We are into the final few IndyCar Wrap-Ups for this season and we are now at the largest team on the IndyCar grid, Andretti Autosport. After absorbing the Harding Steinbrenner Racing operation, Andretti Autosport fielded five cars for 2020. Each driver had remained in the exact same seat he was in for the 2019 season. While there was almost no disruption from year to year, the team started slow and the results were tougher than usual to come by.
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| Colton Herta quickly became Andretti Autosport's leader |
Colton Herta
Now officially under the Andretti Autosport banner, Herta showed no signs of growing pains in his sophomore season. After being masterful in a single-car operation, Herta quickly became the leader of the five-car Andretti program, which included two past Indianapolis 500 winners, a past champion and two of the most experienced drivers in IndyCar history.
What objectively was his best race?
Herta picked up his third career victory at the second Mid-Ohio race, where he started on pole position and led 57 of 75 laps and he led an Andretti Autosport 1-2-3 finish ahead of Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay. It was the first time the team swept the podium since the team's famous 1-2-3-4 finish at St. Petersburg in 2005.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is probably the second Mid-Ohio race, but I think the two Harvest Grand Prix races deserve a nod. In the first race, Herta led 29 laps and it felt like he was going to pull out a victory, but in the final stint, he did not get the best use out of the alternate tires, lost the lead to Josef Newgarden and slid back to fourth.
Herta picked up his third career victory at the second Mid-Ohio race, where he started on pole position and led 57 of 75 laps and he led an Andretti Autosport 1-2-3 finish ahead of Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay. It was the first time the team swept the podium since the team's famous 1-2-3-4 finish at St. Petersburg in 2005.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is probably the second Mid-Ohio race, but I think the two Harvest Grand Prix races deserve a nod. In the first race, Herta led 29 laps and it felt like he was going to pull out a victory, but in the final stint, he did not get the best use out of the alternate tires, lost the lead to Josef Newgarden and slid back to fourth.
However, the next day, Herta found the balance on the alternate tires and he challenged Will Power in the closing laps for the victory. Power held on, but Herta kept him honest and it was important to see Herta learn from the tribulations the day before.
What objectively was his worst race?
Herta ended up 20th in the first Iowa race after contact with Rinus VeeKay when a restart was waved off. Herta climbed over the car of VeeKay and took notable air before landing on all four wheels. Both drivers were ok, but both were out of the race.
What subjectively was his worst race?
What objectively was his worst race?
Herta ended up 20th in the first Iowa race after contact with Rinus VeeKay when a restart was waved off. Herta climbed over the car of VeeKay and took notable air before landing on all four wheels. Both drivers were ok, but both were out of the race.
What subjectively was his worst race?
In the St. Petersburg season finale, Herta had a great chance at victory after Rossi spun out in turn three when he got into the marbles. This set up Herta to take the lead after the pit cycle. The problem was Herta dealt with overboost issues and it bogged him down on the restart. Álex Palou and Josef Newgarden both overtook Herta and a little later Herta locked up and got into the turn four tires.
He was able to reverse and continue the race, but a podium finish was gone and what could have been a victory ended up an 11th-place finish.
Colton Herta's 2020 Statistics
Championship Position: 3rd (421 points)
Wins: 1
Podiums: 2
Top Fives: 7
Top Tens: 11
Laps Led: 110
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 6.214
Average Finish: 7.427
Colton Herta's 2020 Statistics
Championship Position: 3rd (421 points)
Wins: 1
Podiums: 2
Top Fives: 7
Top Tens: 11
Laps Led: 110
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 6.214
Average Finish: 7.427
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| Alexander Rossi experienced just about everything but victory in 2020 |
Alexander Rossi
A championship hopeful for the last few seasons, Rossi took a few big blows early in the season and immediately put into question whether or not he could compete for the Astor Cup this year. Results remained inconsistent over the middle of the season with an unfortunate set of events at the Indianapolis 500 effectively taking Rossi out of contention. He ended the season strong, but he could not completely shake the hardship.
What objectively was his best race?
Rossi had two runner-up finishes, first to his teammate at Mid-Ohio and then to Josef Newgarden in the first Harvest Grand Prix race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is one of his most painful races: St. Petersburg. Rossi started second and controlled that race, taking the lead early when Will Power was having downshifting issues. Rossi was gone. No one was touching him and he was set to end this season with a victory.
Rossi had two runner-up finishes, first to his teammate at Mid-Ohio and then to Josef Newgarden in the first Harvest Grand Prix race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is one of his most painful races: St. Petersburg. Rossi started second and controlled that race, taking the lead early when Will Power was having downshifting issues. Rossi was gone. No one was touching him and he was set to end this season with a victory.
