Is Chevy’s IndyCar Dominance Coming to an End?
Will Chip Ganassi Racing’s Return to Honda Level the IndyCar Playing Field?
Chevrolet has dominated IndyCar racing for years now, winning five straight manufacturer’s championships. Last season put an exclamation point on this success when Chevy won a whopping 14 of 16 races. Clearly, that didn’t sit well with Honda, winner of the other two. It played at least part of a role in bringing Chip Ganassi Racing back to Honda Performance Development, a move that happened this past offseason.
The move evens things up a bit, and gives Honda a two car advantage on Chevy. Now, the two best teams in IndyCar — Ganassi and Team Penske — are ready to battle it out as competitors rather than allies, which isn’t to say that Ganassi enjoyed a successful 2016 campaign. Driver Scott Dixon won the team’s only two races of the season: Phoenix and Watkins Glen.
Dixon acknowledged that the switch to Honda presents a big challenge, but also a chance to refocus.
“Chevrolet was more of a turnkey operation, and they offered quite a bit of support,” said Dixon. “Honda is a little more raw, but can be tailored quite a lot. I think that’s definitely a big change from what we’ve had for the last three years, but I also think that’s good for motivation.”
Following Honda’s 1-2 finish in last year’s Indy 500, drivers are excited about the prospects of winning the legendary race as well.
“I think we’ve made the right decision, especially because the Indianapolis 500 is the thing everyone wants to win,” said Ganassi driver Max Chilton, “and that’s the stronger engine for that race.”
A more even playing field is certainly a good thing for IndyCar, maybe not so much for Chevy fans. We’ll find out how things will shake out in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 12 at the season opener.
