They ran 198 laps and finished 23rd.
Vips was signed as a Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing reserve driver and on multiple occasions has been passed over for a full-time seat. The Estonian has started three races. He ran Portland and Laguna Seca in 2003, and last year he ran Portland again. His finishes have been 18th, 24th and 19th, none were lead lap finishes.
Jaques Lazier ran five races in 2009 replacing Stanton Barrett, all ovals. His best finish was 13th at Iowa. Bubby Lazier started five Indianapolis 500 (2008, 2013-14, 16-17). He was 17th in 2008, but five laps down. He finished 29th or worse in his other four starts, completing 100 laps or more in only his final two starts.
Howard never finished on the lead lap in 14 career starts. He is unfortunately more remembered for taking himself out of the 2010 Indianapolis 500 when having a time that would have been good enough to make the race, and being the ramp that launched Scott Dixon's car in 2017. His best finish was 13th in two races, Motegi and Kansas in 2008.
Calderón was not the fastest in her seven races during the 2022 season with A.J. Foyt Racing, but she was 15th and on the lead lap in mixed conditions for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. She never retired from a race due to an accident. A gearbox failure ended her final race at Mid-Ohio.
A Quartet of Dale Coyne Racing Drivers
130. Ryan Norman
129. Jacob Abel
128. Colin Braun
127. Luca Ghiotto
Norman completed 79 of 80 laps at Mid-Ohio in 2021. We have been watching Abel struggle this season, though he was 11th at Iowa. Braun's only official IndyCar start was St. Petersburg last year, though he also ran the Thermal Club exhibition race. Ghiotto came into IndyCar out of nowhere and finished on the lead lap on debut at Barber Motorsports Park before making three other starts.
I Don't Know How To Sort These Guys & Gals - Part II
126. Bryan Clauson
125. Pippa Mann
124. Davey Hamilton
123. Tom Blomqvist
122. Sarah Fisher
121. Dalton Kellett
120. Zachary Claman De Melo
119. Stefan Wilson
118. Kyle Kaiser
117. Jamie Camara
116. Mario Romancini
115. Ana Beatriz
114. Devlin DeFrancesco
113. Esteban Gutiérrez
112. Toby Sowery
111. Adam Carroll
110. Matthew Brabham
This is where it gets messy.
Clauson only made three starts in his career, all at the Indianapolis 500. The first two ended early due to accidents. The final saw him run 198 laps and bring the car home in one piece.
Mann was never blisteringly quick, but she kept her nose clean for the most part. Her final start saw her qualify a car for Clauson-Marshall Racing into the Indianapolis 500 over McLaren and Fernando Alonso. Mann ran all 200 laps and finished 16th.
Hamilton mostly ran only the Indianapolis 500, but also ran at Chicago in 2010 and the Texas doubleheader in 2011. While he was 14th in the 2008 Indianapolis 500, he did not finish on the lead lap in his other six starts.
Blomqvist took a risk joining IndyCar after spending most of the previous decade out of single-seater racing but finding success in sports cars. Though he was improving, the experiment ended after eight career starts, six of which were results outside the top twenty.
Fisher started her own team and overcame an accident in Sarah Fisher Racing's first race at Indianapolis. Her best finish over 16 starts was 12th at Kentucky in 2009. As a team owner, she became a race winner with Ed Carpenter and Josef Newgarden.
Kellett never finished in the top ten in 41 career starts, the second-most in IndyCar history. Though a back-marker, he was generally good at staying out of the way. His best result was 12th at Gateway in 2021.
Claman De Melo came and went. He made nine starts in the 2018 season with Dale Coyne Racing as the car was intended to be split between him and Pietro Fittipaldi. When Fittipaldi was injured in a FIA World Endurance Championship weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, Claman De Melo got a few extra opportunities. He made a start at the Indianapolis 500 and qualified 13th before finishing 19th. His best result was 12th at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
Wilson made his debut as Dale Coyne Racing teammate to his brother Justin at the 2013 Grand Prix of Baltimore. Stefan Wilson would go on to start four Indianapolis 500s, leading a few laps and finishing 15th in 2018 being his highlight. In 2023, Wilson qualified for the "500" but a practice accident left him with broken vertebra. He has not attempted an IndyCar race since.
Kaiser will be forever remembered as the driver who bumped Fernando Alonso out of the 2019 Indianapolis 500. Though an Indy Lights champion, Kaiser only had six career starts. His best finish was 16th in the 2018 Grand Prix of Long Beach. In the 2019 Indianapolis 500, Kaiser made it 71 laps before an accident in turn four.
Camara ran most of the 2008 season. He led a surprising number of laps at Richmond but an accident late while in the top five ended his dream night. He was classified in 14th in that race and finished 14th later that year at Mid-Ohio.
Did you know Mario Romancini was the best rookie finisher in the 2010 Indianapolis 500? Romancini was 13th after starting 27th. Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year went to Simona de Silvestro, who went from 22nd to 14th. We didn't hear much outcry over such a thing back then. Romancini started 11 races that season. He was also 13th at St. Petersburg.
In 29 career starts, Beatriz was on the lead lap nine times. She ran well and finished 13th on debut in São Paulo. Her best finish was 11th at Toronto in 2011. In four Indianapolis 500 starts, her best finish was 15th with all 200 laps completed in 2013.
I struggled on where to put Devlin DeFrancesco. He is approaching 50 starts without a top ten finish. He already has made the most starts in IndyCar history without a top ten finish, but he has finished on the lead lap 17 times. He has been more competitive than most of the drivers were consider the worst of all-time. He was 11th in this year's Indianapolis 500. He has somehow qualified in the top five twice in his career. He was 12th at Gateway in 2022. He has done better than a fair number of previous drivers.