He had led 61 of 69 laps when he got into the marbles exiting turn three and spun out. It was the final nail in the coffin of a difficult season and Rossi ended up 21st instead of with silverware in hand.
What objectively was his worst race?
The painful 27th-place finish at the Indianapolis 500 after a penalty for an unsafe release on the pit lane took him out of contention for victory and then led to a spin in turn two.
What subjectively was his worst race?
What objectively was his worst race?
The painful 27th-place finish at the Indianapolis 500 after a penalty for an unsafe release on the pit lane took him out of contention for victory and then led to a spin in turn two.
What subjectively was his worst race?
The only answer is Indianapolis, but there are a handful of races you can go with.
Rossi made slight contact with Sato exiting his pit box and it landed him a penalty. He immediately went from second to outside the top twenty and pretty much out of contention for victory. Rossi had been Scott Dixon's equal all race and we were set for another late battle involving Rossi. When he was sent to the rear of the field, it felt like a futile effort and doomed to end in disaster, in a race where passing was extremely difficult. Rossi went for broke and ended up in the wall, a spotless Indianapolis 500 record tarnished, and one of the most breathtaking drivers to arrive at the 2.5-mile oval in the 21st century has to wait another year for his second triumph in IndyCar's grandest race.
Rossi ended up ninth in the championship, but it could have been considerably greater considering all the breaks that went against him. The car wouldn't start at Texas and then when fired he had to start at the back and serve a penalty. Fuel pressure issues took him out of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis when he was in the top ten and could have battled for a top five. He was lost in the first Road America and he was run over before even taking the green flag in the first Gateway race, which basically took him out of contention in the second race that weekend. And then there was the finale and those tricky marbles.
It was not a championship season, but a break at Indianapolis and St. Petersburg and he is in the top five of the championship, perhaps even the best Andretti Autosport driver.
Alexander Rossi's 2020 Statistics
Championship Position: 9th (317 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 5
Top Fives: 5
Top Tens: 7
Laps Led: 83
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 8.857
Average Finish: 12.142
Championship Position: 9th (317 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 5
Top Fives: 5
Top Tens: 7
Laps Led: 83
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 8.857
Average Finish: 12.142
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| Ryan Hunter-Reay remained in the top ten for another season |
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Andretti Autosport's eldest statesman had a good year, but far from a great year. While Hunter-Reay had a few good days, a few disappointing days were sprinkled in. Despite his seniority in the team, Hunter-Reay was often not leading the Andretti Autosport charge, an unusual position for the 2012 IndyCar champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He was able to hold onto a top ten championship position, but he was holding on for dear life.
What objectively was his best race?
Hunter-Reay rounded out the Andretti Autosport 1-2-3 finish in the second Mid-Ohio race. He had started eighth but worked his way into the top three.
What subjectively was his best race?
The entire Mid-Ohio weekend deserves a shoutout, because in race one, Hunter-Reay started second and finished fifth and he spent that entire race in the top five. The next day he had a smooth drive and deserved third.
What objectively was his worst race?
Hunter-Reay had two finishes of 22nd. In the second Road America race, he made contact with Will Power and Graham Rahal in the first corner and his race was over. In the second Iowa race, he spun exiting the pit lane and his night was over.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Hunter-Reay rounded out the Andretti Autosport 1-2-3 finish in the second Mid-Ohio race. He had started eighth but worked his way into the top three.
What subjectively was his best race?
The entire Mid-Ohio weekend deserves a shoutout, because in race one, Hunter-Reay started second and finished fifth and he spent that entire race in the top five. The next day he had a smooth drive and deserved third.
What objectively was his worst race?
Hunter-Reay had two finishes of 22nd. In the second Road America race, he made contact with Will Power and Graham Rahal in the first corner and his race was over. In the second Iowa race, he spun exiting the pit lane and his night was over.
What subjectively was his worst race?
It is the entire Iowa weekend, because he had spins exiting the pit lane on both nights and it cost him better results than he ended up with. To make matters worse, Hunter-Reay was one of the best at Iowa only five years ago and he has not stood out there since.
This was not a spectacular season for Hunter-Reay. Frankly, it felt like a tipping point. He is about to turn 40 years old. He has gone winless for the second consecutive season and for the fourth time in the last five years. He didn't even have the heartbreaking race where he leads a good chunk of the race and then had the mechanical failure that only happens to Hunter-Reay take him out.
