Kyffin Simpson completed the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 in twenty-first place after taking the checkered flag on board the #4 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. The 19-year-old Caymanian driver was the third-highest placed rookie in the finishing order, and became the youngest driver to lead a racing lap in the historic 500-mile race.
Following a lengthy rain delay, the action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway got underway at 4:44pm to commence the 200-lap event. Simpson and the Journie Rewards team had to contend with an early setback as the #4 car suffered a slow leak on the left-rear tire, putting him one lap down within the opening quarter of the race.
They fought back hard, utilizing the numerous cautions throughout the race in order to make up ground and return on the lead lap, opting for an alternative pit stop sequence strategy to aid them in catching back up to the main pack.
Simpson’s efforts were supported by lead engineer Danielle Shepherd, strategist Chris Wheeler, and driver coach Sebastian Bourdais, who provided insights and kept him informed throughout the race. Simpson drove cleanly, avoiding trouble on the multiple race restarts, with a total of eight cautions throughout the running, the most since 2017.
As the sun was lowering over Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Simpson clocked in some of his fastest times of the race in the remaining 20 laps. With 16 laps to go, Kyffin became one of the 18 drivers to lead a lap on Sunday, shortly before coming down pit lane for his final pit stop.
When reflecting on his performance in his first INDY 500, Simpson said:
“It was a decent race, I’m pretty happy with it. The team did an awesome job with everything. We had a puncture early on, which put us a lap down and in a tough position, but we just focused on trying to keep working our way forward as others experienced issues too. We ended up back on the lead lap and the team did a great job, which is the important thing. I learned a lot from this race, and we’ll make progress moving forward.”
“I want to thank the whole #4 Journie Rewards Honda crew for their hard work this month. We’re gaining speed every weekend and I can’t wait to hit the track again in Detroit.”
Simpson now sets his sights on the upcoming Detroit Grand Prix, taking place in the heart of the Motor City on June 2nd.
Fans can follow Kyffin’s progress via Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and Threads.
Kyffin is an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver for Chip Ganassi Racing. He is supported by Journie Rewards, Ridgeline Lubricants, Visit Cayman Islands, Boddens Legal, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, and Simpson Race Products.