Gutiérrez ran seven races in 2017 with Dale Coyne Racing when Sébastien Bourdais was sidelined after he fractured his pelvis in an Indianapolis 500 qualifying accident. Gutiérrez did ok. He debuted at Belle Isle, and he was 14th in the second race of the doubleheader, and he was on the lead lap. He was 13th at Iowa and only a lap down. Bourdais returned for Gateway and Gutiérrez did not compete in another motor race from the 2018 Pocono race until the 2022 1000 Miles of Sebring.
Sowery was Dale Coyne Racing's best driver last year despite only getting to run three races. He went from 24th to 13th at Mid-Ohio. He had another good day at Toronto and his best race was Portland, where he ran well against others, but it was his worst finish of his three races in 17th.
If you forgot Adam Carroll made two starts in 2010 at Andretti Autosport, you are forgiven. He started tenth and finished 16 at Watkins Glen, and he stared 17th and finished 19th at Mid-Ohio. It would have been fun to see more of Carroll considering his A1GP success just prior to this cameo in IndyCar.
It will always baffle me that Matthew Brabham never got more than two IndyCar starts. Brabham blitzed the junior series into Indy Lights, where results were respectable. He was 16th in the 2016 Grand Prix of Indianapolis and 22nd in the Indianapolis 500.
They Only Started One Indianapolis 500 and They Each Finished 14th
109. Scott Sharp
108. Jacques Villeneuve
Sharp made his final IndyCar start at the 2009 Indianapolis 500 after a year out of the series. Villeneuve returned unexpectedly in 2014 with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. I give Villeneuve the nod for the better spot because the 2014 race was one of the greatest Indianapolis 500s ever and the competition was deeper in that race.
Yeah, I am Putting These Guys This High
107. Martin Plowman
106. Jordan King
Plowman made five career starts. The first three were in 2011 with AFS Racing, in partnership with Sam Schmidt Motorsports, and Plowman finished 18th, 12th and 11th in those race, and all on the lead lap. He did not run another IndyCar race until 2014 when he ran the two Indianapolis races with A.J. Foyt Racing. He was 18th and 23rd in those. I wish Plowman had a greater chance at IndyCar.
King was the road/street course driver for Ed Carpenter Racing in 2018. He qualified fourth on debut at St. Petersburg. Though he fell short of a top ten finish, King had six finishes between 11th and 15th in 11 starts. He ran the 2019 Indianapolis 500 and that was it for his foray into IndyCar.
They Were/Are Competitive
105. Giorgio Pantano
104. Agustín Canapino
103. James Davison
102. Louis Foster
Pantano might be one of the greatest "what could have beens" in IndyCar. Prior to reunification, he impressed with Chip Ganassi Racing before Pantano decided to remain in Europe and run GP2, where he won a championship. After that, he was a super-sub in 2011 replacing Justin Wilson at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The finishes didn't necessarily go his way, but Pantano showed incredible speed. He was back with Ganassi at Mid-Ohio in 2012 after Charlie Kimball broke his wrist. Pantano started 24th and finished 14th in what was his final IndyCar outing.
We will wait and see how history remembers Agustín Canapino, but he was 12th in each of his first two races when many didn't think he would come that close to being competitive. He had a handful of other encouraging results. His debut Indianapolis 500 was going well until he was caught in a late accident. The Argentine did make a few errors on his own, and it led to Canapino being pulled with five races remaining in the 2024 season.
Davison was a bit of a firecracker in his eight IndyCar starts, most of which came at the Indianapolis 500. His first two starts were in 2013 with Dale Coyne Racing, and he finished 15th on debut at Mid-Ohio. At the Indianapolis 500, he was 16th in 2014 and 12th in 2019, both lead lap finishes.
Foster's career is still young, but it is somewhat mirroring that of Jordan King's. Foster has made the Fast Six in three races and he has made the second round of qualifying in seven races. Foster has also won a pole position already in his career. That first career top ten finish was been elusive, but he feels close to it.
The Name Helps
101. Kevin Magnussen
Magnussen made one IndyCar start. He filled in for the injured Felix Rosenqvist at McLaren for the 2021 Road America race. Magnussen started 21st but he went forward and led six laps through a pit cycle. Then his car broke down with 22 laps remaining and the promising day was over.
They All Had at Least One Top Ten Finish
100. Sting Ray Robb
99. Sebastián Saavedra
98. A.J. Foyt IV
97. Roberto González
96. Enrique Bernoldi
95. Matheus Leist
Robb hasn't been that great of a driver, but he has a few top ten finishes, mostly down to strategy or attrition. He has at least shown reasonable pace.
Saavedra's best IndyCar moment was his first IndyCar moment, making the 2010 Indianapolis 500 from his hospital bed after a practice accident and Paul Tracy and Jay Howard withdrawing times good enough to make the race. He had a few top ten finishes. He had one Iowa race where he caught fire until he had an accident.
Foyt IV did not come close to matching his grandfather. He did finish fifth at Iowa on pace in 2008. For the most part, it was not a memorable career.
González ran five races over the 2015 season with Dale Coyne Racing. The first four races were not great with finishes of 20th, 21st, 22nd, 18th and 20th. The fifth race saw him finish ninth. It was his final IndyCar start.
Bernoldi had two top five finishes in his first three starts. One was a fourth in the 2008 Long Beach race. In his other 13 starts, he finished in the top fifteen once, a 15th in the Indianapolis 500. Bernoldi is not held in high regard with the fan base after comments belittling the series well after his last race. We have mostly forgotten.
Leist was an Indy Lights driver A.J. Foyt Racing rushed into IndyCar. He took a fourth in the 2019 Grand Prix of Indianapolis as the conditions changed from wet to dry and back to wet, but Leist was hardly a threat over his two seasons. His final start came only two weeks after his 22nd birthday.
