Some drivers possess something special on Saturday, people who can put together a lap like no one else. Let’s break down the list of all-time IndyCar pole position winners.
1: Will Power-70
Team Penske’s Will Power has the most pole positions in IndyCar history with seventy. In 2022, he tied with Mario Andretti and later surpassed him.
The Australian possesses a special edge in qualifying and has consistently put together impressive pole positions over his long and decorated career.
Power took his first pole position in 2006 at the Surfers Paradise street circuit in Australia.
One of the best memories from back home 🇦🇺
My first pole position back in ChampCar in 2006 on the Gold Coast. Put in a few mega laps that day. #Indycar // #SurfersParadise // #ChampCar // #PolePosition // #WP12 pic.twitter.com/N7YlQu9QC4— Will Power (@12WillPower) December 5, 2022
2: Mario Andretti- 67
The legendary Mario Andretti was lethal on qualifying day during his IndyCar career. He has 40 pole positions on ovals with another 27 on road/street courses.
On twenty-four separate occasions, Andretti converted those pole positions into wins. The most famous one was the 1969 Indianapolis 500, where he took victory lane and cemented his legacy on the Brickyard.
3: A.J. Foyt- 56
A.J. Foyt is one of the most decorated drivers in the history of IndyCar. He won seven championships and won the Indianapolis 500 four times, a record that recently was matched by Helio Castroneves.
On qualifying day, he was a beast, earning 56 pole positions during his career. He converted those pole positions to wins twenty-three times.
4: Helio Castroneves-50
Helio Castroneves is one of IndyCar’s great champions. He has 31 race wins to his name. Additionally, he joined the club of four-time Indianapolis 500 wins.
The Brazilian superstar took 50 NTT P1 awards during his full-time career. Castroneves took his first pole in 1999 at Milwaukee.
When he attempts to get his fifth Indy 500 win this May, will he also get his 51st pole position?
5: Bobby Unser-49
The Unser family is one of the most successful motorsport families and one of IndyCar’s very best. Bobby Unser, a pillar of that family, is also one of the sport’s most decorated drivers.
Unser took home 49 pole positions during his career and won from pole seventeen times. He has 45 poles on ovals and took home five P1 awards on road/street courses.
6: Rick Mears-40
Rick Mears is one of the greatest of all time. He is one of the most decorated drivers in the history of the Indianapolis 500. The Kansas native is a three-time IndyCar champion, and four-time Indy 500 winner, and has an incredible six poles at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Over his career, Mears took home 40 pole positions with 36 on ovals and four on street/road courses.
There cannot be a conversation about the GOATs of IndyCar without Rick Mears.
A league of their own
With the ultra-competitive nature of the IndyCar Series, the fact that these 6 drivers achieved these feats is nothing short of incredible. As mentioned previously, drivers who can put something special together on Saturday possess a unique edge over the rest.
They are without a doubt IndyCar royalty.
