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I was married for 28 years before being divorced in 2016. Naturally, I got married because I was in love, but there was another pressure pushing me to tie the knot. I was 27 years old and all of my friends were already married. I never stopped to think about why I was getting married. It was just the next box that needed to be checked on the script that each of us is given in life.

Don’t get me wrong. I wanted to be married. I had sowed a lot of wild oats up until that point in my life, and I was ready to settle down with one person. I looked forward to building our life together, to starting a family, and to growing old together. What I didn’t realize on the day we said our vows was how hard marriage can be, how much work it takes, and in some ways, how unnatural it can feel.

I’ve always been the type of person who enjoys spending time with friends. As a kid and young adult, I was involved in a ton of different activities with a ton of different people. That continued when we were first married. We socialized with friends, both old and new. We’d take annual vacations with other couples. Our social network remained strong and active.

That changed when our friends started having kids. We didn’t see each other as often. My ex and I were the last in our group to have kids. By that time, we weren’t as involved in as many outside-the-home activities and we didn’t see our closest group of friends nearly as often. We were busy with other priorities. We were building careers, expanding our family, and enjoying all that young family life had to offer. At the time, we barely noticed that our social network was fraying and that we were much more isolated than we had ever been.

I’m a fan of long-term, monogamous relationships and believe such a relationship is necessary to have happiness and success in the rest of life. But I wonder if marriage, especially at my age where my kids are grown and out of the house, is a good idea. I’m not alone. According to a study conducted by Pew Research, only about 50% of American over the age of 18 are married. That’s down significantly from where it was in 1960, when 72% of American adults 18-years and older were married.

One shift we have seen in the past several decades is that people are getting married later in life. The median age for Americans getting married for the first time is 30 for men and 28 for women. While most never-married people plan to marry eventually, 41% say they aren’t sure if marriage is right for them. Of that group, about one-third says they don’t plan to ever marry. Despite these numbers, Americans still marry at higher percentages than in most Western countries, and we divorce at a rate higher than any other country.

There are reasons for this decline in marriage. It involves economic considerations (housing prices, student loans, etc.) and  job demands. Getting married and starting a family isn’t quite as easy as it used to be. But the thing that interests me more is the loneliness that comes along with being married.

I know that last sentence sounds counterintuitive. On the surface, being married should be less lonely than being single, right? In practice, it doesn’t work out that way.

As the great Russian writer, Anton Chekov once wrote, “If you’re afraid of loneliness, don’t marry.” According to two separate studies–one conducted at Boston College by Natalia Sarkisian, the other at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst by Naomi Gerstel–marriage tends to weaken, rather than build, ties. Married people tend to call or visit their extended family less often than their single peers, and they are less likely to offer a helping hand or emotional support. In addition, married people are less likely to socialize with friends and neighbors.

By contrast, single people (especially those that have never been married) are more likely to take care of ill and aging parents and siblings. They are also more likely to socialize with friends and neighbors, and offer support when help is needed.

Extrapolating this out, the researchers found that the trends continued, even after kids grew up and moved out. Older married couples found themselves together, but lonely. After years of not calling or visiting family, not socializing with friends nor neighbors, and not lending or asking for help, former social ties were frayed, if not broken. Friends had moved away from each other, making socializing more difficult. And meeting new people–especially in a post-Covid world–was not as simple as it had once been.

In recent years, I have had the opportunity to meet and date several women. One thing I have found is that the longer they have been without a serious relationship, the busier they tend to be. For some, so busy that they no longer have time for a committed relationship, despite the fact that they often yearn for such a relationship. They have rebuilt their life to include activities and friendships that keep them busy, and to a certain extent, fulfilled.

By contrast, women who have only gone a few years without a serious relationship tend to be more ready and available for another relationship. They haven’t yet jumped back into activities, organizations, and friendships that take up the majority of their time.

What does this mean? It appears that the farther away people get from marriage, the less lonely they tend to be and the more busy they become. There is a cost that comes with being married, a cost with raising a family and stretching, if not breaking, social ties.

When I look at my kids, I’m happy I got married and started a family. They are my heart. Yet, I mourn the damage done to friendships and my social life. We are quick to question the cost paid by someone who never marries nor has children, but we seldom question the cost of getting married and starting a family.