There were weekends where was he just off. Iowa was bad. He was off in all three IMS road course races. The pandemic might have thrown him off. A few drivers had uncharacteristically rough seasons, see Rossi, but Hunter-Reay's results have been too wishy-washy over the last few seasons.
I don't think his ability is completely gone, but the end is approaching.
Ryan Hunter-Reay's 2020 Statistics
Championship Position: 10th (315 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 7
Laps Led: 4
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 8.0
Average Finish: 11.5
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| Marco Andretti could not catch a break |
Marco Andretti
Few drivers had a harder season than Andretti did in 2020. No matter how a race weekend started, something always seemed to trip up Andretti. If things were going well, he would get knocked back a few rungs. If things started poorly, they somehow ended up worse. Andretti had one of the highlights of the season and even that can hardly be viewed as a fond moment from this season.
What objectively was his best race?
Andretti's only top ten finish came in the second Iowa race and he only got tenth on the final lap from Tony Kanaan.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is actually a race where the finish doesn't show how well Andretti did. It is St. Petersburg. Andretti started 23rd, but was making moves up the order and drove into the top ten. He was set to finish seventh or eighth, his best result of the season, and then Takuma Sato got into Jack Harvey and Andretti and Andretti was taken out 26 laps away from the finish, a cruel end to a much crueler season.
What objectively was his worst race?
Late in the first Harvest Grand Prix race, Andretti lost his engine while in 11th with six laps to go. With no other cars out of the race, he dropped from 11th and maybe sneaking into the top ten, down to 25th, dead-last.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Andretti's only top ten finish came in the second Iowa race and he only got tenth on the final lap from Tony Kanaan.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is actually a race where the finish doesn't show how well Andretti did. It is St. Petersburg. Andretti started 23rd, but was making moves up the order and drove into the top ten. He was set to finish seventh or eighth, his best result of the season, and then Takuma Sato got into Jack Harvey and Andretti and Andretti was taken out 26 laps away from the finish, a cruel end to a much crueler season.
What objectively was his worst race?
Late in the first Harvest Grand Prix race, Andretti lost his engine while in 11th with six laps to go. With no other cars out of the race, he dropped from 11th and maybe sneaking into the top ten, down to 25th, dead-last.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Close your eyes and throw a dart at the wall because about 11 of 14 races fit this category. He ended up 20th or worse in nine of 14 races. He was behind Oliver Askew in the championship, who missed two races and ahead of Zach Veach, who missed the final three races, by only ten points.
I think what is worst of all is even on the one day it appeared Andretti was going to be good, he was not a factor. He won pole position for the Indianapolis 500, didn't lead a lap and finished 13th and at no point looked to be a threat to lead laps. He slid out of the top five, was anonymous in seventh or eighth and then slipped out of the top ten. For a week, people bought into this being Andretti's best shot to get that historic victory for his family. His grandfather Mario drove the two-seater and his father Michael was a passenger. They had a photo-op moment during the pace laps. The buildup for this year's Indianapolis 500 was some sort of Andretti family redemption story and that storyline died in a matter of moments.
Marco Andretti's 2020 Statistics
Championship Position: 20th (176 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 14.285
Average Finish: 19.285
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| Zach Veach's career is at a crossroads |
Zach Veach
Entering a contract year, Veach knew results had to improve if he wanted a fourth season at Andretti Autosport. The first race went great. Every race from there on was a nightmare. With the results not turning around, Veach stepped away from the car with three races remaining.
What objectively was his best race?
The season opener at Texas saw Veach start fifth, only the second time he had started in the top five in his career, and he finished fourth, matching his career-best finish.
What subjectively was his best race?
Texas. That is it. He had one good race all season.
What objectively was his worst race?
Veach burned out the clutch in the first Iowa race and was 23rd, dead-last with only 95 laps completed.
What subjectively was his worst race?
The season opener at Texas saw Veach start fifth, only the second time he had started in the top five in his career, and he finished fourth, matching his career-best finish.
What subjectively was his best race?
Texas. That is it. He had one good race all season.
What objectively was his worst race?
Veach burned out the clutch in the first Iowa race and was 23rd, dead-last with only 95 laps completed.
What subjectively was his worst race?
After Texas, Veach had ten consecutive races where he started outside the top ten, nine of which were outside the top fifteen and he had ten consecutive finishes outside the top ten. It was clear Veach's time was running out at Andretti Autosport and after Mid-Ohio, his home race, he vacated the #26 Gainbridge Honda.
