The race to 300 is officially on, and it is a statistical footnote that is going to mean everything to whoever finally crosses the line first. Major U.S. open-wheel racing dates all the way back to June 12, 1909, when Portland, Oregon hosted three separate road races on a Saturday. Howard Covey took the very first victory in a Cadillac, covering a tiny three-lap distance at an average speed of less than 56 mph. That happened to be the only race Covey ever won, but it started a historic lineage.
Since then, 299 different drivers have added their names to the winners list, from early pioneers like Ray Harroun, Ralph DePalma, Earl Cooper, and Tommy Milton, through the roadster era legends like A.J. Foyt and Parnelli Jones, to modern icons like Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Will Power, Josef Newgarden, and Alex Palou. The most recent driver to join that exclusive club was Christian Rasmussen with his 2025 win at Milwaukee. Now, everyone is watching to see who becomes the 300th.
David Malukas stands out as the best statistical bet. Across five seasons in the series, he has racked up six runner-up finishes, which notably includes finishing second at the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge for the past two years. Now driving for Team Penske, the winningest team in the sport's history, he has all the tools needed to break through. This year alone, Malukas secured four second-place and two third-place finishes while leading 282 laps, making him the top non-winner in the standings.
Kyffin Simpson is another driver in a prime position, racing for Chip Ganassi Racing alongside five-time and reigning series champion Alex Palou and three-time race winner Christian Lundgaard. Though Simpson has a different record across his three seasons, having that calibre of teammate to learn from makes him one to watch. Meanwhile, Marcus Armstrong came agonizingly close on multiple occasions this year, leading the "500" coming to the white flag before a wild final lap battle, and later losing the lead due to a mechanical failure just five laps from the finish at the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America. Next year, Armstrong will team up with Mick Schumacher at Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian.
Other contenders are knocking loudly on the door. Louis Foster of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing grabbed his second career NTT P1 Award at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham, leading 32 laps before pit stops and a late crash into the barrier ended his day. Romain Grosjean nearly grabbed his first series victory at that same Markham event, leading 28 laps for Dale Coyne Racing before Marcus Ericsson of Andretti Global passed him with five laps remaining, leaving Grosjean with his sixth career second-place finish as he awaits a confirmed seat for next season. Conor Daly, owner of two career podium finishes including a 2024 run at Milwaukee Mile, is also locked in for a full-time campaign in 2027 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's new full-season Honda entry.
The battle to enter the record books will resume when the 2027 season kicks off on Sunday, March 7 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, with all races broadcast live on FOX.
