IndyCar: Honda’s road course success cannot be understated in title battle

By Asher Fair | Aug 26, 2019

SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 14: Alexander Rossi driver of the #27 Andretti Autosport Honda during practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series Sonoma Grand Prix at Sonoma Raceway on September 14, 2018 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /

Team Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud lead Honda drivers Alexander Rossi and Scott Dixon in the IndyCar championship battle. But given Honda’s recent success on road courses, it’s far from over.

Two consecutive finishes of 13th place or worse for Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi and a DNF for Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon in the most recent IndyCar race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway have resulted in two Team Penske drivers sitting atop the championship standings for the first time in nearly three months.

Josef Newgarden sits atop the standings ahead of Simon Pagenaud in second place, which hasn’t been the case since following the first of two races at the Raceway on Belle Isle back on Saturday, June 1, exactly three months before the date of the next race on the schedule.

Just two races remain on the 17-race 2019 schedule, and here is how the standings look among the top four drivers.

Rank – Driver, Car, Team, Engine: Points (Behind)
1st – Josef Newgarden, #2, Team Penske, Chevrolet: 563 (0)
2nd – Simon Pagenaud, #22, Team Penske, Chevrolet: 525 (-38)
3rd – Alexander Rossi, #27, Andretti Autosport, Honda: 517 (-46)
4th – Scott Dixon, #9, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda: 493 (-70)

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The season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is a double points-paying race, so following this Sunday’s race at Portland International Raceway, the gaps between these four drivers will effectively be halved, not including bonus points.

After watching Dixon turn a 47-point deficit into a championship just four seasons ago by winning the double points-paying season finale, it is clear that all four of these drivers are still very much in championship contention.

While that could certainly change this weekend, it is important to note that the final two races of the season are both road course races, and Honda’s recent success on road course races puts Chevrolet’s to shame.

Going back to last season, Honda drivers have won seven of the last eight road course races, including four of the five that have been contested so far this season. Pagenaud earned Chevrolet their loan victory during this eight-race span by winning the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in mid-May.

However, even in this race, Honda was the dominant manufacturer, leading 60 of the 85 laps. Pagenaud made his winning pass on Dixon with just over one lap remaining in wet conditions.

In their seven victories during this eight-race span, Honda drivers have led every lap in two races, and they have led at least 90% of the race’s laps in two additional races. They have led at least half of the laps in all but one of these eight races, and they have swept the podium three times and recorded an additional two 1-2 finishes.

The lone race that did not result in them securing at least two positions on the podium was the race at Road America in late June, and that was a race that was dominated by Rossi. His winning margin in this race was the largest winning margin in any IndyCar race in nearly 10 years, and this was one of the races during which Chevrolet drivers failed to lead any laps.

In total, Honda drivers have led 510 of the 660 laps that have been contested in the last eight road course races. Additionally, Rossi has secured two victories and Dixon has secured one victory and added three runner-up finishes during this eight-race span while Chevrolet drivers have combined to record just six podium finishes.

Chevrolet’s best road course race during this eight-race span was the inaugural IndyCar race at Circuit of the Americas back in late March. Team Penske’s Will Power led the first 45 laps of this 60-lap race in his #12 Chevrolet before (a) his pit strategy backfired and (b) a driveshaft issue prevented him from continuing anyway.

But it was Harding Steinbrenner Racing rookie Colton Herta who went on to lead the final 15 laps in his #88 Honda en route to becoming the youngest winner in IndyCar history at the age of 18.

The idea that this year’s championship battle is all but over could not be further from the truth. Honda’s recent success in road course races simply cannot be understated.

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Be sure to tune in to NBC for both of the final two races on the 2019 IndyCar schedule. The Grand Prix of Portland is set to be broadcast live from Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 1, and the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey is set to be broadcast live from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 22.