The Verizon IndyCar Series has reached the halfway point in the 2016 racing schedule. Eight of the 16 events have been completed and there has been plenty of ups and downs to reflect on. The unpredictability of open-wheel racing has reared its ugly head once again in 2016. There have been six different winners so far in the Verizon IndyCar season from three different teams.
Chevrolet has been the belle of the ball midway through the 2016 season. The manufacturer has reeled in seven victories besting Honda seven to one in the win column. The only win for the manufacturer came in the world’s grandest race, the Indianapolis 500. Who has stepped up to the plate and who has yet to make their mark in the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series circuit?
Simon Pagenaud currently sits at the top of the Verizon IndyCar point standings. The driver of the #22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chevrolet has collected three victories in the 2016 racing campaign. In fact, the talented open-wheel racer won three in a row starting at the Long Beach Grand Prix, then again at Birmingham, and once more in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
The 2012 Rookie of the Year hasn’t been shabby in the events he didn’t win. Pagenaud has posted three runner-ups to go along with his three trips to victory lane. The Penske Racing driver is clearly the favorite to capture the title going forward. If there is anyone that has a chance to challenge the dominate performer, it is the 2015 Champion Scott Dixon, who currently sits second in the Verizon IndyCar standings.
Scott Dixon got back to his winning ways in the second contest of the year at Phoenix Raceway. The four-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion didn’t stop there. He has claimed three top five finishes and seven top ten’s. The 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner has taken his #9 Target-sponsored Chip Gnassi Chevrolet to the front for 158 total laps led.
Dixon has yet to capture a pole position in the eight races he has qualified for. Counting out this outstanding driver could be a huge mistake. Against all odds, Dixon raced his way to his fourth title in 2015 in the last event of the year. He will be looking to make a repeat performance of that feat once again in the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season.
Helio Castroneves sits third in the point standings heading into the second half of the 2016 season. The three time Indianapolis 500 winner has recorded four top five finishes so far and another five top ten’s. The 41 year old veteran has shown plenty of speed throughout the campaign this far.
Even though he has failed to reach the winner’s circle in any of the eight events he has participated in, he has led a sturdy 127 laps on the year. Two pole positions have been awarded to Castroneves, who won Dancing with the Stars” in 2005. Castroneves is averaging a 4.8 starting position and has a 7.1 average finish.
Fourth place in the Verizon IndyCar Series point standings goes to the young up-and-comer Josef Newgarden. In his fifth campaign the crafty driver has captured three top five finishes and another three top tens. Newgarden has raced his #21 Preferred Freezer Services / Fuzzy’s Vodka from Ed Carpenter Racing to the front for 14 circuits so far this year.
His consistency has been the key to his placement in this years point standings. Newgarden has managed to keep out of the on track shenanigans so far in 2016. He has completed seven of the eight starts he has competed in thus far.
Alexander Rossi round out the top five half way through the IndyCar season. The rookie phenom has shined in 2016 when the lights have been the brightest. He guided his #98 Napa Auto Parts/ Curb/Castrol GT hot-rod in the Indianapolis 500. It is Honda’s only win on the 2016 season so far. Rossi and his team collected over $2,500,000. dollars for the win at the hallowed venue.
There is room for improvement for the greenhorn. His only top five was at Indianapolis and has three other top ten’s. Time will tell if this team can capitalize on their one victory, but for now they need to focus on qualifying consistently and finishing within the top ten on a regular basis.
The 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Top 20 Point Leaders:
1 Simon Pagenaud 357 3 5 6 6
2 Scott Dixon 277 1 0 3 7
3 Helio Castroneves 271 0 2 4 5
4 Josef Newgarden 259 0 0 3 5
5 Alexander Rossi 242 1 0 1 3
Carlos Munoz 242 0 1 1 3
7 Will Power 240 1 0 3 5
Tony Kanaan 240 0 0 2 7
9 Juan Pablo Montoya 233 1 0 4 6
10 Charlie Kimball 227 0 0 2 5
11 James Hinchcliffe 226 0 1 1 4
12 Graham Rahal 225 0 0 4 4
13 Ryan Hunter-Reay 224 0 0 2 5
14 Sebastien Bourdais 210 1 0 1 5
15 Conor Daly 177 0 0 1 3
16 Takuma Sato 173 0 0 1 3
17 Marco Andretti 166 0 0 0 1
18 Mikhail Aleshin 155 0 0 1 1
19 Max Chilton 139 0 0 0 1
20 Jack Hawksworth 110 0 0 0 0
