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Indy 500 power rankings: 3 overrated drivers for 2023

By Brennan Dolan

Will Power, Team Penske, Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport, IndyCar (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Will Power, Team Penske, Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport, IndyCar (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport, IndyCar, Indy 500
Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport, IndyCar, Indy 500 (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Overrated Indy 500 drivers: No. 2 – Colton Herta (Rank: 10th)

Colton Herta is one of IndyCar’s brightest young stars, but inconsistency is beginning to catch up with the 23-year-old. He has only dropped in the championship standings since finishing in a career-high third place in the 2020 season.

The 2023 season has produced much of the same inconsistency. His current 12th place in the standings is not where Andretti Autosport envisioned Herta after five races. The fact that he only has one top five finish this year, despite being quick in practice and qualifying sessions, is a bit of a head scratcher.

Much of the young Californian’s success comes on road and street courses. His struggles on ovals are not a secret at this point. His average finish in his 21 career oval races is 14.95. He did start on the front row of the 2021 Indy 500, so we know he can find speed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

But Andretti Autosport also need to prove that they can put together a full race on Memorial Day Weekend. They have just one top five finish in the Indy 500 since 2020, which is far from what they expect. With three pole positions as a team so far this year, the car is there for them to run toward the front of the field of 33.

Can Herta and Andretti Autosport put it all together this year?