IndyCar: Colton Herta enters June in worst four-race stint since 2011

By Asher Fair | Jun 1, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 24: Colin Herta of the United States, driver of the #88 Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda during Carb Day for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 24, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

Colton Herta has had a terrible stint of four races since he earned the first victory of his IndyCar career at Circuit of the Americas to say the least.

The 2019 IndyCar season has been a rollercoaster ride for Harding Steinbrenner Racing rookie Colton Herta thus far, but unfortunately for him, it has been going downhill for quite some time now.

At the age of 18 and in just the third start of his IndyCar career, Herta became the youngest winner in the history of the sport by winning the 2019 season’s second race at Circuit of the Americas in late March.

Since then, a total of four races have been contested. A 22nd place finish — or really just a finish — in any of these four races would have been the best finish for the now 19-year-old Valencia, California native, as he has had absolutely nothing going for him in races themselves since he got to victory lane.

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A fuel pressure issue relegated Herta to a 24th (last) place finish in the race at Barber Motorsports Park before a one-car crash in the race on the streets of Long Beach, California relegated to a 23rd (last) place finish.

He was then involved in a crash that he did not cause in the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, relegating him to a 23rd place finish, which was his first non-last place finish (24 cars in the race) since he earned the first victory of his career.

Then after he completed only three laps of 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his gearbox failed, resulting in a 33rd (last) place finish and his fourth consecutive DNF.

In other words, Herta’s best result over the course of the last two months came when he was spun out and hit in the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Herta’s four-race stint entering the month of June and the doubleheader, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, that is set to kick it off today tomorrow is historically awful. His average finishing position of 25.75 during this four-race stint is the worst average finishing position during any four-race stint since the 2011 season.

In the 2011 season, Simona de Silvestro failed to finish the Indy 500 as a result of handling issues, and she was relegated to 31st place. She then finished the two races at Texas Motor Speedway in 26th and 27th, respectively, before handling issues prevented her from finishing the race at the Milwaukee Mile and she was relegated to a 25th place finish.

As a result, de Silvestro’s average finishing position during this four-race span was an abysmal 27.25. She went on to finish the next race at Iowa Speedway in 26th place, so her average finishing position in that five-race span was 27.00.

Herta was 11 years old at the time.

The good news for Herta? Only 22 drivers are set to compete in this afternoon’s race, so regardless of what happens, his finish in this race will be one of his best three finishes of the season. Additionally, it may or may not be worth mentioning that a 22nd (last) place finish in this race would bring his average finishing position in the last five races to 25.00 — we’ll see.

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Will Colton Herta bounce back from a rocky few months in the two races of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader today and tomorrow? These two races, which are the seventh and eighth races on the 17-race 2019 IndyCar schedule, are both set to be broadcast live on NBC from the Raceway on Belle Isle on the streets of Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET, and they are both scheduled to begin at 3:50 p.m. ET.