When you don't qualify near the front for an IndyCar race, you have no choice but to charge through the field to secure a strong result. A crucial part of making that climb is executing clean, decisive passes. To pull it off, you need more than just a fast car — you need the racecraft and spatial awareness to spot an opening and stick the move. Which IndyCar drivers made the most passes in 2026? OpenWheelWorld.net tracked Timing & Scoring data throughout the entire season to conduct an in-depth analysis.

VeeKay Crowned 2026's Unofficial Passing Champion

At the halfway point of the season, we published an interim report tracking both the 'Passing Championship' and the drivers who had been overtaken the most. After several standout performances on the ovals, Christian Rasmussen led the passing chart at the time, sitting just ahead of Rinus VeeKay and Scott McLaughlin. Meanwhile, Sting Ray Robb, Louis Foster and Kyffin Simpson had been passed most often, while Kyle Kirkwood boasted the strongest net passing differential.

The picture shifted dramatically over the second half of the season. In the end, it was VeeKay — not Rasmussen — who emerged as 2026's unofficial Passing Champion! The Juncos Hollinger Racing driver pulled off a staggering 303 passes across the season, averaging nearly 17 on-track overtakes per race. Christian Lundgaard mounted a strong charge into second with 283 passes (20 behind VeeKay), while Kirkwood slotted into third with 282 passes — missing second place by a single move.

On the other side of the ledger, Caio Collet topped the undesirable 'passed most often' list by the end of the year, knocking Sting Ray Robb off the top spot. Robb finished second in those standings, just ahead of Graham Rahal.

When factoring in passes made versus times overtaken, Kirkwood dominated the net passing differential by a massive margin (+171). The American was aggressive on the offense while remaining nearly impossible to get around. VeeKay (+124) and Lundgaard (+109) completed the podium for the highest net positive differential.

Unlike almost every other statistical metric, reigning champion Alex Palou sits near the bottom of these charts. That comes down to basic math: a driver consistently starting on the front row simply has fewer cars ahead of them to overtake — aside from navigating lapped traffic. And given the high level of competition across the IndyCar grid, lapped cars rarely play a major factor on road and street courses.

Overview of Passes / Times Passed

Ovals vs. Road and Street Courses: Where Was the Difference Made?

Taking a closer look by track type, Lundgaard stood out as the top mover on road and street courses. On the streets, the Dane led Kirkwood and Josef Newgarden, while Kirkwood edged out Newgarden for the top spot on natural road courses.

On the ovals, however, the dynamic flipped completely. This is where VeeKay built his winning margin over Lundgaard, pulling off 54 more oval passes than the McLaren driver. Even so, Lundgaard held his own on the ovals, tying for seventh with teammate Pato O'Ward. Rasmussen ranked second in oval passes, with David Malukas rounding out the top three.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Palou recorded a mere 16 passes across all street races — averaging under 2.5 passes per event. If you regularly qualify on the front row, you rarely need to make pass after pass on track. That is especially true for Palou, who excels at managing tire wear and fuel saving to leapfrog competitors through pit strategy — position changes that fall outside the scope of on-track passing stats.

Overview of Passes by Track Type

Which Drivers Were the Easiest (and Hardest) to Pass?

Looking at the drivers who were overtaken most often — the list no driver wants to lead — Dennis Hauger was the most surprising name topping the street course charts. The second and third most-passed drivers on street courses were equally unexpected: Newgarden and Simpson.

On natural road courses, Nolan Siegel proved to be the easiest driver to pass, followed by Collet and Rasmussen. On the ovals, Collet topped the chart, ahead of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammates Graham Rahal and Louis Foster.

Kirkwood, on the other hand, was an absolute brick wall on road and street courses. He was passed the fewest times on both layout types: a remarkably low 10 times each! That means the Andretti Global driver was overtaken less than twice per race on average across those 12 events.

Alexander Rossi also delivered impressive defensive metrics. Despite an up-and-down season overall, he proved extremely tough to get around on twisty tracks.

Overview of Times Passed by Track Type

This article is based on official IndyCar Timing & Scoring passing data collected by OpenWheelWorld.net throughout the season. Figures include all on-track overtakes, covering both passes for position and lapped traffic. Position changes gained via pit stops or pit strategy are excluded.