Who is the Indycar G.O.A.T.?

Who is the Indycar G.O.A.T.? This question gets bandied about all the time. Most recently after this weekend’s Long Beach Grand Prix. Scott Dixon, in another miraculous and mind numbing drive, held off Colton Herta with his masterful fuel saving skills. It was win number 57 for the Kiwi which puts him ten wins away from tying the legendary A.J. Foyt.

Is it time to put Scott Dixon among the legends of the sport? Should he be placed on the “Mount Rushmore” of Indycars best. That’s debatable. Today’s race fans will put him up there with Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt, and it is hard to argue with them.

Now my opinion doesn’t matter, but I don’t have him on my list of top four drivers ever. Three of those slots for me are Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, and maybe Al Unser Sr. He is on the fence. There is a lot of room for debate, but these three beat the best of the best. Not only in Indycar, but in sports cars, sprint cars, NASCAR, and Formula One.

Don’t get me wrong, what Scott Dixon has achieved over his career is pretty amazing. I am not blind to his talents. He is a master at saving fuel, and one of the hardest drivers on the track to pass. But I also have to look at the big picture of auto racing, not just the last 20 years.

People will say that Indycar has never had a field deeper than today, but is that really the case? Andretti, Unser, and Foyt raced against the best in their era. Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney, Bobby Unser, Gordon Johncock, Gary Bettenhausen. Not to mention Jimmy Clark. That’s before Mears, Rahal, Michael Andretti or Al Unser Jr. Let’s look at a few other drivers that could be part of the “Big Four”. I only included Indycar. I can’t compare these drivers to Schumacher, Senna, Prost, Stewart, Earnhardt, Allison, or Gordon. So, let’s look at a few other drivers who could be up there.

BILL VUKOVICH

One driver you have to look at is Bill Vukovich. Old Vukey’s dominance at Indy alone merits a place as one of the best of the best. Vukovich only won four championship races (Indycar), but he was also the AAA National Midget Car Champion in 1950. He raced in only five Indy 500’s. But in that short period, he won two races, and he led 71.7% of the laps that he had completed there. He is still the only driver to lead the most laps of the race for three consecutive years. Who knows what kind of numbers he would’ve put up at Indianapolis alone. He was killed while leading the race in 1955 at 36. An outside shot, but a worthy opponent for one of the greatest ever.

TED HORN

Ted Horn was a three-time Champ Car Champion from 1946-1948. Like Vukovich his career was cut short after 11 seasons when he was killed in Du Quoin, Illinois, at the age of 38. He had 24 wins, 49 podiums and seven poles in that time span. After failing to qualify for the Indy 500 in 1935 Horn would finish 16th. From then on, he went on a rampage at IMS. He never finished outside of the top four. He had a second place finish in 1936. From 1937-1948 Horn would finish the race in third position four times and fourth place the other four races. He also had a pole position in 1947. Horn completed 1944 out of a possible 2000 laps which is a 97% completion rate. There is no reason for Horn to “not” be considered one of the greatest drivers ever.

RALPH DePALMA

Ralph DePalma is almost as famous for losing the Indy 500 than he was for winning the grand event. In 1912 DePalma was leading the 500 by 11 minutes with less than two laps remaining when his large Mercedes broke. He led for 196 laps that day.  It was at that time that DePalma and his riding mechanic Rupert Jenkins pushed their broken car across the finish line with a roar from the crowd. He would, however, win the Indy 500 just three years later in 1915. According to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, DePalma won an estimated 2,000 races over his career.

In his Championship Car career DePalma would win a total of 25 times. To go along with his Indianapolis 500 win DePalma also won The Vanderbilt Cup in 1912 and 1914. He won four straight AAA National Dirt Track Championships from 1908-1911. He had just ten starts at the Indianapolis 500, but in that time, he led 612 laps. A record that stood until Al Unser broke the record when he won the 1987 Indianapolis 500. He still sits third behind Dixon and Unser Sr. DePalma also had two poles, five front row starts, three top fives and six top ten finishes at Indianapolis.

So, who is the G.O.A.T.? I haven’t even brought up Rick Mears, Parnelli Jones, or Dan Gurney. My grandfather always said that Rex Mays was one of the best drivers he ever saw race. Everyone has a different opinion. What makes those listed above better than Dixon? The era I would say. A.J won 67 races in a time when reliability was questionable. The same for Mario’s 50 wins. Horn’s achievements, as well as Vukovich and DePalma, during that era make those records they set that much more amazing.
A.J. and Big Al- they could take care of their equipment. They had to which is why they are among the best of the best. Mario was all out every race he entered, and it probably cost him some wins. Their style is no different than Dixon’s. I wouldn’t put him on my Mount Rushmore of the greatest ever. He’s the G.O.A.T of his generation and the spec era that’s for sure. An era where engine reliability isn’t a problem. An era where he has driven only two different types of chassis in the last 20 years.

That’s what makes those other drivers stand out. Foyt went from the roadster era to the rear engine era. Andretti, Unser Sr., and Foyt all went through the evolution of aerodynamics. They raced new cars every year. Some, like Andretti’s McNamara and Unser’s Longhorn, were just unreliable and poorly designed. How would Dixon have done in their era? Would he be as good or better? What if you put Mario, A.J., and Big Al in a spec car? Do they win more? There is no right or wrong. It’s a debate among writers and race fans. Mario and Foyt are a staple on two of my four slots on the racing “Mount Rushmore”. Who takes the other two slots? The jury is still out.