There are currently three American drivers in the top three of the 2018 IndyCar championship standings. Is IndyCar experiencing an American Revolution?
Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, 27, won the 2017 IndyCar championship, and he became the first American to do so since Ryan Hunter-Reay won the 2012 IndyCar championship. Could that have been the start of what may very well be IndyCar’s “American Revolution”?
It could be. When Hunter-Reay won his championship back in the 2012 season, he became the first American to win it since Sam Hornish Jr. won it in the 2006 season. In fact, Americans have not won IndyCar championships in back-to-back seasons since Hornish Jr. won the titles in both the 2001 season and the 2002 season.
Americans simply have not been regular championship contenders in IndyCar in recent seasons, which makes tons of sense given just how diverse the field of drivers has been and currently is.
However, when Newgarden won the championship in just his first season driving for Team Penske, the consensus was that he would be a perennial championship contender for several more years, potentially even for more than a decade.
Newgarden currently sits in 2nd place in the 2018 IndyCar championship standings with one win in Phoenix through three races so far this season, which is extremely impressive.
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What’s even more impressive is the fact that he is not the top American in those IndyCar championship standings.
Another American, Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi, 26, currently leads the standings after winning in Long Beach. And get this — behind Rossi and Newgarden is another American in 3rd place in the standings. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal, 29, currently occupies that position.
Only three of the 17 races on the 2018 IndyCar scheduled are complete, so with 14 races to go until the champion is crowned, there is still definitely a long way to go until the season wraps up. That said, we could be on the verge of seeing something this season that we have not seen since the 2001 Indy Racing League season.
In fact, if Rossi, Newgarden and Rahal stay atop the standings in any of the top three positions, we will see just that. Hornish Jr. won the 2001 championship, and Americans Buddy Lazier, Scott Sharp and Billy Boat finished in 2nd, 3rd and 4th place in the championship standings, respectively.
While it would be a stretch to get four Americans in the top four in the championship standings this season, getting three in the top three for the first time since the 2001 season is certainly a possibility, especially with Rossi, Newgarden and Rahal currently sitting in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, in the standings.
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Will Alexander Rossi, Josef Newgarden and Graham Rahal remain in the top three in the IndyCar championship standings following the next race and ultimately following the 2018 season finale when it rolls around in September? Is IndyCar truly in the midst of an “American Revolution”? Be sure to tune in to the next race on Sunday, April 22nd. That race is the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, and it is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network on that day starting at 3:00 pm ET.