They Only Ran the 2008 Grand Prix of Long Beach - Part II
94. Jimmy Vasser
93. David Martínez
Another pair of drivers who technically never ran in a reunified IndyCar. Martínez was eighth and Vasser was tenth at Long Beach. Vasser had not run a race since the 2006 Long Beach race prior to coming back for one more farewell. Martínez had made three starts prior in Champ Car, mostly as a substitute at Forsythe Racing. Martínez would make a few starts in Grand-Am and Indy Lights afterward.
They Ran the 2008 Grand Prix of Long Beach and a Few Other Races
92. Franck Perera
91. Mario Domínguez
90. Franck Montagny
Perera started the first three races of the 2008 season, including Long Beach where he finished sixth. The Frenchman ran nine Indy Lights races later that season and won at Sonoma. He got a ride with A.J. Foyt Racing for the 2008 season finale at Chicagoland and was 15th after running out of fuel. Perera has since had a outstanding sports car career with Lamborghini in GT3 competition.
Domínguez was third in the Long Beach race with Pacific Coast Motorsports, but he was most remembered for attempting to make the 2008 Indianapolis 500 and spinning in turn one on his final qualifying run. He did run six other races that season, finishing 13th at Watkins Glen and he qualified 11th for Sonoma.
Montagny was second to Will Power in the 2008 Long Beach race. Montagy would drive for Andretti Green Racing the following year at Sonoma. He qualified eighth but finished 20th. Five years later, he ran the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis for Andretti, which ended after 47 laps due to an accident. Montagny's career effectively ended after failing a drug test in Formula E in late 2014.
I Don't Know How To Sort These Guys & Gal - Part III
89. Katherine Legge
88. Wade Cunningham
87. Pietro Fittipaldi
86. Stefano Coletti
85. John Andretti
Legge didn't run in a reunified IndyCar until 2012, and she had to suffer with a Lotus engine for her first four races that season. She did end 2012 with a ninth at Fontana. Legge ran the 2013 Indianapolis 500 with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, but she would not run again in IndyCar until 2023. In 2024, she made seven starts with Dale Coyne Racing. Despite the team's lack of pace, she was 15th in the second Milwaukee race.
An outstanding Indy Lights driver, Cunningham started three races in 2011. He qualified eighth for his debut in the first Texas race, but he was caught in an accident. In the second race, he drew second but the backup car was not properly setup for Texas and he finished 26th. At Kentucky, he went from 15th to seventh. His only Indianapolis 500 start was in 2012, and it lasted 42 laps due to electrical issues. Cunningham was a late call-up for the Fontana finale later that season and he finished 14th on short notice.
Fittipaldi qualified tenth for his debut at Phoenix in 2018. Then he was injured in a sports car accident and did not return until July. He did finish ninth at Portland despite not being 100%. The Brazilian would not return to IndyCar until 2021, where he ran three oval races. His best finish was 15th at Texas. It would be another three years until he was full-time in IndyCar. With Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, his best finish was 13th.
Most people likely forget Stefano Coletti ran in IndyCar. His only top ten finish was eighth in the 2015 Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The Monegasque driver had two other top fifteen finishes over the rest of the season. His best finish was 12th at Fontana. Coletti only ran the 2015 season with KV Racing.
Andretti returned to IndyCar competition after nearly 13 years away in 2007. He was a late call-up for Roth Racing at the 2008 Indianapolis 500 where he finished 16th. He ran four other races for the team that season and he was 11th at Iowa. He attempted the Indianapolis 500 in each of the next three years. In 2010, he also raced at Kansas with Andretti Autosport and finished ninth. His final start was the 2011 Indianapolis 500, where Andretti started 17th and finished 22nd, three laps down.
He Won a Race But We Cannot Rank Him That High
84. Carlos Huertas
The only true fluke winner since reunification is Huertas. The Colombian entered the 2014 IndyCar season without much expectation. He had two top ten finishes in his first six starts. In his ninth start, Huertas stretched fuel in a timed race after a wet start for the first race of the Houston doubleheader. Late cautions bled the clock and Huertas held on to win. However, he was found with a fuel cell that was larger than the illegal limit. The only penalty was a fine.
One fewer caution or slightly drier conditions likely means Huertas makes the Dale Coyne quartet above a quintet. His career ended at the 2015 Indianapolis 500. Huertas qualified for the race, but an inner ear condition prevented him from starting the race. He has not competed in any other series since then.
A Few Bright Spots in a Few Starts
83. Robert Shwartzman
82. RC Enerson
Shwartzman has an Indianapolis 500 pole position in his pocket in one of the greatest stunners in the history of qualifying for the "500." He has scored a pair of top ten finishes, both coming on ovals, though he has some work to do.
For a brief moment in 2016, Enerson looked to be a star in the making. Leaving Indy Lights early, he scored three races with Dale Coyne Racing. On debut with Dale Coyne Racing, he was on the verge of a top ten finish until he ran out of fuel coming to pit lane at Mid-Ohio. Then he finished ninth in his second start at Watkins Glen. He would not race again until 2019. In 2021, he ran on the IMS road course and then returned two years later for the Indianapolis 500.
A NASCAR-Heavy Section
81. Jimmie Johnson
80. Kyle Larson
79. Bruno Junquiera
78. Nolan Siegel
77. Kurt Busch
76. A.J. Allmendinger
75. Bertrand Baguette
Johnson's IndyCar tenure will be remembered for struggles on road and street courses and a few good days on ovals when he finally gave them a shot in 2022. He was fifth in an Iowa race, but he still finished outside the top twenty in 16 of 29 starts.
