Analyzed: Average Winning Starting Positions per Driver

Qualifying has always been a crucial part of motorsport, with every driver aiming for pole position. This is no different in the IndyCar Series, although races often allow for overtaking, and strategy can sometimes play a decisive role. We analyzed the importance of pole position by analyzing all 283 championship races since the unification in 2008. This time, we focus on the average winning starting positions per driver.

Average Starting Position per Driver

When you think of drivers capable of winning from poor starting positions, Scott Dixon likely comes to mind immediately. The New Zealander, even in his later years, may not be the strongest qualifier, but through clever and often highly fuel-efficient driving, he frequently claims victory from seemingly impossible positions. The driver who has won the most races since the “reunion” in 2008 has an average winning starting position of 4.68!

Among the three drivers who stand out in terms of victories – alongside Dixon, these are Will Power and Josef Newgarden – Dixon is the one whose starting position plays the smallest role. However, the differences between these three drivers are small: Power averages a starting position of 4.37, while Newgarden wins his races from an average starting position of 4.19.

Interestingly, Dixon is not the driver with the highest average starting position among those with more than ten wins. That honor goes to Ryan Hunter-Reay, who won his 16 races from an average starting position of 6.69. Hélio Castroneves also excels in races with significant overtaking, winning 13 races since 2008 with an average starting position of 5.85.

The driver with multiple victories who had to make the most overtakes, however, was Sébastien Bourdais. In his six wins since 2008, his average starting position was 11.5! This comes as no surprise; the Frenchman never drove for a top team during this period and often won due to clever pit stop strategies and his experience.

While some drivers are notable for their high starting positions, others stand out for winning from lower positions. Scott McLaughlin, for example, needs a good starting spot to win – his magic number is 1.83 after six wins. Despite Álex Palou’s knack for climbing into the top five from challenging positions, he typically does not win in those cases. His 11 victories come from an average starting position of 2.91.

All Average Winning Starting Positions per Driver

Name	Average Starting Position	Number of Wins
Carlos Muñoz	20	1
Carlos Huertas	19	1
Marco Andretti	17	1
Sébastien Bourdais	11.5	6
Marcus Ericsson	10.5	4
Graham Rahal	9.67	6
Tony Kanaan	8.75	4
Mike Conway	8.5	4
Justin Wilson	8.33	3
James Hinchcliffe	7.5	6
Felix Rosenqvist	7	1
Rinus VeeKay	7	1
Ryan Hunter-Reay	6.69	16
Takuma Sato	6.17	6
Pato O’Ward	6.14	7
Ed Carpenter	6	3
Juan Pablo Montoya	6	4
Hélio Castroneves	5.85	13
Colton Herta	5.33	9
Charlie Kimball	5	1
Scott Dixon	4.68	47
Kyle Kirkwood	4.5	2
Will Power	4.37	41
Josef Newgarden	4.19	31
Simon Pagenaud	4	15
Dan Wheldon	3.67	3
Ryan Briscoe	3.43	7
Dario Franchitti	3.08	13
Álex Palou	2.91	11
Alexander Rossi	2.75	8
Scott McLaughlin	1.86	7
Christian Lundgaard	1	1

Number of Wins from Pole Position

Knowing the average starting positions for wins, it’s also interesting to see who wins the most from pole position. The answer is simple. None other than the holder of the most pole positions in IndyCar history: Will Power. Of his 41 wins since 2008 (excluding the 2008 Champ Car race in Long Beach), he claimed 17 from pole position. That accounts for 41% of all his wins.

Although Scott Dixon excels at winning from poor starting positions, he still secured 10 of his 47 wins from pole – 21% of his total. The real surprise in this list, however, is Josef Newgarden. Despite earning 18 poles, he converted only 4 into victories. Compared to his 30 wins, just 13% of them began from pole.

Number of Wins from Pole by Driver:
1. Will Power - 17 races
2. Scott Dixon - 10 races
3. Simon Pagenaud - 6 races
4. Colton Herta - 5 races
5. Álex Palou - 4 races
= Alexander Rossi - 4 races
= Dario Franchitti - 4 races
= Josef Newgarden - 4 races
9. Scott McLaughlin - 3 races
= Hélio Castroneves - 3 races
11. Ryan Hunter-Reay - 2 races
= Ryan Briscoe - 2 races
13. Christian Lundgaard - 1 race
= Tony Kanaan - 1 race
= Graham Rahal - 1 race
= Sébastien Bourdais - 1 race
= Takuma Sato - 1 race
= Juan Pablo Montoya - 1 race
= Kyle Kirkwood - 1 race

To collect this data, we used the qualifying positions of race winners. Any grid penalties were not factored in. Additionally, the races at Motegi and Long Beach in 2008 were excluded, as they were contested with non-reunified grids.

Also in this Serie:
- The Average Winning Starting Position in IndyCar
- The Average Winning Position Per Track