The penultimate IndyCar Wrap-Up is Team Penske. In 2021, the organization was back to four full-time entries for the first time since 2017. That 2017 season saw Penske put all four drivers in the top five of the championship and the team won ten of 17 races. Seventy-five percent of that 2017 driver lineup was still around in 2021. The one change was something unfamiliar to Team Penske, a rookie driver.
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| Josef Newgarden nearly did it again in 2021 |
Josef Newgarden
After winning the IndyCar championship in the previous two seasons to end in an odd-number, Newgarden hoped to keep that pattern going in 2021. However, he would have to do it fighting from behind after a few rough results early, but Newgarden did fight back and he was clearly the best Penske driver this season.
What objectively was his best race?
Newgarden won two races. He led 73 of 80 laps on his way to victory at Mid-Ohio. A month later, he led 138 of 260 laps on his way to victory at Gateway.
What subjectively was his best race?
I will say Mid-Ohio because he wasn't really in danger at that race. If Colton Herta does have a broken driveshaft late at Gateway, Herta likely wins that race, and Newgarden likely finishes second, but Newgarden would have led about 72 few laps.
After winning the IndyCar championship in the previous two seasons to end in an odd-number, Newgarden hoped to keep that pattern going in 2021. However, he would have to do it fighting from behind after a few rough results early, but Newgarden did fight back and he was clearly the best Penske driver this season.
What objectively was his best race?
Newgarden won two races. He led 73 of 80 laps on his way to victory at Mid-Ohio. A month later, he led 138 of 260 laps on his way to victory at Gateway.
What subjectively was his best race?
I will say Mid-Ohio because he wasn't really in danger at that race. If Colton Herta does have a broken driveshaft late at Gateway, Herta likely wins that race, and Newgarden likely finishes second, but Newgarden would have led about 72 few laps.
Mid-Ohio was the race Newgarden controlled through the finish, but the second Belle Isle race deserves a mention. Newgarden led the first 67 laps, but an early second pit stop due to a possible caution forced him to be on the less ideal alternate tires for the final stint and for longer than planned. Newgarden tried to hold on but he could not hold off the charging Patricio O'Ward after a pair of late restarts, knocking Newgarden back to second.
What objectively was his worst race?
It was the very first race of the season and the very first lap of the season. Newgarden spun cresting the hill out of turn four at Barber Motorsports Park, and he collected three cars with him. Race one was over before he reached turn five and Newgarden was classified in 23rd. It was Newgarden's worst finish since Toronto 2016.
What subjectively was his worst race?
What objectively was his worst race?
It was the very first race of the season and the very first lap of the season. Newgarden spun cresting the hill out of turn four at Barber Motorsports Park, and he collected three cars with him. Race one was over before he reached turn five and Newgarden was classified in 23rd. It was Newgarden's worst finish since Toronto 2016.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Newgarden only lost the championship by 38 points. There are many places where you can look at points dropped and where the championship swung out of his control. It is easy to look at a lap one accident in round one and all the points dropped there. If Newgarden makes it through that corner, he likes scores more than seven points at Barber. He was starting eighth and he had five consecutive top five finishes at the track.
But the race that sticks out the most was Road America. If the gearbox holds on for two more laps, he gets his first victory of the season a race earlier. Instead of scoring only 13 points, he scores the maximum 54 points with a victory. If Newgarden wins the race, he takes 11 points away from Álex Palou, who benefitted from Newgarden's failure.
Palou scored 38 points more than Newgarden at Road America. If Newgarden holds on and wins the race, he scores 14 points more than Palou. That one race was a 52-point swing, and if you flip that race alone, Newgarden scored 552 points while Palou scores only 538 points. Newgarden wins the championship.