Larson was quick in his Indianapolis 500 debut in 2024. A few errors caused him a better result. In 2025, the speed was not at that same level, and Larson struggled in the middle of the field before spinning in turn two. The weather and his day job in NASCAR were on his mind as he was likely going to be forced to abandon the Indianapolis 500 before the finish to make the Coca-Cola 600 start on time.
Junqueira ran one full season with Dale Coyne Racing in 2008. He had a pair of top ten finishes. He mostly ran at Indianapolis. Twice he was replaced by a driver who was bumped out of the race. In 2010, he ran one of the seven fastest qualifying runs and started 25th only to have an accident seven laps in. His final race was the 2012 Baltimore race after Josef Newgarden was sidelined due to a wrist injury at Sonoma.
Siegel has three top ten finishes in his first 25 starts. There have been brief moments, but Siegel has not been the cleanest driver. He has stepped over the line on a few occasions. McLaren is behind him... for now. Let's check in on in him in a year.
Busch made one IndyCar start. It was the 2014 Indianapolis 500. After starting 12th, Busch ended up finishing sixth. He spent a fair amount of the race outside the top ten, but he got up there as accidents happened ahead of him. Never spent a lap in the top five, but he ran well and saw the checkered flag. A second "500" attempt never came for Busch.
Allmendinger came back in 2013 for a brief stint with Team Penske. He qualified tenth at Barber for his return, but a bad pit stop knocked him back to 19th. He qualified fifth for his Indianapolis 500 debut, and his race was disrupted due to loose seat belts. He rallied to finish seventh, but Allmendinger never had another great day. At Belle Isle, he was swept into two opening lap incidents. He returned for the Fontana finale, started second but was caught in another accident.
Baguette was three laps away from winning the 2011 Indianapolis 500. He wound up finishing seventh. It was his final IndyCar race. He did finish tenth at Kentucky in 2010 after starting sixth. Baguette came in as a Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion. There is another era where he would have stayed in IndyCar and not gone to sports cars. He won in the LMP2 class at Le Mans in 2013 (with Martin Plowman as one of his co-drivers and amazingly neither Baguette nor Plowman has not run at Le Mans since. It remains Plowman's only start in the race) before heading to Japan to race in Super GT, where he won a GT500 championship.
I Guess These Guys Will Go Here
74. Théo Pourchaire
73. Robert Doornbos
72. Tomas Scheckter
McLaren has gone through a few drivers in its brief spell in IndyCar. Pourchaire made his debut on late notice and finished 11th at Long Beach last year. He started to get a hang of things and finished tenth at Detroit. He was preparing for his first oval starts and he was looking forward to racing at Laguna Seca. Then the rug was pulled out from underneath the Frenchman and outside of a late call to substitute for Alexander Rossi at Toronto, he has been absent from the IndyCar grid.
Reunification left Doornbos without a ride in 2008. In 2009, Newman-Haas Racing hired him. The Dutchman had four ninth-place finishes, plus a tenth at Sonoma. He never quite got back to the level of his 2007 Champ Car season where he won a pair of races.
We had to put Scheckter somewhere. Seventy-second looks high but he had a few top ten finishes and a few memorable moments and passes on the outside. He did do it with some of the smaller teams. Luczo-Dragon Racing, Dale Coyne Racing, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Conquest Racing, SH Racing. Not really murder's row, eh?
They All Had at Least One Top Five Finish
71. Tristan Vautier
70. Raphael Matos
69. Paul Tracy
68. Buddy Rice
67. Townsend Bell
66. Zach Veach
65. Max Chilton
64. Darren Manning
63. Kyffin Simpson
62. Gabby Chaves
Vautier has done something with nothing every time he was in an IndyCar. He was the only rookie in 2013 and canned after a year. In 2015, Dale Coyne Racing hired him with Huertas had to step away with his inner ear condition. In three starts, Vautier had a top five finish. He would finish sixth later that year. It would be two years until he was back in a car and he qualified fifth at Texas. It would then be nearly another seven years until his next start, and last year at Detroit, he ran well for a driver coming in and close to zero preparation.
After his success in Indy Lights and Atlantics, I thought Matos was bound to be a force in IndyCar. He had a few top five finishes and his career lasted a little more than five seasons. He has found success in Trans-Am.
After Forsythe Racing did not transition to IndyCar after reunification, Tracy spent the next four years wandering around in one-off entries. He had a few good days, but never got close to victory. His best race post-reunification might have come driving for Tony George and Vision Racing at Edmonton in 2008. Imagine that.
Rice ran the 2008 season with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing where he had seven top ten finishes and he was fourth at Watkins Glen. He did not race again until 2011. He qualified seventh for the Indianapolis 500 before finishing 18th. He was ninth at Kentucky later that year. He started the abandoned Las Vegas finale and never attempted an IndyCar race after that.
Bell mostly ran the Indianapolis 500 only post-reunification. He did have a good run in his few races with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 2008. His best finish was fourth in 2009 Indianapolis 500. He had a car capable of winning the 2016 "500" but collided with Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay in the pit lane. It was Bell's final IndyCar start.
Veach had good moments, mostly on ovals, but his overall form wasn't enough for him to continue beyond his 47th career start in 2020. He was only 25 years old when he made his final start.
Chilton did ok driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, and he led the most laps in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 after cautions mixed up the pit cycle. However, Chilton is a great example that the drivers at the back of the Formula One grid are not going to waltz into IndyCar and dogwalk the competition. Chilton did good, but let's not mistake that for great.
Manning ran the entire 2008 season with A.J. Foyt Racing and took a surprise runner-up finish at Watkins Glen, one of seven top ten finishes that season. He ran two races with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2009 and he finished eighth at St. Petersburg. That was it for Manning. He was a character that IndyCar could use now. Sneaky good at television.
