5 active drivers with the most IndyCar career starts ft. Graham Rahal

The 2025 IndyCar season is all set to kick off on Sunday, March 2 in the streets of St. Petersburg, and is arguably the most prestigious open-wheel racing in America. The first-ever IndyCar race was in 1909 in Portland, Oregon, with Howard Covey emerging as the winner.

2025 will mark the 114th season of Indycar, with Alex Palou looking to defend his Championship, while Josef Newgarden will hope to retain his Indianapolis 500 championship.

With drivers such as Scott Dixon, Graham Rahal, and Alexander Rossi expected to vie for the championship this season, here are the top five drivers with most IndyCar career starts:

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1. Scott Dixon - 402 race starts

NTT IndyCar Series Genesys 300 - Source: Getty

Scott Dixon drives the #9 for Chip Ganassi Racing and will participate in his 24th season with the team, making it the longest-running partnership between a driver and a team in history. He has 402 starts under his belt so far, ranking him No. 1 on this list. Last season, he finished in 6th place with 456 points.

Dixon started his career with karting and clinched two championship titles in the New Zealand Formula Vee series before moving to Dayton Indy Lights series in North America.

He joined Chip Ganassi Racing in 2002 before winning the championship the following year and becoming the third driver to win the championship in their debut IndyCar season. However, he went winless during the 2004 season and won only once in 2005.

In 2008, he went on to win Indy500 and claim his second IndyCar title. At present, he holds the record for the most wins at 58 wins among active drivers.

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2. Will Power - 302 race starts

NTT IndyCar Series GMR Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Will Power races the #12 for Team Penske and will enter his 21st Indycar season this year. Last season, he ended up in 4th place with 498 points, and has a total of 302 race starts, putting him at second place on the list.

He is a two-time IndyCar champion as well as an Indianapolis 500 winner (2018). Holding the record of 70 career pole positions in IndyCar history, he has also bagged 44 race wins, putting him fourth on the all-time winners list.

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3. Graham Rahal - 292 race starts

NTT IndyCar Series PPG 375 - Practice - Source: Getty

Graham Rahal races for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team co-owned by his father, Bobby Rahal. Graham has won six IndyCar races and is also the second youngest driver to win an Indycar race. He made his debut in the series in 2007 at the age of 18 and has 292 race starts under his belt as of now.

Rahal ended the 2024 season with 251 points, finishing in 18th place in the standings.

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4. Josef Newgarden - 215 race starts

The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Josef Newgarden is fourth on the list with 215 race starts. He made his debut in 2012 with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing and currently drives the #2 car for Team Penske. A two-time Indycar champion and a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, 2025 marks Newgarden's 14th season in the series and ninth under the banner of Team Penske.

Newgarden has an impressive 31 career wins and also holds the record for the most laps led by a winner during his Iowa win in 2016. He finished the last season in 8th place with a total of 401 points.

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5. Alexander Rossi -147 race starts

Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Alexander Rossi is an American racing driver and is fifth on this list with 147 Indycar career starts. He will drive the #21 for Ed Carpenter Racing and made his debut during the 2016 season at St. Petersburg. Notably, Rossi went on to win the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 the same year and became the first rookie to win the Indy 500 since 2001, and the first American driver to win in his debut since 1928.

Rossi ended his 2024 season with 366 points and finished in 10th place in the standings. This year will mark his 10th season in the IndyCar series.