I wonder how my married friends feel about this. I’m certain that none of them would say that getting married and having kids was a mistake. But I wonder if they too feel the loneliness that comes once the kids are gone, the socialization with friends and neighbors has dwindled, and the days unfold uncertainly.

The older I get, the more I realize the importance of being around other people, supporting them, encouraging them, and being supported and encouraged in return. I want to be in a committed relationship, but I also want to spend time with friends and family. To me, that’s what life is all about.

 

If you’ve read anything I’m written about Donald Trump. you know that I am not a fan of the man. Among other things, I believe that he is a clear and present danger to our country and our democracy. I base that opinion not only on the actions Trump previously took as President, but on the man’s own words that he will act as an authoritarian if elected this November and will use the immense power of the federal government to reward his friends and punish his enemies.

That being the case, you might think that I am overjoyed that Trump was convicted on all 34 counts he was charged with in New York. However, I’m not. Let me explain.

I paid close attention to Trump’s trial, reading testimony from the trial during the day and watching coverage of the proceedings at night. I think I’m pretty knowledgeable about what went on in court. From that perspective, I feel the jury got it right. The evidence was overwhelming. Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, got a lot of the attention and criticism because he is a convicted felon who previously lied in court. However, the most damning evidence against Trump came from his friend, David Pecker, and witness Stormy Daniels, both of whom corroborated much of Cohen’s testimony.

I’m also satisfied with the verdict because I think it’s imperative that leading up to the most important election in the history of our country, that all Americans have a full and clear picture of who Donald Trump really is and what lengths he went to to influence the 2016 Presidential election. An acquittal of the FPOTUS might have given people the mistaken belief that Donald Trump is an innocent man. That’s not what the evidence against him showed, and it’s important that everyone see that fact as clearly as possible before they have the opportunity to reject his Presidential candidacy or return him to the White House.

But I’m also sad. I’m sad that a person that once served our country in its highest office has left an indelible stain on that office. I’m sad that a court in this country was put in the position of having to judge the illegal behavior of a FPOTUS. And I’m sad that for the first time in our nation’s 248 year history, a President of the United States, after leaving office, was found guilty of felonious illegal behavior. Even though I contend that the verdict was correct, it was nonetheless sad.

The verdict was sad for another reason. Actually, let me rephrase that. The reaction to the verdict by people who should be supporting our nation’s institutions is sad. Let me give you a few examples.

Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA): “Time for Red State AGs and DAs to get busy.”

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL): “The verdict in New York is a complete travesty that makes a mockery of our system of justice. A political show trial conducted by an openly pro-Biden judge whose daughter makes money off the case, a jury from the most liberal county in America, absurd and ridiculous charges and outrageous jury instructions that guaranteed guilty verdicts. Biden and the Trump deranged left will stop at nothing to remain in power.”

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI): “After this travesty of justice, our judicial system will never be the same. How can this not be considered the most egregious example of election interference?”

Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA): “Today is a shameful day in American history. Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges, predicated on the testimony of a disbarred, convicted felon. This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one. The weaponization of our justice system has been a hallmark of the Biden Administration, and the decision today is further evidence that Democrats will stop at nothing to silence dissent and crush their political opponents.   The American people see this as lawfare, and they know it is wrong—and dangerous. President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict—and he WILL WIN!”

These comments (and others) are a disgrace. The are shameful. You can’t be a fan of our judicial system and the rule of law only when your side wins. You also can’t be a good and faithful public servant while tearing down one of the pillars of our democracy.

No one is above the law, not even a FPOTUS. That is a good thing. That is a necessary thing if we are to have a government of, by, and for the people. And when people like those elected officials quoted above attack the judiciary and the rule of law, they weaken our democracy and our Constitutional form of government, and push us ever closer toward an authoritarian future.

These people were elected to carry out the will of the people, to maintain and strengthen our democracy. Instead, they attack our country and our governmental institutions, damaging the very democracy and Constitution they were elected to protect.

It’s a travesty that any of these people, would attack the court, the prosecution, the jury, and the very law involved in the case, rather than accept that the system worked the way it was supposed to work. The way it works on a daily basis, holding wrongdoers to account for their illegal behavior.