Simpson has made big strides in his sophomore season, showing more speed and scoring legitimate top ten finishes. He has also picked up a podium finish and a top five mostly because strategy fell his way. It has been a promising period for the Caymanian driver.
Chaves was about five laps away from winning in his rookie season at Pocono in 2015. After one full season, he spent the next three seasons bouncing around. He scored sensational results with upstart Harding Racing in 2017, finishing ninth in the Indianapolis 500 and fifth at Texas. Avoiding a few accidents likely boosted those results, and gave Harding Racing owner Mike Harding the wrong impression. Chaves was the full-time driver when the team elevated itself to IndyCar in 2018. They never recreated the magic of 2017. Chaves was replaced for a few races and he hasn't run an IndyCar race since Portland 2018.
They All Had at Least One Top Five Finish - Part II
61. Alex Lloyd
60. Mario Moraes
59. James Jakes
58. Oliver Askew
57. Sage Karam
56. Jack Harvey
55. Conor Daly
54. E.J. Viso
53. Christian Rasmussen
52. Callum Ilott
Who was responsible for Dale Coyne Racing's first top five finish in the Indianapolis 500? That was Lloyd, who was fourth in the 2010 race, largely because of stretching fuel. Lloyd was incredible in Indy Lights. The opportunity never really came in IndyCar. He left dissuaded after Dan Wheldon's accident in 2011. Lloyd was another good personality that would have worked on television.
Moraes came out of nowhere in 2008 with Dale Coyne Racing. From 14th in the British Formula Three championship to IndyCar. He learned a lot in his rookie season and with KV Racing in 2009, he became competitive, scoring three consecutive top five finishes at one point, including a third at Chicagoland. Results dipped in 2010 and Moraes was out of IndyCar at 21 year old.
James Jakes had two podium finishes in his IndyCar career. His rookie season was rough with Dale Coyne Racing in 2011 (Dale Coyne Racing might be responsible for 40% of the drivers on this list making their debuts). However, he did a little better at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He did sit out the entire 2014 season before Schmidt Peterson Motorsports hired him for 2015. Jakes was third at the infamous NOLA Motorsports Park race. Outside of that, he never really made much waves.
For about six races, Oliver Askew looked like he was going to be a star. Three top ten finishes. A podium at Iowa. Askew was holding his own at Arrow McLaren SP against Patricio O'Ward. Then he suffered a concussion in the Indianapolis 500, raced with it after it sounded like he was pressured into racing, and was soon let go. Askew did well in a few opportunities filling in for the injured Rinus VeeKay at Road America in 2021 and with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing later that year, but no one gave him a serious second opportunity. He almost feels like he was blackballed from IndyCar.
Karam's rookie season saw sparks of promise and errors of youth. Unfortunately, he did those with Chip Ganassi racing. Strong days at Iowa and Pocono, leading before he spun exiting turn one, left him destined to be an Indianapolis 500-only entrant for the rest of his career, where he didn't always score the best results. He had some good news, but not enough for anyone to give him another break.
At Meyer Shank Racing, Harvey took a new team and had it fighting at the front when few expected it. The pairing struggled for consistency as MSR became a full-time operation. Harvey moved to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing but could never find that higher level.
Daly has driven for everyone but Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing (and Prema, though they just joined the series) in IndyCar. He has gone from full-time to part-time and back to full-time. Though he had podium finishes with Dale Coyne Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing, he has never been able to put up consistent enough results to draw a bigger opportunity.
Viso was fourth in his second career start with HVM Racing at St. Petersburg in 2008. He tore up his fair amount of equipment between HVM and KV Racing. It led to a year at Andretti Autosport where he ran respectably well, but after 2013, he was gone. Just as the Venezuelan petroleum dollars dried up.
Rasmussen has been on a surge in his sophomore season in 2025 with great finishes on ovals and results starting to come on road and street courses. It could be Ed Carpenter Racing has taken a step forward. There is a lot of time to see where Rasmussen shakes out.
Ilott's record isn't stellar, but he has done more with less driving for Juncos Hollinger Racing and Prema. If he had been made available earlier in the 2023 offseason, there is a good chance McLaren would have signed Ilott from the start. In his two starts with the organization in place of the injured David Malukas, Ilott was 11th both times. It is surprising a bigger team has not signed him.
Let's Remember How Big of a Deal This Was
51. Fernando Alonso
Alonso's first Indianapolis 500 start remains staggering to think about. Remember, it wasn't announced until April 12, 2017, just over a month before the start of practice! That was a Wednesday between the Chinese Grand Prix and the Bahrain Grand Prix, the second and third rounds of the Formula One season. It took everyone by surprise. Over two million people watched his rookie orientation test on a YouTube live stream. This has been IndyCar's apex since reunification.
Alonso blew us all away in 2017. He was one of the fastest cars as Andretti Autosport was the top team that year. If it wasn't for an engine failure in the closing laps, he would have finished in the top ten, maybe the top five. Of course, Alonso and McLaren's failed attempt in 2019 is stuff of legend as the mighty organization could not beat Juncos Racing. It is almost forgotten that Alonso returned in 2020 and competed in the race behind closed doors. Only 33 cars showed up, so he was locked into the field, but the car was never competitive, and he finished a lap down in 21st.
We Have to Start the Top 50 Somewhere
50. Luca Filippi
49. Rubens Barrichello
48. Simona de Silvestro
47. Alex Tagliani
A strong driver in GP2, Filippi was constantly teased as a potential full-time IndyCar driver. He ran some races with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing before a chance as the road/street course driver in the #20 Chevrolet with Ed Carpenter driving the ovals. Filippi was second at Toronto in 2015 behind teammate Josef Newgarden. He had a brief run with Dale Coyne Racing, but he only made one oval start in his career, Phoenix in 2016. The full-time chance never came and it has been nearly a decade since his last start.
