Kyffin Simpson Bio
Kyffin Simpson (born 9 October 2004) is a Caymanian racing driver who competes in the NTT IndyCar Series with Chip Ganassi Racing. He drives the No. 8 entry and is recognized as the first driver from the Cayman Islands, and the wider Caribbean, to race in IndyCar. Simpson previously built his reputation in junior formulae and endurance racing, winning the 2023 European Le Mans Series championship with Algarve Pro Racing.
Born in Barbados and raised in the Cayman Islands, Simpson progressed quickly through the American single-seater ladder before transitioning to prototype racing and eventually IndyCar. His career has blended open-wheel development with sports car endurance events, including starts at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Early Life and Background
Kyffin Simpson was born on 9 October 2004 in Bridgetown, Barbados. He is the son of Caymanian businessman David Simpson, and the family later moved to the Cayman Islands, where Kyffin spent his formative years. Although he was born in Barbados, Simpson has consistently identified as Caymanian and has spoken proudly about representing the territory in international motorsport.
Simpson was introduced to motorsport at a young age through karting. He spent roughly nine years racing karts across the Caribbean and the United States, building the race craft and technical foundation that would later support his move into cars. The Cayman Islands remained his home base throughout these early years, and he has credited the territory’s flag as a constant source of motivation.
Path to NASCAR
Simpson does not have a documented connection to NASCAR or to the NASCAR ladder system. His professional development occurred in open-wheel and endurance categories, beginning with the Formula 4 United States Championship in 2020 and continuing through Formula Regional Americas, Indy NXT, the European Le Mans Series, and the NTT IndyCar Series. Because his career path lies outside stock car racing, this section is omitted in favor of a more accurate description of his road-car and prototype background.
Kyffin Simpson Career
Early Career (2020–2021)
Simpson made his car racing debut in 2020 with Velocity Racing Development in the Formula 4 United States Championship, combining that program with a partial season in the Formula Regional Americas Championship. The following year, he returned to FR Americas full-time and won the championship in dominant fashion, finishing on the podium in all but five races. The title was significant because it came with a Honda Performance Development scholarship valued at $600,000 for a Super Formula campaign, although COVID-19 travel restrictions ultimately prevented that plan from moving forward.
Parallel to his Regional F3 efforts, Simpson entered the Road to Indy ladder with Juncos Racing, contesting sixteen of eighteen rounds in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship and recording three podium finishes. These results established him as one of the more promising young talents in the American open-wheel pipeline and set the stage for his promotion to Indy Lights.
Indy Lights and Indy NXT (2022–2023)
In 2022, Simpson signed a multi-year development deal with Chip Ganassi Racing while stepping up to Indy Lights with TJ Speed Motorsports alongside James Roe Jr. After eight rounds, he switched to HMD Motorsports and closed the year ninth in the standings, with a best finish of fifth at Barber Motorsports Park and the Detroit round. The move to HMD brought immediate improvement in consistency and pace.
Simpson returned to the rebranded Indy NXT series in 2023 with HMD Motorsports. He scored two podium finishes across the season and ended the year tenth in the championship. His Indy NXT results, combined with strong performances in endurance racing that same year, convinced Chip Ganassi Racing that he was ready for the top level of American open-wheel competition.
Sports Car Racing and the 2023 European Le Mans Series Championship
Simpson’s sports car career began in 2022 with a debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the GTD class with Gradient Racing, driving an Acura NSX GT3 EVO II. He, Mario Farnbacher, and Till Bechtolsheimer won the 2022 Petit Le Mans in GTD, marking Simpson’s first major endurance triumph. In 2023, he joined Tower Motorsports for a part-time LMP2 program in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, winning the LMP2 class at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Scott McLaughlin and John Farano.
His most prestigious sports car title came in the 2023 European Le Mans Series with Algarve Pro Racing, partnered with James Allen and Alex Lynn. After a quiet opener at Barcelona, the team took a strong result at the Circuit Paul Ricard, finished third at Aragón, and won a chaotic race at Spa-Francorchamps to take the championship lead. A pair of second places at the 4 Hours of Algarve and Portimão sealed the ELMS crown. Simpson also contested the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series with Algarve Pro Racing, winning the Dubai season opener, and entered the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans with Nielsen Racing.