Just as a reminder, the Manhattan DAs office investigated the case against Trump and took the gathered evidence to a grand jury. The grand jury issued an indictment against the FPOTUS. Trump had the opportunity to mount a vigorous defense against those charges, and a jury of his peers considered both sides of the case. This was not a witch hunt. These were not trumped up charges. This was not a kangaroo court. The case was not rigged.

During every step of the process, Trump was treated like every other citizen (often better). He was notified of the charges against him, he was allowed to defend himself in open court, he was allowed to speak on his own behalf (he chose not to), and a jury of his fellow citizens found that the evidence against him was sufficient to convict him on all counts.

I have no doubt that Donald Trump will appeal the verdict. That is his right. However, in addition to being adjudicated liable for fraud and sexual assault in separate civil trials, Donald Trump is also now a convicted felon. It’s important that voters know all of this before casting their vote.

This is a series of posts involving Dr. Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny. In the book, Snyder, a professor at Yale University who specializes in the history of tyrannical movements, shares twenty lessons on how to address and defeat tyranny.

Each lesson contains a short amount of text as well as a video featuring Snyder expanding on the text. This is lesson #20:

Lesson #20: Be as Courageous as You Can

“If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die under tyranny.”

This is a series of posts involving Dr. Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny. In the book, Snyder, a professor at Yale University who specializes in the history of tyrannical movements, shares twenty lessons on how to address and defeat tyranny.

Each lesson contains a short amount of text as well as a video featuring Snyder expanding on the text. This is lesson #19:

Lesson #19: Be A Patriot

“Set a good example for what America means for the generations to come. They will need it.”

The 108th Indianapolis 500 will be held this Sunday at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. You may recall that in early March of this year I posted my way too early prediction for the race. Here’s my March 2024 prediction:

108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 (March 2024)

1. Kyle Kirkwood
2. Scott McLaughlin
3. Colton Herta
4. Marcus Ericsson
5. Josef Newgarden
6. Alexander Rossi
7. Scott Dixon
8. Christian Lundgaard
9. Conor Daly
10. Pato O’Ward

This prediction was made long before practice and qualifying, which took place this past week and weekend. That was before Team Penske locked out the front row in qualifying, before Chevy engines began experiencing “plenum events,” before much of Rahal, Letterman, Lanigan (RLL) cars–with the exception of their fourth driver, Takuma Sato–struggled to qualify, and before Marcus Ericsson wrecked his primary car and barely got his backup car into the show.

I’m not running away from my previous prediction (well, maybe a little bit), but if I were to predict the top 10 finishers today, here’s what my list would look like:

108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 (May 2024)

1. Alexander Rossi
2. Scott McLaughlin
3. Will Power
4. Colton Herta
5. Josef Newgarten
6. Kyle Kirkwood
7. Pato O’Ward
8. Rinus Veekay
9. Scott Dixon
10. Santino Ferrucci

Team Penske looks incredibly stout. They locked out the front row in qualifying and were clearly the class of the field.

Arrow McLaren looks really good, with Alexander Rossi looking especially racey. Pato O’Ward was good, but maybe not as good as I expected. Callum Illot, driving his final race for Arrow McLaren this year, did an acceptable job. Finally, NASCAR star Kyle Larson was exceptional, qualifying fifth in his first-ever IndyCar race.

Chip Ganassi Racing isn’t as strong at IMS as they usually are. Even so, Scott Dixon always seems to find his way to the pointy end of the field. Don’t count out Alex Palou. I didn’t include him in my top 10 and I’m already afraid I’m going to regret it.

Andretti Global had an up-and-down practice week, having had trouble finding pace. Even so, in the end they qualified Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood near the front of the field, Marco Andretti in 19th position, and barely got Ericsson into the fastest thirty-three., qualifying him in the 32nd position.

RLL struggled again this year, qualifying Christian Lungaard in 28th position, Pietro Fittipaldi in 30th, and Graham Rahal in 33rd. The one positive note for RLL was qualifying Takuma Sato in 10th.

Meyer Shank Racing looked fair to fairly good at different times throughout practice and qualifying, landing Felix Rosenquist in 9th position, Helio Castroneves in 20th, and Tom Bloomqvist in 26th.