Josef Newgarden's 2021 Statistics
Championship Position: 2nd (511 points)
Wins: 2
Podiums: 6
Top Fives: 8
Top Tens: 13
Laps Led: 355
Poles: 4
Fast Sixes: 5
Fast Twelves: 9
Average Start: 7.371
Average Finish: 7.25
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| Good was not good enough for Simon Pagenaud |
Simon Pagenaud
In his seventh season with Team Penske, Pagenaud was looking to pick up his results after an eighth-place championship finish in the 2020 season. Pagenaud ended the previous season with eight consecutive races without a top five finish.
What objectively was his best race?
Pagenaud was twice on the podium, both were third-place results at St. Petersburg and the Indianapolis 500 respectively.
What subjectively was his best race?
Indianapolis deserves the nod because Pagenaud started 26th, Penske looked lost in Indianapolis 500 qualifying and the race was not going great. It was going better than qualifying, but Pagenaud was not even sniffing the top ten until well into the second half of the race. Over the final two stints, Pagenaud's strategy got him into the top ten, then into the top five and he was able to break into third in the closing laps.
What objectively was his worst race?
Twenty-first at Portland after he was spun from contact with teammate Will Power. This was lining up to be a good run as he was running with teammate Scott McLaughlin and could have broken into the top ten before the spin.
What subjectively was his worst race?
In his seventh season with Team Penske, Pagenaud was looking to pick up his results after an eighth-place championship finish in the 2020 season. Pagenaud ended the previous season with eight consecutive races without a top five finish.
What objectively was his best race?
Pagenaud was twice on the podium, both were third-place results at St. Petersburg and the Indianapolis 500 respectively.
What subjectively was his best race?
Indianapolis deserves the nod because Pagenaud started 26th, Penske looked lost in Indianapolis 500 qualifying and the race was not going great. It was going better than qualifying, but Pagenaud was not even sniffing the top ten until well into the second half of the race. Over the final two stints, Pagenaud's strategy got him into the top ten, then into the top five and he was able to break into third in the closing laps.
What objectively was his worst race?
Twenty-first at Portland after he was spun from contact with teammate Will Power. This was lining up to be a good run as he was running with teammate Scott McLaughlin and could have broken into the top ten before the spin.
What subjectively was his worst race?
I think it was another disappointing season for Pagenaud where there isn't one bad race but a collection of underwhelming results. He only had three top five finishes all season. He only led 12 laps all season. There isn't a race where it felt like Pagenaud was a threat to win. If it wasn't for an extended caution period at Iowa last year, we would likely be saying there has been two full years since Pagenaud was last in contention for a victory.
You can see why Penske was fine moving Pagenaud to sports cars if Pagenaud chose to stay with the team for 2022 and beyond. The results weren't bad, but not great in 2021. He is still capable of winning races, but he needs get back in his groove.
Simon Pagenaud's 2021 Statistics
Championship Position: 8th (383 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 2
Top Fives: 3
Top Tens: 9
Laps Led: 12
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 3
Fast Twelves: 9
Average Start: 11.0
Average Finish: 10.688
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| Results remained inconsistent for Will Power |
Will Power
Power entered 2021 with 11 consecutive seasons finishing in the top five fo the championship. He ended the 2020 season with two victories and three pole positions in the final five races. He was also one victory away from reaching the 40-victory milestone and sole possession of fifth all-time in victories.
What objectively was his best race?
Power won the August IMS road course race, leading 56 of 85 laps from second starting position. The victory was Power's 40th in IndyCar, broke a tie with Al Unser for fifth all-time and it was Power's sixth victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
What subjectively was his best race?
I would say it is the August IMS road course race. It was only one of two races where Power led more than five laps.
What objectively was his worst race?
The Indianapolis 500 could not have gone worse for Power. First, he nearly did not qualify for the race. Power was not able to make the top 30 on Saturday, which put him in the Last Row Shootout on Sunday. On the final lap of his first qualifying run, he brushed the barrier and it cost him a lot of speed. It put him in danger, but his time held up to put his 32nd on the grid.
Power entered 2021 with 11 consecutive seasons finishing in the top five fo the championship. He ended the 2020 season with two victories and three pole positions in the final five races. He was also one victory away from reaching the 40-victory milestone and sole possession of fifth all-time in victories.
