Kyffin Simpson will enter the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season as a potential breakout star.

The Cayman Islands native (photo above with Dario Franchitti) didn’t arrive on the INDYCAR SERIES scene with an extensive open-wheel résumé. In 2021, he made 16 USF Pro 2000 starts, recording three podiums, all third-place finishes and one additional top-five result. He then spent two seasons in INDY NXT by Firestone, finishing ninth and 10th in the championship standings. Over 27 starts, he earned two podiums and six top-five finishes.

While Simpson also competed in sports cars, notably capturing an LMP2 class win at the 2023 12 Hours of Sebring with Tower Motorsports, his jump from the junior ranks into a Chip Ganassi Racing seat was widely seen as a bold, even risky, move.

Yet in just two INDYCAR SERIES seasons, Simpson has begun to reward that faith and in 2025, he turned heads.

Simpson ended the season battling Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin for the final podium spot in the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway. Though McLaughlin passed him on the final lap to take third, it was a defining performance for the 21-year-old.

“That kid raced me with a lot of respect,” McLaughlin said. “He's getting better every week. That was probably my best oval battle ever.”

Even Simpson seemed taken aback by the moment.

“To be in the top five, battling for a podium with Scott McLaughlin -- that wasn’t something I expected,” he said.

Chip Ganassi himself was surprised by Simpson’s performance, particularly on an oval.

“Believe me, it was as much of a surprise to me as it was to all of you,” the team owner said. “We were glad to see him up there on these ovals.”

Simpson’s 2025 campaign erased much of the uncertainty that once surrounded his potential. He showcased talent across all disciplines and earned a reputation as a mature, clean racer. After finishing 21st in points as a rookie in 2024, he improved to 17th in 2025, a leap largely fueled by a strong second half.

Simpson recorded five top-10 finishes, all coming in the final 11 races of the season. He made his most noticeable gains on street circuits, where his average finish improved from 19.25 in 2024 to ninth in 2025. That run included a career-best third-place finish in the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto on July 20.

Simpson also showed speed on natural road courses. At Mid-Ohio, he was on pace for a top-five finish before a pit road mistake dropped him to 10th. He qualified well for the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in May but was forced to retire before the start due to an electrical issue, ultimately being classified 27th.

Simpson's average finish across all natural road course races improved from 19.33 to 18.14 and it likely would have been better without a few untimely setbacks.

Ovals were always going to be the steepest learning curve. In 2024, he averaged a 19.71 finish on ovals. In his first five oval starts of 2025, he finished 25th, 15th, 18th, 13th and 20th, making his Nashville performance even more meaningful.

“I had a discussion with his father, talking about his development,” Ganassi said. “Put him in this series, that series, do this, do that. I said, ‘We’ve got to help him on the ovals. That’s where he needs help.’”

The Nashville result didn’t erase the need for improvement, but it signaled clear progress and potential.

“I’m happy with his development,” Ganassi said.

Entering his third INDYCAR SERIES season and still just 21 years old, having celebrated his birthday on Oct. 9, Simpson faces heightened expectations. Driving for a team like Chip Ganassi Racing, which has won 17 championships since 1996 (including five of the last six), the bar is high. But Simpson appears ready to meet the challenge.

“I’m super happy with last season,” Simpson said. “I think we showed a lot of potential. We had a lot of good results, not as consistent as I would like, but we’ll work on that for next season and come back stronger.”