AJ Foyt Racing showed improved pace, qualifying Santino Ferrucci in the fast 6 and Sting Ray Robb in 23rd. Look out for Ferrucci. He may not be very popular with his fellow drivers, but he knows his way around the Speedway.

Juncos Hollinger Racing showed speed at times, but could only muster a 22nd for Augustin Canapino and 26th for Romain Grossjean.

Dale Coyne really struggled, qualifying Katherine Legge–the only female in the race–in 31st position, and failing to qualify Nolan Seigel into the race.

Ed Carpenter Racing was kind of all over the board. Rinus Veekay was the highest qualifying ECR car in 7th position. Team owner Ed Carpenter qualified in 17th, and Christian Rasmussen qualified 24th.

Finally, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (running two one-off programs) qualified Ryan Hunter Reay in a surprising 12th position, and Conor Daly–who got bit bad by the “plenum event” bug–in 29th. Don’t count out Daly. He has a fast car that was hit with some bad luck. If he can keep his nose clean in the race, expect Daly to be a big mover.

That’s it. I’m looking forward to a great race. And although I’m certain my predictions are correct, please remember that such predictions are intended for entertainment purposes only and are not offered for the purpose of wagering. 😉

With the 108^th running of the Indianapolis 500 coming up in just a couple of days, I thought I’d put together a list of the 33 greatest drivers to ever compete in IndyCar. Note I didn’t say “to compete in the Indy 500.” That would be a different list.

I’ve been thinking recently about the best to ever strap into an IndyCar because I think we are witnessing some of the best drivers in history competing in the series right now. That led me to do some research and come up with this list.

Sadly, I think we tend not to appreciate the greatness of drivers until their time in the sport comes to an end. That’s a shame, because we too often witness greatness without realizing it until some time later. Wouldn’t it be nice to recognize it now, while we’re watching it?

Before we get into the list, let me share my biases and criteria. I’m biased against drivers from long ago who competed in the AAA and USAC days. I’m sure they were great drivers, but the series competed sporadically, at times only having a few races in a season. In addition, the competition was not as stacked as it is today. I did consider drivers who competed in AAA and USAC. I even included a couple. But overall, I gave more credit to drivers from the late USAC, ChampCar, IRL, and IndyCar days.

I’m also biased against drivers who only competed in a handful of races. You could make an argument the Graham Hill and Jim Clark are two of the best drivers to ever compete in IndyCar. After all, they are two of the greatest drivers to ever compete in any racing series. But they only dabbled in IndyCar. They weren’t full-time competitors.

The criteria I used to rank the drivers included number of victories, winning percentage, championships won, and Indy 500s won. Including Indy 500 victories was a little tricky because some of the drivers never had the chance to compete at Indy due to the ChampCar/IRL split. I tried to be as subjective as possible, but I’m sure my own opinions crept in here and there.

Okay, enough prelude. Here are the 33 best IndyCar drivers in history:

33. Tony Kanaan

Race Starts: 389
Race Victories: 17 (4.37)
Championships: 1
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 22/1

Tony Kanaan has been a fan favorite for years, and routinely got the loudest ovation during driver introductions when he competed at Indianapolis. His career was marked with inconsistent rides, which often didn’t allow him to showcase his talent. But he checked two very important boxes during his career: a championship and an Indy 500 victory.

32. Ryan Hunter Reay

Race Starts:  293
Race Victories: 18 (6.14)
Championships: 1
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 15/1

Hunter Reay, known by the nickname “Captain America,” has the 22^nd most victories in IndyCar history. He is most well-known for his time in the DHL car for Andretti Global. And like Kanaan, Hunter Reay checked both the championship and Indy 500 victory boxes on his career. Unlike Kanaan, Hunter Reay is still competing, albeit on a part-time basis now.

31. Simon Pagenaud

Race Starts: 207
Race Victories: 15 (7.25)
Championships: 1
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 12/1

I mean no offense when I say this, but I was surprised that Simon Pagenaud earned his way onto this list. But with 15 IndyCar victories, a championship, and a win at the Indy 500, Pagenaud deserves his spot on the list. Sadly, due to a nasty practice accident at Mid-Ohio in 2023, Pagenaud is at least temporarily retired. But even if he doesn’t come back to the series, he is already one of the all-time greats.

