IndyCar: An Indy 500 without Carlos Munoz would be a travesty

By Asher Fair | Apr 23, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 27: Carlos Munoz of Columbia, driver of the #26 Andretti Autosport Honda, drives on Carb Day ahead of the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on May 27, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

One of the best Indianapolis 500 drivers of this decade, Carlos Munoz, is at risk of missing this year’s running of IndyCar’s most prestigious race.

If you take a look at how each of the last six Indianapolis 500 races have panned out going all the way back to 2013, it is no secret that Carlos Munoz has been one of the best IndyCar drivers if not the best IndyCar driver in this particular race during this six-year span.

In fact, in terms of drivers who haven’t won the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana during this six-year span, he is, without question, the best.

In his first career start in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” back in 2013, which was also his first career IndyCar start, the then 21-year-old Munoz started and finished in second place driving for Andretti Autosport. Had the race not ended under a caution flag period that began with under three laps remaining, he would have had a great chance to win it.

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The following year, Munoz finished in fourth place in the Indy 500 in what was his first season as a full-time driver for Andretti Autosport. In 2015, Andretti Autosport and Honda as a whole had a lousy month of May at the Brickyard, and the Colombian was only able to muster up a 20th place finish after a bold pit strategy move toward the end of the race did not play to his advantage.

Pit strategy bit Munoz again in the 2016 Indy 500. Teammate Alexander Rossi made his final stint of fuel last for 36 laps before crossing the finish line as the race winner at a pace that would be slow even for a NASCAR race at the track. Munoz finished in second place after taking more than 10 seconds out of Rossi’s lead on the final lap, only to fall short by just 4.4975 seconds.

Munoz drove for the struggling A.J. Foyt Enterprises in the 2017 Indy 500 and still managed to finish in 10th place before driving a one-off effort for Andretti Autosport in the 2018 Indy 500 and finishing in an impressive seventh after a month of May that was not altogether great for the perennial contenders.

In six Indy 500 starts, Munoz has recorded an average finishing position of 7.50. A total of 15 drivers have competed in each of the last six Indy 500 races, and none of the other 14 have recorded average finishing positions as good as Munoz has.

Aside of Oriol Servia, who is expected to be confirmed as Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ third driver for the 103rd running of the Indy 500 next month, all 14 of these other drivers have confirmed rides for this year’s edition of the race.

Next. Top 10 Indianapolis 500 drivers of all-time. dark

Munoz, meanwhile, may be taking part in it as a spectator for the first time in seven years.

There is still a chance that he will end up driving Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ third car for the race as opposed to Servia, but the chances of that happening are slim, and if he doesn’t, following the announcement that Harding Steinbrenner Racing likely won’t field a second car for the race, there simply may be no other potential landing spots for him.

And what a shame that would be on so very many levels.