I really wonder how well Barrichello would have done in a second year of IndyCar. In his only season, he had two top five finishes and seven top ten results in 2012. He had good days on ovals as well. The only race he had an accident with Long Beach. He could have been a race winner had he stayed.
De Silvestro was always driving the oldest cars on the grid or a Lotus. She performed better than most would have at HVM and pushed Tony Kanaan for a podium spot at St. Petersburg in 2011. With KV Racing in 2013, she was a semi-regular in the top ten and even was second at Houston. Sadly, poor business decisions with her sponsors led her to be a Sauber affiliated driver in Formula One, which was little more than driving a two-year-old car in testing. Shew as dropped in less than a year and never got another firm chance at IndyCar right when she was knocking on the door of being a contender.
Tagliani had big speed at Indianapolis and a few other ovals, but he rarely performed better than the car. I am still surprised of all the drivers Chip Ganassi called to substitute for Dario Franchitti in the 2013 finale, he went with Tagliani, a driver who I think we all knew never had a shot at the full-time gig.
Everyone From Here Had at Least One Podium Finish
46. Jack Hawksworth
45. Spencer Pigot
44. Hideki Mutoh
43. Linus Lundqvist
42. Vitor Meira
Hawksworth fells like a driver that got away. He did great with Bryan Herta Autosport and he led a fair amount of the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He took a ride at A.J. Foyt Racing as the team expanded to two cars, but the machines were never there to let Hawksworth shine. He has found a home with Lexus' GT program in IMSA.
Pigot slowly gain an opportunity at Ed Carpenter Racing and had good days, but he might have joined the team about two years too late. He had a runner-up finish at Iowa and another strong run at Portland, but he never got a second opportunity after ECR. He ran two races in 2020 with a third car for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and he has not raced again since his accident at the end of that year's Indianapolis 500.
Mutoh was a darling of Honda and after finishing eighth in the 2007 finale at Chicagoland, he got a chance with Andretti Autosport. He ran well over two seasons with a fair number of top five results, but he was soon dropped though he was tenth and 11th in the championship in his two seasons. He spent another year at Newman-Haas Racing when it was on its last legs. His final race was the 2011 Motegi race.
It was an extended wait for Lundqvist to get his first IndyCar opportunity, but he turned enough heads in a three-race audition at Meyer Shank Racing that Chip Ganassi Racing plucked him for the 2024 season. He had two podium finishes, won a pole position and was then kicked to the curb where his career remains in limbo.
Famous for being the driver with the most runner-up finishes without a victory, only one of those came for Meira post-reunification. That was the 2008 Indianapolis 500. He got the most out of the Panther Racing entry before he was kicked to the curb. A back injury cost him the 2009 season but he returned in 2010 to finish third in his first race back at São Paulo. Sadly, Panther Racing to A.J. Foyt Racing was a slight step back. It is surprising Meira never got another shot after 2011, not even a one-off at Indianapolis where he ran well.
They Came Close to Victories But Didn't Win
41. David Malukas
40. Ed Jones
39. Mikhail Aleshin
38. Marcus Armstrong
37. Santino Ferrucci
36. J.R. Hildebrand
35. Oriol Serviá
Malukas went on a charge late at Gateway in 2022 but fell short. He had another strong day at Gateway in 2023. The Illinoian has these occasional good days mixed in with his otherwise anonymous results. His qualifying record is better than his racing record. That is something that might need to be flipped.
At Dale Coyne Racing, Jones was stunning in his rookie year, and was third in the Indianapolis 500 in 2017. Chip Ganassi Racing hired him, but Jones was Ganassi's third option after Felix Rosenqvist could get out of his Formula E contract, and Brendon Hartley was snagged somewhat abruptly for a Toro Rosso seat in Formula One. Jones did well but not well enough for Ganassi. He became the #20 Chevrolet's road/street course driver where results were averaged. Another year at Coyne came in 2021, but that was all he got.
Aleshin nearly won at Pocono in 2016 after starting on pole position. He also was runner-up in the second race of the 2014 Houston doubleheader. Though he had good speed, results were too erratic for Aleshin to establish himself in IndyCar. Plus, Russian financing issues.
Armstrong has been rather strong in his two-plus seasons in IndyCar between Chip Ganassi Racing and Meyer Shank Racing. He has finished on the podium for both teams, most recently third at Iowa a few weeks ago. It is hard to fathom his future is in doubt, but this is IndyCar! Who said talent gets you anything?
Ferrucci has made a name for himself on ovals while his road/street course results aren't the greatest but not the worst either. He has yet to put a wheel wrong on an oval, and he has been in the picture for victory, including in the Indianapolis 500, but he has yet to breakthrough.
It isn't just the 2011 Indianapolis 500 where Hildebrand nearly won. At Iowa in 2017, Hildebrand was ahead of Hélio Castroneves after the final pit cycle. While cutting through traffic, Castroneves passed Hildebrand and went on to win. Hildebrand was second. He ran well at Indianapolis practical every year he started, but it has been three years since his last start.
Servià thinks he won a race. The 2011 Loudon race was nearly his after IndyCar made the unwise choice to restart a race as it began to rain. Officials reverted back to results prior to that restart, giving Ryan Hunter-Reay a victory while Servià was dropped to second. Servià was fourth that year in the championship with Newman-Haas Racing behind only Dario Franchitti, Will Power and Scott Dixon.
They Won a Race... Where Were You Going to Put Them?