30. Kenny Brack

Race Starts: 105
Race Victories: 9 (8.57)
Championships: 1
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 6/1

I thought Kenny Brack had competed in more races than he actually had. With barely over 100 starts, Brack has 9 race victories, including a victory in the Indianapolis 500. A product of Sweden, Brack inspired a generation of racers, including today’s crop of Swedish drivers such as Marcus Ericsson and Felix Rosenquist.

29. Cristiano da Matta

Race Starts: 101
Race Victories: 12 (11.88)
Championships: 1
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 0/0

In my memory, Cristiano da Matta was a field filler. My memory could not be more wrong. The Brazilian driver only competed in 101 IndyCar races, but he won 12 of them and earned a championship. Like a few other drivers on the list, da Matta never had the opportunity to tackle Indy.

28. Danny Sullivan

Race Starts: 172
Race Victories: 17 (9.89)
Championships: 1
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 12/1

Sullivan will forever be known for his “spin to win” victory in the 1985 Indy 500 (I was there. Other than Sullivan’s spin, it was one of the most uneventful races in Indy 500 history.). In some ways, I think the “spin to win” kind of overshadows Sullivans career. With 17 race victories, Sullivan is 23^rd all-time on the IndyCar win list.

27. Gil de Ferran

Race Starts: 158
Race Victories: 12 (7.59)
Championships: 2
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 4/1

The late, great Gil de Ferran was a racer through and through. In fact, he died of a heart attack while in a race car, long after his driving career had ended. Despite a rather small number of race starts (158), de Ferran earned two championships and a coveted Indy 500 victory.

26. Helio Castroneves

Race Starts: 379
Race Victories: 31 (8.18)
Championships: 0
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 23/4

Castroneves is deservedly best known for his four Indy 500 wins. He’s going for a fifth this year. But he is a long-time IndyCar competitor, with 379 IndyCar race starts and 31 victories, putting him 12^th all-time on the wins list. So, why is he only ranked 26^th on the list of the greatest IndyCar drivers of all time? There are two chinks in his armor. First, his win percentage is just average. It’s not bad, but neither is it great. And, despite 31 race wins, Castroneves never won a championship. In fact, he is the only driver on this list without a championship.

25. Paul Tracy

Race Starts: 282
Race Victories: 31 (11.00)
Championships: 1
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 7/0

Paul Tracy has become a bit of a punchline during his retirement years, both for his on-air commentary and his performance in the made-for-TV SRX racing series. Neither if these things is necessarily bad. I love that Tracy speaks his mind. In fact, I hated to see him get booted from the NBC coverage of IndyCar races. But his more recent reputation somewhat overshadows what a great racer he was. Winning a total of 31 races, tying him for 12^th all-time, Tracy was a fierce competitor who earned himself the IndyCar (CART) championship in 2003. Unfortunately, in 7 tries, Tracy never got that all-important Indy 500 victory.

24. Tom Sneva

Race Starts: 215
Race Victories: 13 (6.05)
Championships: 3
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 18/1

Tom Sneva was a thinking man’s driver. I remember many years ago he was interviewed on the Today show in the days leading up to the Indy 500. The interviewer couldn’t understand how someone could be so comfortable driving in excess of 200 mph for 500 miles. Sneva explained how the brain works, and how 200 mph seems fast to someone who hasn’t done it, but once you do it, the brain adjusts and it doesn’t seem so fast. I think there’s an argument to be made that Sneva doesn’t deserve to be ahead of Castroneves and Tracy. However, for me, the thing that put Sneva ahead was the three championships.

23. Alex Palou

Race Starts: 69
Race Victories: 10 (14.49)
Championships: 2
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 4/0

Palou has only been competing in IndyCar a little over four years. How can he be an all-time great? So far, he has won more than 14% of the races he has run, and he already has two championships. If he were to retire tomorrow, he’d still be in the conversation. But he has many more years to compete, and many more chances to win an Indy 500.

22. Gordon Johncock

Race Starts: 270
Race Victories: 25 (9.26)
Championships: 1
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 24/2

Johncock is an all-time great in IndyCar. With two Indy 500 victories and a championship to his credit, there’s no doubt that he deserves to be on this list. Before putting the list together, I would have guessed Johncock would have been in the top 20 drivers of all-time. But there are so many good ones, he ended up just outside the top 20.