What objectively was his best race?
Power won the August IMS road course race, leading 56 of 85 laps from second starting position. The victory was Power's 40th in IndyCar, broke a tie with Al Unser for fifth all-time and it was Power's sixth victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
What subjectively was his best race?
I would say it is the August IMS road course race. It was only one of two races where Power led more than five laps.
What objectively was his worst race?
The Indianapolis 500 could not have gone worse for Power. First, he nearly did not qualify for the race. Power was not able to make the top 30 on Saturday, which put him in the Last Row Shootout on Sunday. On the final lap of his first qualifying run, he brushed the barrier and it cost him a lot of speed. It put him in danger, but his time held up to put his 32nd on the grid.
The drama did not end there. In the race, Power spun entering the pit lane late while he was looking to be contender for a top ten finish. Instead, he finished 30th, three lap down and it was the worst finish of his IndyCar career.
What subjectively was his worst race?
What subjectively was his worst race?
It is the first Belle Isle race, because if that race was not red-flagged, Power's car does not fail to restart and knock him from leading the race with five laps to go to finishing 20th, three laps down. Not many drivers are robbed of race victory. Power was robbed at Belle Isle.
Power had four podium finishes, but he had only seven top ten finishes. He had four finishes of 20th or worse. It feels like every season since 2014, Power has four finishes that are inexplicable and most of those are odd mechanical issues. Belle Isle and Laguna Seca fit that description. He spun early at Mid-Ohio and then he spun at Indianapolis. But there were more races where Power was anonymous this year. He only had one pole position. He only made the Fast Six in four of nine possible races.
Will Power's 2021 Statistics
Championship Position: 9th (357 points)
Wins: 1
Podiums: 4
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 7
Laps Led: 99
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 9
Average Start: 10.429
Average Finish: 12.438
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| Scott McLaughlin had a fight on his hands in his rookie season |
Scott McLaughlin
After making his debut last year in a frantic Transpacific flight from Australia in the middle of a pandemic and only days after his third consecutive Supercars championship, McLaughlin was set for his full-time commitment to IndyCar and life in the United States in 2021. Fourteen of the 15 tracks on the 2021 were completely new to the New Zealander, including all three ovals.
What objectively was his best race?
In McLaughlin's very first oval start, he ended up finishing second in the first Texas race. He kept himself out of trouble and the team used its strategy to position him with clean track ahead. It allowed him to get into the top ten and then the top five and all of a sudden he was on the tail of his fellow New Zealander Scott Dixon, and McLaughlin kept Dixon honest.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is Texas, but McLaughlin should be commended for his oval results across the board. He was eighth the next day in the second Texas race, which is a great followup for McLaughlin after his first podium finish. He was the top Penske qualifier at the Indianapolis 500, starting 17th, and he was running well before he sped entering pit lane late in the race. Indianapolis could have been a top ten finish. He had a clean night at Gateway and he was fourth.
After making his debut last year in a frantic Transpacific flight from Australia in the middle of a pandemic and only days after his third consecutive Supercars championship, McLaughlin was set for his full-time commitment to IndyCar and life in the United States in 2021. Fourteen of the 15 tracks on the 2021 were completely new to the New Zealander, including all three ovals.
What objectively was his best race?
In McLaughlin's very first oval start, he ended up finishing second in the first Texas race. He kept himself out of trouble and the team used its strategy to position him with clean track ahead. It allowed him to get into the top ten and then the top five and all of a sudden he was on the tail of his fellow New Zealander Scott Dixon, and McLaughlin kept Dixon honest.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is Texas, but McLaughlin should be commended for his oval results across the board. He was eighth the next day in the second Texas race, which is a great followup for McLaughlin after his first podium finish. He was the top Penske qualifier at the Indianapolis 500, starting 17th, and he was running well before he sped entering pit lane late in the race. Indianapolis could have been a top ten finish. He had a clean night at Gateway and he was fourth.
What objectively was his worst race?