34. Charlie Kimball
33. Danica Patrick
32. Marco Andretti
It isn't as simple as all the winners go ahead of all non-winners. I already ranked Carlos Huertas as 84th. I don't think IndyCar has had many non-winners since reunification that were great. A lot of them were good, but not great.
Am I really going to rank Hildebrand or Servià over Danica Patrick, who only won once but was sixth, fifth, tenth and tenth in the championship in her four full seasons post-reunification? Even Marco Andretti had a top five championship finish post-reunification. Kimball's best championship finish was ninth, but he had respectable results along with one victory after beating Simon Pagenaud straight up at Mid-Ohio in 2013.
They Won a Race But You Likely Aren't As Bent Out of Shape With Them Being This High
31. Ed Carpenter
30. Felix Rosenqvist
29. Rinus VeeKay
28. Carlos Muñoz
After the 2013 season, Carpenter became an oval-only driver. It paid off for a short period of time. There were a few Indianapolis 500s where he was in the conversation but didn't come out on top. He did win with Sarah Fisher Racing and his own team, an owner-driver at a time when it was unheard of in IndyCar. When IndyCar reunified, I doubt anyone thought Carpenter would win one race let along win three of them.
Rosenqvist came on strong with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019. He won in his sophomore season and then jumped to Arrow McLaren, allowing Álex Palou to take over in the #10 Honda. How often do you wonder if Rosenqvist regrets that decision? The Swede has been quick, but that one victory from Road America is all that remains on his résumé.
VeeKay won young and then did his best at Ed Carpenter Racing when the team stumbled down the grid. Last year, he ended on a high note but was still shown the door. This year, VeeKay has been excelling at Dale Coyne Racing. His future should still be in IndyCar.
Carlos Muñoz has one of the best track records at Indianapolis Motor Speedway of all-time. It is criminal he never got another call after 2018. His only race victory was in a rain-shortened Belle Isle race but after Muñoz played the right strategy on tires. He really needed to win one race on pure pace to secure himself a spot on the grid for the long-term.
A Sandwich With Two Non-Winners
27. Romain Grosjean
26. Christian Lundgaard
25. Robert Wickens
Grosjean had six runner-up finishes in his brief time in IndyCar, and it is a little surprising he didn't win at least once. He nearly did as a rookie in 2021 with Dale Coyne Racing. If tire strategy goes a different way in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, we are likely telling a different story. At Andretti Autosport, Grosjean again showed good pace, but couldn't quite breakthrough for victory. He also had a tendency to step over the line and throwaway results. Grosjean did ok at Juncos Hollinger Racing, but he is now a Prema reserve driver and future opportunities at victories appear to be low.
At Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Lundgaard stormed on the scene and lifted the team up the grid. The Dane put RLLR in more competitive positions and he capitalized with a victory at Toronto in 2023. At Arrow McLaren, Lundgaard has remained a front-runner, but that second victory has just been out of his grasp, though he remains close.
Though Wickens only competed in one season in IndyCar, he left such an impression before his accident at Pocono. He nearly won on debut. He nearly won four times in his first 14 starts. We will never know what IndyCar would look like had Wickens not been injured nearly seven years ago, but he likely still be a name we are talking about on a weekly basis. Despite his paralysis, Wickens has resumed his career in sports car racing.
Winners From Here on Out
24. Mike Conway
23. Justin Wilson
22. Ryan Briscoe
21. James Hinchcliffe
20. Graham Rahal
19. Takuma Sato
18. Kyle Kirkwood
17. Marcus Ericsson
Many thought Conway ended his IndyCar career when he decided to step away from oval races at the end of 2012. Instead, it gave his career new life. He won in his first weekend with Dale Coyne Racing at Belle Isle in 2013. That led to a shot at Ed Carpenter Racing where he won twice in 2014. Conway's sports car career with Toyota took off simultaneously and he focused his attention with Toyota, leaving IndyCar behind.
Wilson was responsible for Newman-Haas Racing's final IndyCar victory at Belle Isle in 2008. He was responsible for Dale Coyne Racing' first victory at Watkins Glen in 2009 (and then its second at Texas in 2012). Wilson made the most of the equipment given. That big break never gave, but the gentle giant scored fantastic results others could have only dreamed of achieving.
Spending most of his time with Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing, Briscoe won seven times in his IndyCar career, all at Penske. He had a hand on the championship in 2009, but one bobble exiting pit lane at Motegi opened the door and Dario Franchitti stormed through. Briscoe never got closer to a title.
Hinchcliffe won in bunches with Andretti Autosport before winning with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. He overcame a few injuries to have a respectable career, but Hinchcliffe never quite got over that hump. After the 2021 season, he turned his attention to the broadcast booth.
Rahal nearly won a title out of nowhere in 2015 as a single-car team. It has been just over eight years since his most recent victory, but Rahal has remained resilient, and since 2008 he has been a regular top ten finisher.
Sato stands out for his two Indianapolis 500 victories and he handful of others, but he finished in the top ten in less than 35% of his starts. He never finished better than eighth in the championship. Sato had his great moments, but he built a reputation of going beyond the limit, and it hurt him more than it helped.
This year is only Kirkwood's fifth in IndyCar, but he has developed into a regular threat and he has already won five times in his career with no signs of him slowing down. After being a street course ace, he won at Gateway earlier this year. A future championship contender is in our midsts.
Ericsson has had good consistency in his IndyCar career, and he has won a handful of races mostly through advantageous circumstances. At Chip Ganassi Racing, he did a good job bringing home top finishes, but we haven't seen him have a dominant day in IndyCar despite having won an Indianapolis 500.