21. Johnny Rutherford

Race Starts: 323
Race Victories: 27 (8.36)
Championships: 2
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 24/3

It seems fitting that Johncock and Rutherford should end up next to each other on this list. They were two of Robin Miller’s favorites, and in my mind, I can’t think of one without the other. Rutherford ended his career with 27 race victories (15^th all-time), 2 championships and 3 Indy 500 wins.

20. Bobby Rahal

Race Starts: 265
Race Victories: 24 (9.06)
Championships: 3
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 13/1

I struggled with where to put Bobby Rahal in relation to Johncock and Rutherford. Rahal has fewer victories than either man, but he has a higher win percentage than Rutherford, and very close to Johncock. The thing that made me decide to put him ahead of both Johncock and Rutherford was the fact that Rahal has as many championships as the other two combined. You could put the three drivers in almost any order and it would be hard to argue with. For me, Rahal gets the nod.

19. Dan Wheldon

Race Starts: 134
Race Victories: 16 (11.94%)
Championships: 1
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 9/2

Dan Wheldon was so much better than I remember. With 16 race victories (in just 134 starts), a championship, and two Indy 500 wins, Wheldon deserves to be on the list. But when he died in a race in Las Vegas, Wheldon was just 33 years old and had several good years of racing ahead of him. To be sure, he could have done more.

18. Emerson Fittipaldi

Race Starts: 197
Race Victories: 22 (11.17%)
Championships: 1
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 11/2

You have to be impressed with Emerson Fittipaldi. IndyCar was his second act. He had already had a successful career in Formula 1, winning two championships, Then he came to IndyCar and competed in 197 races, winning 22, and earning a championship and two Indy 500 victories. Not bad for a second act.

17. Juan Pablo Montoya

Race Starts: 97
Race Victories: 15 (15.46%)
Championships: 1
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 7/2

I have always considered Juan Pablo Montoya to be one of the great drivers of all time; not just in IndyCar, but in any series. I’ve also always thought that his move to NASCAR, where he competed for eight seasons, was a mistake. I like that he challenged himself and tried something new, but he did it for too long and at the expense of what could have been a top ten IndyCar career. He was still great, but I wanted more.

16. Alex Zanardi

Race Starts: 66
Race Victories: 15 (22.73%)
Championships: 2
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 0/0

Let me confess to some bias on my part. Alex Zanardi is my all-time favorite race car driver. I loved his approach and his energy. In just 66 IndyCar races, Zanardi won 15 and earned two championships in just four seasons. The story of his crash at Lausitzring is heartbreaking, and the story of his recovery is inspiring. Zanardi never had the opportunity to race at Indy, but he nonetheless deserves his place as one of IndyCar’s all-time greats.

15. Rodger Ward

Race Starts: 153
Race Victories: 26 (17.00%)
Championships: 2
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 15/2

Rodger Ward competed in the AAA/USAC Championship from 1950 to 1966. His career overlapped with the #13 driver on this list, Jimmy Bryan. During his years of competition, Ward only ran two full seasons (but several partial seasons). Even so, he recorded 26 race victories, 2 championships, and two wins at Indy.

14. Sam Hornish Jr.

Race Starts: 117
Race Victories: 19 (16.24%)
Championships: 3
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 8/1

More bias to report. I’ve never cared much for Sam Hornish. I can’t even tell you why. He just rubbed me the wrong way. I’ve heard some stories in recent years that make me think my intuition was correct. Regardless, Hornish had an impressive IndyCar career. In just 117 races, Hornish compiled 19 wins, 3 championships, and an Indy 500 victory.

13. Jimmy Bryan

Race Starts: 62
Race Victories: 19 (30.65%)
Championships: 3
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 9/1

Jimmy Bryan is probably not a name most IndyCar fans are familiar with. He competed in AAA/USAC (the forerunners to more recent iteration of the series) from 1951 to 1960. During that time, Bryan won more than 30% of the races he competed in. He also won three championships in a four year period, and won the Indy 500 in 1958. That’s impressive for any era of the sport.

