Ranking the most overrated IndyCar drivers of the last 5 years

The 2025 IndyCar season is edging towards the finale with just three races left in the season. Alex Palou has been the dominant force this season, much like he has been since joining Chip Ganassi Racing. While drivers like Palou have impressed, some others have failed to live up to the hype built around them.

Let's have a look at the five drivers who have underperformed on the basis of their performance in the last five years in the IndyCar series. It doesn't necessarily mean the drivers who have performed unacceptably, but rather those who have failed to live up to the expectations based on factors like experience, team, and their performance.

Top five most overrated IndyCar drivers of the last five years

#5 Kyffin Simpson

Kyffin Simpson has only been in IndyCar for two seasons, and some might consider it unfair to put him on a list like this. However, what stands out is the fact that Simpson is signed to a top team like Chip Ganassi Racing.

AUTO: JUL 25 INDYCAR Java House Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

The youngster completed his first test with CGR in 2023, before being announced as the driver to partner Alex Palou and Scott Dixon for the 2024 season. Despite having experienced teammates to support him and a championship-winning car, Simpson has failed to impress with his performances.

The 20-year-old only has one podium and a Top-five finish in two seasons. While Palou is set to win the championship this season, Simpson has only finished inside the Top 10 on five occasions.

#4 Sting Ray Robb

Sting Ray Robb has been in IndyCar for three seasons now. Although unlike Kyffin Simpson, Robb hasn't gotten a drive with a top team, he raced for AJ Foyt Racing in 2024, where his teammate Santino Ferrucci outperformed him by quite a margin.

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Sting Ray Robb has participated in 49 races till now, and has only finished in the Top-10 twice, with no podium or any Top-five results to his name, and has been outperformed by all his teammates. Robb’s best championship finish is 20th, which came last year.

#3 Conor Daly

Conor Daly has been racing on and off as a part-time and full-time driver in IndyCar since the 2013 season. Daly has driven for seven different teams in the last five years, and the inconsistency has led to a few of his struggles, including the performance.

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However, the results in comparison to the experience that Daly has put him in this list. He hasn't finished higher than 17th in the championship in the last five years. Between 2021 and 2024, Daly finished in the Top 10 only six times (three of which were Indy 500). While 2025 has been better with three Top 10 finishes already, it's been nothing to write home about.

#2 Graham Rahal

Graham Rahal is an IndyCar veteran who's raced in the series for nearly two decades now, with his father Bobby Rahal owning the team. Yet, the performances have been disappointing in the last five years, given the experience Rahal has.

109th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 - Practice and Previews - Source: Getty

While the RLL car hasn't been anywhere near as good as the top performers, Graham's performances haven't been anything spectacular either. He currently sits 19th in the championship and has failed to make the championship Top 10 in the last three years.

Rahal hasn't scored a single Top-five finish in the last two years, and has only been on the podium twice in the last five years.

#1 Alexander Rossi

Alexander Rossi won the Indy 500 in his debut IndyCar season and finished as the championship runner-up in 2018. However, he has failed to live up to the expectations in the last five years despite driving for top teams throughout.

Rossi raced for Andretti in 2021 and 2022 before moving to Arrow McLaren for the next two seasons and eventually joining Ed Carpenter Racing for the current season.

During his time at Andretti and McLaren between 2021 and 2024, Rossi didn't finish any higher than ninth in the championship. Although he managed to win a race and score a handful of podiums, Rossi was beaten by his less-experienced teammates in the same machinery.