Chip Ganassi Racing Era (2024–Present)
Simpson had already been a Chip Ganassi Racing development driver before being promoted to the NTT IndyCar Series full-time in 2024. He made his IndyCar debut at the 2024 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, finishing twelfth overall and leading all rookies. He ended his rookie season twenty-first in the standings and was retained by Ganassi for 2025, switching to the No. 8 entry. In 2025, Simpson recorded his first IndyCar podium with a third-place finish at Toronto, the best result of his IndyCar career to date, and finished the year seventeenth in points.
Driving Style and Strengths
Simpson is noted for his calm race craft, his comfort on road and street circuits, and his improving form on ovals. He has shown particular strength in long stints and alternate-strategy races, demonstrated by a tenth-place finish at Long Beach and a sixth-place run at Road America in 2025. Veteran drivers such as Scott McLaughlin have publicly praised his ability to battle cleanly and respect the outside line, suggesting that his prototype background translates well to wheel-to-wheel IndyCar racing.
Notable Races and Milestones
Key milestones include his 2022 Petit Le Mans GTD victory, his 2023 Sebring LMP2 class win, the 2023 European Le Mans Series championship, and his first IndyCar podium at Toronto in 2025. He also became the first driver from the Cayman Islands and the Caribbean to start an NTT IndyCar Series race, a historic marker in his career.
Kyffin Simpson Career Wins
Simpson’s career wins span open-wheel and endurance categories. His most important victories include the 2022 Petit Le Mans in GTD, the 2023 Sebring 12 Hours in LMP2, and the 2023 European Le Mans Series championship. He also won the opening round of the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series in Dubai. In IndyCar, he has not yet recorded a victory, with his best result being third place at the 2025 Toronto race.
European Le Mans Series Highlights
Simpson’s standout sports car campaign came in the 2023 European Le Mans Series with Algarve Pro Racing, where he, James Allen, and Alex Lynn won the LMP2 championship. The title was secured with consistent results, including a race win at Spa-Francorchamps and runner-up finishes at Portimão, capping one of the strongest rookie ELMS campaigns in recent memory.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his ELMS title, Simpson captured the 2021 Formula Regional Americas Championship and earned multiple endurance podiums, including the 2022 Petit Le Mans GTD victory and the 2023 Sebring LMP2 class win. He has also recorded three Indy Pro 2000 podiums and two Indy NXT podiums across his development years.
Kyffin Simpson Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Simpson is the son of David Simpson, a Caymanian businessman. While his family is not a multi-generational racing dynasty, his father has been a steady presence in his career, and Simpson has often spoken about representing the Cayman Islands as a point of family and national pride.
Personal Life
Simpson was born in Bridgetown, Barbados, but grew up in the Cayman Islands, where he still spends much of his time. He has a younger sister. Outside of racing, he enjoys aquatic sports, including kite surfing, surf-riding, and swimming, hobbies that reflect his Caribbean upbringing.
2025 Season Performance
Simpson’s 2025 NTT IndyCar Series campaign marked a clear step forward in his second full season with Chip Ganassi Racing. Driving the No. 8 entry, he opened with eighteenth at St. Petersburg and fifteenth at The Thermal Club before claiming his first IndyCar top-ten result at Long Beach with a tenth-place finish on the alternate strategy. He added further strong road-course showings, including fifth at Detroit and sixth at Road America, signaling progress on permanent circuits.
The high point of the season came at Toronto, where Simpson charged through the field from thirteenth to finish third, his maiden IndyCar podium. He backed that result with consistent qualifying efforts, including a third-place start at Mid-Ohio, and closed the year with a strong oval performance at Nashville, finishing fourth after battling Scott McLaughlin for a podium spot on the final lap. Thanks to six top-ten finishes across the season, he improved to seventeenth in the final standings.
Despite some setbacks, including a mechanical failure that prevented him from starting the IndyCar Road Course race and an early exit at Monterey, Simpson’s 2025 results pointed to momentum. With a maiden podium secured and improved oval pace, the Caymanian enters the next chapter of his career as a developing threat on both road and oval tracks.