12. Al Unser Jr.

Race Starts: 330
Race Victories: 34 (10.30%)
Championships: 2
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 19/2

It’s hard to overstate what a star Al Unser Jr. was during the height of his career. In many ways, he was the face of IndyCar in those days. He is ninth all-time on the IndyCar wins list, won two championships and two Indy 500s. Sadly, his impressive career was somewhat overshadowed by his post-career legal and personal troubles. It always seemed to me that “Little Al” was more comfortable in the cockpit of a race car than he was living life off the track. I felt bad for him. In recent years, with his personal life heading in the right direction, Unser has been around the track more, serving as a driver coach and a consultant.

11. Bobby Unser

Race Starts: 275
Race Victories: 35 (12.72%)
Championships: 2
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 19/3

Bobby Unser was one of IndyCar’s truly great characters. If you’ve never heard the late Robin Miller talk about Bobby, you’ve really missed out. His interview with Dinner with Racers was also great. On the track, Bobby was also one of IndyCar’s all-time greats. With 35 victories, he is 8^th on IndyCar’s all-time wins list. He also earned two championships and won the Indy 500 three times. What a career. What a character.

10. Michael Andretti

Race Starts: 310
Race Victories: 42 (13.55)
Championships: 1
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 16/0

If you had asked me before I compiled this list where I thought Michael Andretti would be ranked, I would have said somewhere in the top five. After all, with 42 race victories, Michael is number four on the all-time wins list. But when I started comparing his career to others, he fell a bit down the list. For instance, his win total and percentage are both impressive. But his single championship and lack of an Indy 500 win hurt his case. Michael was a hell of a racer. I loved watching him compete. To be sure, he is an all-time great. But I just couldn’t find a way to sneak him any higher.

9. Sebastien Bourdais

Race Starts: 225
Race Victories: 37 (16.44%)
Championships: 4
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 9/0

I’ve always felt that Sebastien Bourdais’ IndyCar career was underrated. True, he never won the Indy500, a race he seemed to run begrudgingly. But with 37 victories, a 16.44% win percentage, and most of all, four championships, Bourdais is well-deserving of his place on the list.

8. (tie) Josef Newgarden

Race Starts:  203
Race Victories: 29 (14.29%)
Championships: 2
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 12/1

8. (tie) Will Power

Race Starts: 289
Race Victories: 41 (14.19%)
Championships: 2
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 16/1

Who has had the better career: Will Power or Josef Newgarden? They each have two championships and an Indy 500 victory. They both win at about the same rate. So, what separates them? Power has 13 more race wins, but he’s also run 86 more races than Newgarden. To catch Power in the next 86 races, Newgarden would have to increase his win percentage by a couple percent. Can he do it? It’s not out of the question. For now, I’m ranking them both as 8^th all-time. It will be interesting to see where they end up when both of their careers are done.

6. Dario Franchitti

Race Starts: 266
Race Victories: 31 (11.65%)
Championships: 4
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 10/3

Dario Franchitti has always been one of my favorite drivers. I loved the way he had this congenial personality outside the car, always with a joke or a ready laugh, but inside the car, he was merciless. His 4 championships is tied for third all time, along with Mario Andretti and Rick Mears. His three victories in the Indy 500 is only surpassed by AJ Foyt, Al Unser Sr., Rick Mears, and Helio Castroneves, all 4-time winners.

5. Al Unser Sr.

Race Starts: 332
Race Victories: 39 (11.75%)
Championships: 3
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 27/4

What separates Dario Franchitti’s career from Al Unser’s? Franchitti has 4 championship and 3 Indy 500 victories while Unser has 3 championships and 4 Indy 500 victories. Franchitti won 11.65% of his races and Unser won 11.75% of his. I’m giving the nod to Unser because of his 39 race wins versus Franchitti’s 31. I understand that Unser ran 66 more races than Franchitti, but it was Franchitti who left IndyCar for an ill-fated foray into NASCAR. In my mind, that’s only a tiny ding. But a tiny ding is all it takes to separate these two great drivers.