Zach Veach's 2020 Statistics
Championship Position: 21st (166 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 17
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 0
Average Start: 17.909
Average Finish: 17.09
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| For a part-timer, James Hinchcliffe was respectable |
James Hinchcliffe
Originally set to run three races this season in a sixth Andretti car, Hinchcliffe ended up doubling his number of starts when he picked up the final three races in the #26 Gainbridge Honda. In what was a partial season, Hinchcliffe showed he is not close to being done from full-time competition, but there were a few moments that he probably wishes he had back.
What objectively was his best race?
Hinchcliffe was seventh in the Indianapolis 500, the best Andretti Autosport finisher in that race.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is St. Petersburg, even though the results does not show it. He qualified fourth and for a good portion of that race it looked like Andretti Autosport was set for another 1-2-3 finish with Rossi, Herta and Hinchcliffe. However... it did not end that way and we will get to that a little further below.
What objectively was his worst race?
Hinchcliffe ran the Texas season opener, but in an additional car for the team. He was 18th in a one-day show and after having no seat time leading up to the first race.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Hinchcliffe was seventh in the Indianapolis 500, the best Andretti Autosport finisher in that race.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is St. Petersburg, even though the results does not show it. He qualified fourth and for a good portion of that race it looked like Andretti Autosport was set for another 1-2-3 finish with Rossi, Herta and Hinchcliffe. However... it did not end that way and we will get to that a little further below.
What objectively was his worst race?
Hinchcliffe ran the Texas season opener, but in an additional car for the team. He was 18th in a one-day show and after having no seat time leading up to the first race.
What subjectively was his worst race?
It is St. Petersburg, because while it was setting up for a 1-2-3 Andretti Autosport finish, Rossi spun out when he was set to inherit the lead and under that caution Hinchcliffe lost it in the final corner, lurched forward and made contact with Jack Harvey.
Hinchcliffe's possible podium finish was gone with the spin, the contact with Harvey took away any chance to recover and compete for a top five or top ten finish and he ended up 14th.
James Hinchcliffe's 2020 Statistics
Championship Position: 23rd (138 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 1
Laps Led: 3
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 12.5
Average Finish: 12.833
An Early Look Ahead
Herta and Rossi will be back, but the other three seats remain unknown.
It is believed Hunter-Reay will return in the #28 Honda, though there has been no word on if DHL will return as the sponsor. Hinchcliffe is the leading favorite for the #26 Honda, though there has been no word on if Gainbridge will return as the sponsor. For some reason everyone expects Marco Andretti to walk away from Indycar in the near-future, even though he is only 33 years old and will not turn 34 years old until a week after next year's season opener at St. Petersburg.
If any team felt off because of the pandemic, Andretti Autosport was off the most. Between Rossi's horrendous start, Hunter-Reay's lack of results and Veach and Andretti both being woefully behind, Andretti Autosport was down a cylinder for almost this entire season.
Herta carried the team and his sophomore season ended up being better than his historic rookie campaign. He and Rossi could be the one-two punch that Andretti Autosport hasn't had since Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan were with the team.
The pieces around Herta and Rossi are suspect. I think Hunter-Reay could have a few seasons left and could get some results, but I think his days as a championship contender are over. He can still be a capable driver, pick up a handful of top five finishes and finish in the top ten more times than not, but with his lack of victories it is hard to imagine he will be able to string together another season with three to five victories, seven to ten podium finishes and no problems.
Hunter-Reay is still an asset to the team. We saw at St. Petersburg, where he went from 19th to fifth, that he can pick up results from behind, but we are watching the final days of his career.
Veach had to go and I cannot figure out Andretti. Andretti has days where he is in the top ten in practice and looks competitive and then that pace disappears. I don't think this season is indicative of where he is at as a driver. It always seemed to be something different that would cost him. Between Mid-Ohio and the Harvest Grand Prix, he stared 11th, seventh, fifth and 12th. I don't know why the results didn't match in those cases and we already went over St. Petersburg, where Andretti was on fire until something out of his making took him out. Though it isn't all on him, something has to change in 2021 for Andretti.
When the results were not coming in at the start of the season, I thought this team should cut down to four cars because five proved to be too much. I am not sure the team is thinking that way and maybe it can make five full-time entries work.
I expect things to get better in 2021, mostly because of how hard Rossi's season was and Andretti cannot be that far off again. For Andretti Autosport, which is always included in IndyCar's "Big Three" with Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing, one victory in a season is not enough. It has also been eight years since the team's last championship. Rossi has had a few close calls with the championship, but it is time for either he or Herta to break the Scott Dixon/Josef Newgarden juggernaut.
