Caymanian racecar driver Kyffin Simpson will race in his third consecutive appearance at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, 24 May.
Competing at the 110th running of the race described as ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’ the 21-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing driver is one of 33 drivers who will heed the famous “Gentlemen, start your engines” command.
At 19 years old, Simpson made his Indianapolis 500 debut on 26 May 2024, rewriting the history books as the youngest participant in the field and the first-ever Caribbean racer to compete in the event, ultimately placing 21st out of 33 drivers.
Returning on 25 May 2025, Simpson showed immense resilience when faced with severe adversity.
Simpson walked away unharmed from a significant, airborne single-car crash during ‘Fast Friday’ practice followed by his race day being cut short by a separate, multi-car incident.
Now back for his third attempt, the INDY NXT graduate is heading into the weekend with serious momentum.
During qualifying last weekend, Simpson locked in his No. 8 Honda into the seventh position on the grid – averaging 230.833 mph during his four qualifying laps – putting him right in the mix on the inside of Row 3. Last year’s Indy 500 winner and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Spaniard Alex Palou, earned the pole position for this year’s race as the fastest qualifier, while the third racer on the Ganassi team, New Zealander Sir Scott Dixon, will start out in the fourth row in the 10th position.
“This is the biggest race of the year for us, so it’s a lot of prep that goes into it,” Simpson said. “We’ve been having practice all last week on the track, and we had qualifying this past weekend where we [got a] pretty solid starting spot.
“The team did a great job, and the car’s feeling good. Going into this week, we’re just putting the finishing touches on it and getting ready for the race on Sunday,” he added.
Representing both the Cayman Islands and the wider Caribbean on motorsport’s biggest stage remains a deeply significant driving force for Simpson.
“It’s a huge honour for me,” he said. “I’m not just the first driver from the Cayman Islands; I’m also the first driver from anywhere in the Caribbean, so it’s great to be able to represent the whole Caribbean like that, and especially Cayman.”
Additional reporting by Compass TV’s Tobi Brennan
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