The Top 10%
16. Dan Wheldon
It is a little hard to believe Wheldon is this high but in his three full seasons post-reunification he was ranked fourth, ninth and tenth, and those final two years were with Panther Racing. In 53 starts, he finished in the top ten in over 60% of them. Along with his victory in the 2011 Indianapolis 500, he was runner-up in the previous two years.
15. Tony Kanaan
Kanaan remained a front-runner with Andretti Autosport in the immediate aftermath of reunification. He continued to run well at KV Racing and won his Indianapolis 500 with the team in 2013. He had good results at Chip Ganassi Racing, but never quite got back to the mountaintop.
14. Scott McLaughlin
Moving from Supercars after hardly ever driving a single-seater, McLaughlin leaped into IndyCar and it took a season for him to get a handle on it, but after that he has become a regular front-runner and has won on every track discipline with seven total victories in his career.
13. Colton Herta
Herta won in his third career start. Since then, he has been competitive and won some impressive races in wet and dry conditions, though he has yet to put together a full season to compete for a championship. Herta has already won nine times in his career. The potential remains there but that breakthrough must come sooner rather than later.
12. Juan Pablo Montoya
For the longest time it felt like Montoya was never going to return to IndyCar competition. In 2014, he joined Team Penske after a stint in NASCAR, and it did not take him long to win. He was one point away from winning the championship in 2015, a year that saw him claim his second Indianapolis 500 victory. Despite over a decade removed from IndyCar competition, Montoya showed he is still one of the greatest talents of his generation.
11. Sébastien Bourdais
Though he won six races post-reunification and did it all driving for mid-pack teams, the most impressive thing Bourdais did after 2008 in IndyCar was finish ninth with a Lotus at Barber Motorsports Park in 2012. I nearly put him in the top ten for that alone.
10. Alexander Rossi
Rossi took an unexpected victory as a rookie in the 100th Indianapolis 500. He slowly grew into a championship contender only for it to slip from his hands in 2018. For a period, every Rossi victory was a beatdown. Since 2020, he has been a shadow of his former self and is now at Ed Carpenter Racing.
9. Patricio O'Ward
Nine victories in 103 starts, O'Ward has lived up to the expectations set from the Road to Indy. He has found a knack for speed on ovals, and he has come close to winning the Indianapolis 500 on a pair of occasions. He had a shot at the title in 2021, and technically still has a shot this season.
8. Hélio Castroneves
Post-reunification, Catorneves won two more Indianapolis 500s to join the four-timers club. An excellent season in 2008 left him narrowly close to a championship, and he was the championship leader with three races remaining in the 2013 season only for it to be fumbled on the goal line. Outside of 2011, where he was 11th, Castroneves finished in the championship top five in nine of his ten full seasons post-reunification.
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay
Hunter-Reay saw a career resurgence during reunification as he went from unemployed after Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing pulled out of IndyCar to Andretti Autosport and lifted the team through rough times. In 2012, he pulled off a comeback to take the title from Will Power in the final race. Two years later, Hunter-Reay won one of the greatest Indianapolis 500s ever.
6. Simon Pagenaud
A model of consistency, Pagenaud seldom put a wheel wrong. He was a championship contender at Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports, which led to a Team Penske opportunity. It took him a year, but after getting his bearings Pagenaud became a champion. He would later win the Indianapolis 500. Sadly, his career was cut short after an accident at Mid-Ohio two years ago.
5. Will Power
Power went through the highs and the lows post-reunification. For a while, he stood out for all the championship lost despite numerous of race victories and pole positions. Then he had his day came, and he is now a two-time champion with an Indianapolis 500 to boot, while also holding the record for most pole positions in IndyCar history.
4. Josef Newgarden
A two-time champion and a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Newgarden took Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing and Ed Carpenter Racing to the top level of IndyCar. At Team Penske, he immediately became a champion and continued his winning ways on each track discipline, but he has become renown for his oval prowess.
3. Dario Franchitti
It has been over a decade since Franchitti's career ended after an accident in the penultimate race of the 2013 season in Houston. Franchitti wasn't even on the grid for reunification. He was trying NASCAR in 2008. The following year he returned and went on to win three consecutive championships. In the middle of that, he won two more Indianapolis 500s. He finished in the top five in over 60% of his starts post-reunification, the only driver to have that high of a top five finish percentage.
2. Álex Palou
We are on the verge of Palou's fourth championship and his third consecutive. Not to mention he has had the greatest season post-reunification this year with eight victories and he has a chance at snatching the record for most victories in a season. He hasn't even made 100 starts in his career, and Palou has won 19 times with 41 podium finishes. He is only in his sixth season in IndyCar, and Palou is already one of the greatest the series has ever seen.
1. Scott Dixon
There was only one correct answer, though when we get to the 400th post-reunification race spectacular we will likely see at least a flip between #2 and #1. Dixon has won six championships post-reunification, including the first championship after everyone came together. He won 48 times in 298 starts post-reunification (remember, he couldn't start the Long Beach race in 2008, so he has started every race he possibly could since reunification). Every season, there is a Scott Dixon moment that stands out. Pretty much every other season, he does something that leaves us floored. He has been here the entire time, and it has been special getting to see him at his best.
We are about to finish our 18th season with a single IndyCar Series. It is not perfect, but I think we can agree it is better than having open-wheel racing's highest level in North America separated. The series has improved over these nearly two decades. The racing has been rather good everywhere. We saw street races we sneered turn into some of the most anticipated races. The Indianapolis 500 evolved into a race we had never seen before. We have had champions from Formula One, NASCAR, Supercars and sports cars come to IndyCar to compete. There was a period where that wasn't happening and it never seemed likely to happen again.
IndyCar has things it must work on, but let's acknowledge the work that has been done and the steps that have been made over the last 18 years. It is a reminder that progress can be achieved.
