2018 IndyCar season in review: The good, the bad and the ugly

Road and street course racing

The introduction of the new UAK18 aero kit led to some of the best racing that IndyCar has seen in road and street course races, and with there having been 11 road and street course races (six road courses, five road courses) on the schedule and only six oval races, this provided a huge boost to the on-track product as a whole throughout the year.

Aside of the dominant performances by Josef Newgarden in the road course races at Barber Motorsports Park and Road America, there was not a single road or street course race on the schedule that did not feature different drivers on different strategies and multiple drivers with great chances of winning the race.

Of course, part of Newgarden’s dominance in the race at Barber Motorsports Park can be blamed on IndyCar’s decision to allow teams to refuel the cars after the race was suspended for one day due to rain. Otherwise, there likely would have been several more contenders to compete for the race win, and the rain that came down during the race’s second day likely would have played a much bigger strategy-based role in determining the outcome of the race.

Even Alexander Rossi’s 12.829-second victory over rookie Robert Wickens in the race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was not a product of a boring, caution-free race. There was plenty of passing throughout the rest of the field throughout this race, and Rossi and Wickens were both on different strategies. Wickens’s strategy very easily could have worked in his favor to put him on the top step of the podium as opposed to Rossi.

The 11 road or street course races that took place throughout the 2018 season featured seven different winners, and no driver won more than two road or street course races. There are plenty of talented IndyCar drivers who are capable of winning races, and this year’s road and street course races paired with the new UAK18 aero kit proved it.