Though he finished on the lead lap, McLaughlin was 23rd in the August IMS road course race, but he did spin Rinus VeeKay in that race and it was a setback.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Though he finished on the lead lap, McLaughlin was 23rd in the August IMS road course race, but he did spin Rinus VeeKay in that race and it was a setback.
What subjectively was his worst race?
He struggled a lot on street courses, most notably at Nashville where he started 23rd and finished 22nd after being spun twice, first in turn four when Ed Jones got into him and then in turn nine when teammate Will Power got into him and then Dalton Kellett chose the worst possible line and ran over the McLaughlin's stationary car.
Scott McLaughlin's 2021 Statistics
Championship Position: 14th (305 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 5
Laps Led: 5
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 15.857
Average Finish: 13.063
An Early Look Ahead
It feels like Team Penske enters 2022 at a bit of a crossroads. It will have been five years since the team went 1-2-4-5 in the championship. Two of those drivers are gone. One of those drivers just turned 40 years old. Penske will have a sophomore driver in its program, who only has one season of Formula Ford and one season of IndyCar under his belt as an open-wheel career.
Newgarden should be set for the next ten years. He turns 31 years old this December 22. Newgarden finished this season at 30 years old and he has 20 victories, 41 podium finishes, 62 top five finishes and 100 top ten finishes in 164 starts and two championships. For comparison, when Scott Dixon completed the 2010 season at 30 years old, Dixon had 25 victories, 65 podium finishes, 78 top five finishes and 119 top ten finishes in 169 starts and he had two championships.
Penske would be foolish not to give him a contract right now. He already has 20 victories and two championships. Before him, the last driver to win multiple championship with Team Penske was Gil de Ferran. In his five years at Penske, Newgarden has finished first, fifth, first, second and second in the championship. Nothing suggests he is going to slow down.
Will Power, however... In five years we have seen Hélio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud exit the team. Power dropped to ninth in the championship in 2021, his worst year with Team Penske after 11 consecutive years finishing in the top five of the championship. He only had one victory and one pole position. He only led 99 laps, still sixth best in the season, but it was the first time he led under 100 laps since 2008. His average finish of 12.438 was his worst in a season since 2008.
The recent past suggests Power is on the hot seat. Pagenaud worst average finish at Penske was this season, 10.688 and he is gone. Pagenaud won 11 races since 2015, only four fewer than Power. Castroneves had nine top five championship finishes in his last ten seasons at Penske and only once was his average finish worse than tenth. Only once did he lead fewer than 100 laps in that period.
Then you have McLaughlin, whose full IndyCar potential is still a mystery. Could McLaughlin win races? Be champion? Somewhere in-between? How long is his leash? He is only 28 years old. Finishing 14th in the championship as a rookie with basically zero open-wheel experience is mightily impressive. That doesn't mean he will be a champion. He definitely is comfortable on ovals, but ovals aren't even a third of the schedule.
In two or three years, Newgarden and McLaughlin could be left welcoming a new teammate, and a rare circumstance where Team Penske does not already have IndyCar's top lineup. It added Newgarden when it already have two past champions and it was replacing Juan Pablo Montoya. It expanded to four cars with the inclusion of Pagenaud in 2015 alongside Power, Castroneves and Montoya.
I am not sure the direction of Team Penske. Three years ago, everyone thought Alexander Rossi was destined to drive there. That doesn't look as likely now. There are more drivers interested in IndyCar than ever before, and Penske can hire whomever it wants. Penske will be fine.
That is the long-term. The short-term should see Penske remain competitive. Newgarden will lead the way and Power still has to balance out his results, but we know he has the ability to win any race. There were too many finishes outside the top ten counterbalancing Power's podium finishes. The strange thing is Penske has gone consecutive years without a championship for the first time since a seven-year drought from 2007 to 2013. It is a weird place for the team. You expect Penske will bounce back next year, but IndyCar is getting tougher and a third consecutive year without a championship is realistic for IndyCar's both decorated organization.
