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IndyCar: Winners and losers from the 2018 Grand Prix of Indianapolis

By Justin Carter

AVONDALE, AZ - APRIL 07: Will Power, the driver of the #12 Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
AVONDALE, AZ - APRIL 07: Will Power, the driver of the #12 Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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The 2018 IndyCar season entered May with the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Which drivers left the race as winners and who left hoping for better results?

The 2018 IndyCar season started this season’s three-week stretch of action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday with the fifth running of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the track’s road course and, for the third time at this event, Will Power ended the day atop the podium.

Who feels good as we head into Indianapolis 500 qualifying? Who will be in dire need of a better result when Memorial Day weekend arrives?

Winners from Indianapolis

Will Power

Power has been dominant at this track, winning three times and scoring four top 10 finishes in the five races that IndyCar has run here. Power led 56 laps to earn his second podium finish of what had been a disappointing 2018 campaign.

Scott Dixon

Dixon hadn’t had the lows that Power has had this season, but his first four races had featured a best finish of fourth. Things didn’t look much brighter on Saturday as he started back in 18th, but a steady race ended with a second place finish. Is this the finish Dixon needed to jump-start his year?

Robert Wickens

The rookie used tire strategy to lead 20 laps, but he faded back to third on the final run. It was still a solid day for the driver who has run well all season but hasn’t always had the finishes to show for it.

Losers from Indianapolis

Jordan King

King qualified fifth and then promptly ended up stuck in the gravel trap on the first lap, bringing out a full course caution as safety officials had to get his car out of the way. He was able to get back on track, but he finished the race in last place.

Josef Newgarden

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Newgarden spun while running in fourth place. Things could have gone worse, as he managed to rebound for an 11th place finish, but he saw his points lead virtually disappear. He leads Alexander Rossi by just two points right now heading into a race that he has struggled at in the past and that Rossi won in 2016.

Ed Jones

A flat tire hurt Jones’s pursuit of a solid finish, as he ended the day in 22nd place. His first season with Chip Ganassi Racing hasn’t gone the way that he and the team had hoped, as he is currently equaling his 2017 points position of 14th.

Next: Top 10 IndyCar drivers of all-time

It’s almost time for the biggest race of the IndyCar season, the Indianapolis 500. That race airs Sunday, May 27th at 11:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Will we get a surprise winner for the third year in a row? Can Helio Castroneves win his fourth Indy 500? Tune in and find out.

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