4. Rick Mears

Race Starts: 211
Race Victories: 29 (13.74%)
Championships: 4
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 15/4

Rick Mears is tied for the most Indy 500 victories with four. I attended and predicted two of them. I was a big Mears fan. He was a racer through-and-through. I’m sure I’m wrong about this, but I always had the impression that if Rick Mears couldn’t race, he wouldn’t (or couldn’t) do anything else. Because of his four Indy 500 victories, I’m afraid that people forget that he won other places as well. He won a total of 29 IndyCar races and earned a championships. He was much more than just an Indy 500 specialist.

3. Mario Andretti

Race Starts: 408
Race Victories: 52 (12.75%)
Championships: 4
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 29/1

When I started compiling this list, I wanted to find a way to put Mario Andretti first. I’ve always felt that he was one of the most talented drivers in the world, regardless of series or driving era. I have deep respect and admiration for him. Unfortunately, I couldn’t in good conscience find a way to rank him as the best IndyCar driver in history. He is third all-time in victories with 52, trailing only AJ Foyt and Scott Dixon, and his four series championships ties him for third place all time. For me, Mario is the all-time face of IndyCar. But when it comes to driver rankings, he comes home third.

2. Scott Dixon

Race Starts: 390
Race Victories: 57 (14.62%)
Championships: 6
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 21/1

Scott Dixon never fails to impress me. I love the way his competitors have so much respect for him that they shrug off the miracles he seems to pull out constantly as just “Dixon doing Dixon things.” His 57 victories is more than the great Mario Andretti in fewer races, and is second to AJ Foyt. He trails Foyt in championships by one, but he is still competing and is showing no signs of slowing down. I know he desperately wants to win another Indy 500, and I suspect that he views just having one as a bit of a blemish on his otherwise stellar record. Maybe this is the years for his second 500 win.

1..AJ Foyt

Race Starts: 277
Race Victories: 67 (24.19%)
Championships: 7
Indy 500 Starts/Victories: 35/4

I didn’t want Foyt to fill the top spot on the list. I’ve never been a big AJ Foyt fan, and every time I see a list like this, it gnaws at me that people just blindly accept that AJ is the best ever. Even so, I’m ranking AJ as the best ever. How can you not? He has 67 race victories, the most all-time, he won 7 championships (the only man to do that), and he won the Indy 500 4 times, one of only four people to ever do that. Over the course of AJ’s career, he won nearly one out of every four races in which he competed. There’s no way I can dismiss or discount that kind of career.

This is a series of posts involving Dr. Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny. In the book, Snyder, a professor at Yale University who specializes in the history of tyrannical movements, shares twenty lessons on how to address and defeat tyranny.

Each lesson contains a short amount of text as well as a video featuring Snyder expanding on the text. This is lesson #18:

Lesson #18: Be Calm When the Unthinkable Arrives

“Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order to consolidate power. The sudden disaster that requires the end of checks and balances, the dissolution of opposition parties, the suspension of freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. Do not fall for it.”

This is a series of posts involving Dr. Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny. In the book, Snyder, a professor at Yale University who specializes in the history of tyrannical movements, shares twenty lessons on how to address and defeat tyranny.

Each lesson contains a short amount of text as well as a video featuring Snyder expanding on the text. This is lesson #17:

Lesson #17: Listen for Dangerous Words

“Be alert to the use of the words extremism and terrorism. Be alive to the fatal notions of emergency and exception. Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.”

This is a series of posts involving Dr. Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny. In the book, Snyder, a professor at Yale University who specializes in the history of tyrannical movements, shares twenty lessons on how to address and defeat tyranny.

Each lesson contains a short amount of text as well as a video featuring Snyder expanding on the text. This is lesson #16:

Lesson #16: Learn From Peers in Other Countries

“Keep up your friendships abroad, or make new friends in other countries. The present difficulties in the United States are an element of a larger trend. And no country is going to find a solution by itself. Make sure you and your family have passports.”

This is a series of posts involving Dr. Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny. In the book, Snyder, a professor at Yale University who specializes in the history of tyrannical movements, shares twenty lessons on how to address and defeat tyranny.

Each lesson contains a short amount of text as well as a video featuring Snyder expanding on the text. This is lesson #15:

Lesson 15: Contribute to Good Causes

“Be active in organizations, political or not, that express your own view of life. Pick a charity or two and set up autopay. Then you will have made a free choice that supports civil society and helps others to do good.”