IndyCar: Harding Steinbrenner Racing to Honda news a huge blow to Chevrolet

By Asher Fair | Dec 7, 2018

SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 15: Patricio O'Ward, driver of the #8 Harding Racing Chevrolet (Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images) /

Harding Steinbrenner Racing have opted to use Honda engines as opposed to Chevrolet engines in the 2019 IndyCar season, which is a huge blow to Chevrolet.

After the 2017 IndyCar season, the season during which Harding Racing entered their first three IndyCar races, and the 2018 season, the season during which the team fielded a full-time entry for the first time, the team partnered with Indy Lights team Steinbrenner Racing to form Harding Steinbrenner Racing for the 2019 IndyCar season.

While Harding Racing used Chevrolet engines in their first two seasons competing in IndyCar, it was not a sure thing that they would continue to do so as Harding Steinbrenner Racing.

Much of the speculation that Harding Steinbrenner Racing would switch from Chevrolet engines to Honda engine was rooted in the fact that the team are set to rely on the technical expertise of Andretti Autosport team owner Michael Andretti, whose Indy Lights team partnered with Steinbrenner Racing in each of the last two Indy Lights seasons.

This speculation was confirmed on Thursday when the newly formed team announced that they are set to use Honda engines as opposed to Chevrolet engines in the 2019 season.

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While this is naturally great news for Harding Steinbrenner Racing and Honda, it is a perhaps an even bigger blow to Chevrolet.

Harding Racing recorded just one top 10 finish last season, which was Patricio O’Ward’s ninth place finish behind the wheel of the #8 Chevrolet in his first career IndyCar race, the season finale at Sonoma Raceway. Chevrolet losing the team may not seem like that huge of a deal based on that statistic alone.

But it isn’t so much the fact that Chevrolet lost Harding Steinbrenner Racing that is a blow to the engine manufacturer; it is the fact that Honda gained them.

Aside of Team Penske, the only three Chevrolet teams with full-time drivers next season are set to be Ed Carpenter Racing, A.J. Foyt Enterprises and Carlin. The most recent victory by these three teams is Josef Newgarden’s victory in the race at Iowa Speedway in the 2016 season when he drove for Ed Carpenter Racing.

A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ most recent victory came when Takuma Sato won the race on the streets of Long Beach in the 2013 season. At this point in time, A.J. Foyt Enterprises were a Honda team. Carlin have never won a race.

Of the full-time drivers who are set to drive for these three teams next season, A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ Tony Kanaan is the most recent winner as a Chevrolet driver. He won the 2014 season finale at Auto Club Speedway driving a Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing, which are now a Honda team.

None of these full-time drivers have ever won a race driving for any one of the current Chevrolet teams, much less for any one of the current Chevrolet teams at a time when they were actually Chevrolet teams.

Further putting into perspective the fact that Team Penske have been the only great Chevrolet team in recent seasons is the fact that in the 17-race 2018 season, Ed Carpenter Racing totaled two podium finishes, three top five finishes and nine top 10 finishes while Carlin totaled one top five finish and six top 10 finishes and A.J. Foyt Enterprises totaled four top 10 finishes.

Ed Carpenter Racing’s Spencer Pigot finished in 14th place in the championship standings last season out of 19 full-time drivers while A.J. Foyt Enterprises teammates Kanaan and Matheus Leist finished in 16th and 18th, respectively, and Carlin teammates Charlie Kimball and Max Chilton finished in 17th and 19th, respectively.

Team Penske, meanwhile, totaled six victories, 13 podium finishes, 18 top five finishes and 39 top 10 finishes. Will Power finished in third place in the championship standings while Newgarden finished in fifth and Simon Pagenaud finished in sixth.

Now Honda is set to add a sixth team to a group of five teams that are all established contenders which all won at least one race last season, and this team is one that is set to rely on the technical expertise of Andretti Autosport, which have been the best Honda team in the sport since they switched from Chevrolet engines to Honda engines between the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

Had Harding Steinbrenner Racing stuck with Chevrolet engines, this technical alliance with Andretti Autosport would likely have posed a conflict of interest — if it would have even been possible — and it likely wouldn’t have resulted in the team being as strong as they can be as a Honda team with a technical alliance with Andretti Autosport.

As a whole, the overall group of Chevrolet teams is already weak. While it likely didn’t get much weaker with the departure of Harding Steinbrenner Racing, the group of Honda teams certainly got stronger with the addition of the team. It will be surprising if any less than six Honda teams finish among the top seven teams in the sport next season.

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Where will Harding Steinbrenner Racing stack up in relation to the other five Honda teams in the 2019 IndyCar season? Will they end up performing at a higher level than the three non-Team Penske Chevrolet teams, thus making six of the sport’s top seven teams Honda teams?

The 2019 season is scheduled to get underway in just over three months with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 10, 2019. This race is set to take place on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.