As can Anybody Best El Capitano’s illustrious Team Chevy
Juggernaut?
Although I’ve been pondering this awhile now, since
I know it nagged at me All last season whilst rootin’ for Pato O’Ward at SPAM’,
aka Arrow McLaren SP. I suppose after reading one of IndyCar’s Oldest Blogger
Geo. Phillips, Hya! Oilpressure Posts back in February about is there really A
Big Four in IndyCar’s? ?
Oh Swell! Now George has jumped on the Pato O’Ward
Bandwagon, which makes me wonder if he’s given him the Dreaded Oilpressure.com
Curse?
Although when I hear the term Big Four, I
always think of Formula 1 instead, when it had it’s Big Four which I tend to recall
was McLaren, Ferrari, Williams and Lotus.
Uhm, the Questione I’ve been ponderin’ a really
really long time is: Has there been Anybody besides the Big Three, i.e.; Penske,
Ganassi and Andretti, albeit primarily Penske since Ganassi and Andretti have
been Hondre’ runners a longtime as ‘Ol Leigh Diffey would say to win an IndyCar
race with a Chevrolet engine?
As Michael Andretti switched to Honda Wayback
in 2014 and promptly rewarded Honda and HPP by winning that year’s epic
Indianapolis 500 when Ryan Hunter-Reay passed Castroneves in the grass to Win!
While thou Cheepster’, nee Chip Ganassi switched back to Honda in 2017 after
initially being part of the Bowtie’ Brigade from 2014, effectively giving Honda
two “big Guns” vs. Penske and Chevy.
Originally I could only remember Tony Kanaan’s
victory for KV Racing Technology at the 2013 Indianapolis 500 being aboard a Non
Big-3 Bowtie’ runner. Yet after I started researching thou Record Books and reacquainted
Thyself with le Hamburgular’, Formerly Sealmeister B’, aka Sebastian Bourdais
took over Kanaan’s KVRT seat and won at Toronto in 2014, I foggily remembered
SeaBass putting a Beatdown upon the IndyCar field at Milwaukee Wayback in 2015,
even if they got penalized monetarily afterwards for a technical infraction.
2016
Season: March 13th to September 18th
Races: 16
Team Penske and Chevrolet thoroughly Waxed the
competition, with Penske claiming ten of Chevy’s Decimating 14 wins! While four
different Bowtie runners found Thar way into victory lane, albeit only when Team
Penske wasn’t busy monopolizing the rostrum’s top step.
Juan Montoya claimed his lone W for Penske at
St Pete, while relative Penske newcomer Simon Pagenaud won a total of five
races en route to winning the title, including three in-a-row between Long Beach
and the Indy GP. With past IndyCar Series Champion Will Power nipping at Pagenaud’s
Heels with a further four W’ and finishing runner-up Overall.
Scott Dixon claimed a modest two wins for
Ganassi. With Sebastian Bourdais winning once at Detroit’s Belle Isle, now in
the rebranded KVSH Racing outfit. And Josef Newgarden once at Iowa for Ed
Carpenter Racing. (ECR)
2015
Season: March 29th to August 30th
Races: 16
Although this is probably my favourite
Championship of the past several years, as I still recall sitting in the Dark over
the weekend we’d had an unexpected Windstorm knock our Power Out for 48-plus
Hours! Which I suppose was Nothin’ compared to Texas, especially since it
happened during Summer… As I blindly found an old portable AM/FM Cassette “Walkman,”
and if I sat just right next to the patio’s sliding glass door and held the
headphone’s wire just right without moving, I could listen to the Sonoma
IndyCar Finale coming off an Everett, WA Radio Station!
And although I delighted in Montoya seemingly “Choking,”
but obviously the entire season was Overshadowed by the Death of my Numero Uno
IndyCar Driver Justin B-I-G UNIT’ Wilson at Pocono.
There were four different Chevrolet winners
that year claiming a total of 10 victories. As Scott Dixon scored three W’s for
Ganassi en route to his fourth IndyCar title, with Penske claiming three W’s;
Juan Pablo Montoya netting two, including that year’s Indy 500 and Will Power winning
once.
Josef Newgarden capped his first two IndyCar career
victories for CFH Racing (Ed Carpenter, Sarah Fisher and Wink Hartman) at Alabama
and Toronto. Whilst Sebastian Bourdais won twice for KVRT at Belle Isle and
Milwaukee.
2014
Season: March 30th to August 30th
Races: 18
It’s Funny to Mwah, since all I really remember
now about this season is that Ryan Hunter-Reay Beat Hulip’ (Castroneves) at Mother
Speedway, and that I got to tell DJ Willy P’ (Will Power) in person at the Sonoma
IndyCar race Autograph session: Beat this guy! When pointing to Castroneves who
was seated next to him. Where Power very diplomatically said I’m Trying!
Which I suppose is why I’ve forgotten that four
different Bowtie runners won races that season, as Chevrolet Dominated with 11
wins. With Penske scoring five, Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) three times, Ganassi
winning twice, having switched this year and KV Racing Technology one W.
Will Power won three times for Team Penske en
route to his lone IndyCar Championship, with team-mates Castroneves and Juan
Pablo Montoya winning once apiece; Hulio’ at Belle Isle’s Double Header second
race and JPM at Pocono.
Mike “Ice-Ice, Baby!” Conway won at Long Beach
and Toronto’s Double Header second race for ECR. Whilst his boss Fast Eddie’,
nee Ed Carpenter won at Texas Motor Speedway, the latest of his three IndyCar career
wins to date.
Le Hamburgular’, nee SeaBass’ or just good ‘Ol
Sebastain Bourdais won Toronto’s Double Header Race-1 for KVRT. With Scott
Dixon winning twice for Ganassi.
2013
Season: March 24th to October 19th
Races: 19
Andretti Autosport and Team Penske won nine of
the ten races won by Chevrolet over a 19-race season, with the only other Bowtie
winner being TK’ Follow-your-Schnoz! Kanaan’s victory at Mother Speedway for KV
Racing Technology, giving Chevy a total of 10 wins vs. Honda’s 9. As Chevrolet
won Indianapolis, but Scott “the Iceman 2.0” Dixon won the Championship, his
third of an eventual six titles to date.
As Thee Mayor ‘O Hinchtown, aka James Hinchcliffe won three times for Andretti, i.e.; St. Pete, Sao Paolo and Iowa, with his team-mate The Dude’, Ryan Hunter-Reay winning twice, netting Mikey A’s Squad five W’s. While DJ WillyP’, aka Will Power led Team Penske wit three wins, along with Helio Castroneves notching one victory.
