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IndyCar: Chevy Dominates Long Beach Qualifying

By Spencer Frady

Mar 12, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Verizon IndyCar Series driver Helio Castroneves (3) during practice for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at streets of St. Petersburg. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Verizon IndyCar Series driver Helio Castroneves (3) during practice for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at streets of St. Petersburg. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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With each event, the battle between the engine builders in the Verizon IndyCar Series is becoming less and less dramatic. It is becoming very clear, if it wasn’t already, that the Chevrolet teams have a distinct advantage over the Honda teams on the grid. Qualifying for this year’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was just another chapter in that story. Chevrolet owned the Firestone Fast Six and qualifying in general.

The two Chevrolet anchor teams in the Verizon IndyCar Series took the first six spots on the grid. Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves won the pole position. Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon took a second and was followed by Simon Pagenaud (Penske), Tony Kanaan (Ganassi), Juan Pablo Montoya (Penske), and Will Power (Penske). Honda was, predictably, nowhere to be seen.

That’s not to say the “H-Branded” cars didn’t put up a fight. For instance, Group 1 saw Honda drivers James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Takuma Sato take three of the six transfer spots. Even so, it was clear the Honda teams were forced to run right on the edge. Both Hunter-Reay and Rahal slapped the wall while searching for speed during practice sessions. (Even on Day 1, as shown in the video below, Chevrolet teams looked stronger than Honda teams).

Frustration is mounting for Honda drivers. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal failed to get out of Group One and he didn’t mince words afterwards saying he “didn’t care” about the Firestone Fast Six and that he just wanted to win races. It will be tough to do it from the back of the grid. And Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ James Hinchcliffe had his Fast Six hopes dashed after timing and scoring technology broke down and he thought he transferred only to find out he just missed the cut line.

In the end though, the story is simple. If you weren’t wearing a bow tie to the party then you were left out in the cold. If you’re in a Honda for Sunday’s race in Long Beach, you’ll need daring moves, risky strategy, and a lot of help to end up in Victory Lane.

Here are the full Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach qualifying results:

  1. Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, Team Penske
  2. Scott Dixon, Chevrolet, Target Chip Ganassi Racing
  3. Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, Team Penske
  4. Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, Target Chip Ganassi Racing
  5. Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, Team Penske
  6. Will Power, Chevrolet, Team Penske
  7. James Hinchcliffe, Honda, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
  8. Takuma Sato, Honda, AJ Foyt Racing
  9. Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing
  10. Carlos Munoz, Honda, Andretti Autosport
  11. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, Andretti Autosport
  12. Luca Filippi, Honda, Dale Coyne Racing
  13. Conor Daly, Honda, Dale Coyne Racing
  14. Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, KV Racing Technology
  15. Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, Target Chip Ganassi Racing
  16. Alexander Rossi, Honda, Herta-Andretti Autosport
  17. Graham Rahal, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
  18. Mikhail Aleshin, Honda, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
  19. Max Chilton, Chevrolet, Target Chip Ganassi Racing
  20. Jack Hawksworth, Honda, AJ Foyt Racing
  21. Marco Andretti, Honda, Andretti Autosport

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The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is set for 4:00pm ET on Sunday, April 17. It is the third round of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season. The race will air on the NBC Sports Network.