Here is a rundown of what got me thinking…
The inevitable happened in Belgium, and I am not talking about the weather, though rain did muddle up the weekend. It somewhat rained on Formula E’s parade in London, but the locals did not seem to mind. Two men will be heading to Indianapolis with winner’s confidence. A winless drought ended. SRX had another debutant winner, and it was put in a corner over what to do with Paul Tracy. The most financially prudent decision was likely made. Speaking of IndyCar champions, something came to mind thinking about what we have seen so far in 2023.
When was the Last Great IndyCar Championship Season?
During this off weekend for IndyCar, I pondered Álex Palou’s championship lead and the possibility of the IndyCar championship being clinched a race early. Palou has won four times, finished in the top five in ten races and his worst finish is eighth. With five races remaining, Palou could continue to pad those numbers and it is not out of the realm of possibility that he could claim the title with two races to spare.
It would be rather historic if Palou claimed the title early. We haven’t had a championship clinched before the finale since Sébastien Bourdais’ fourth title in 2007. The last season in this series where the title didn’t go until the finale was Dan Wheldon’s championship year in 2005. Palou is on track to do something that is rare in contemporary IndyCar, but this possible accomplishment had me considering Palou’s season in a greater context of IndyCar history and it had me wondering, when was the last great IndyCar championship season?
I am not talking about great championship battles that had our attention to the final lap. Those we are familiar with. From the underrated 2009 season to the breathtaking 2012 title-decider to a six-driver battle in 2015, IndyCar has seen plenty of great battles, but when was the last time we saw a great championship performance where one driver deserved a bow when it was over? When was the last historic season we celebrate for a driver’s brilliance?
Thinking back to Wheldon’s 2005 championship season, where Wheldon clinched the title with two races remaining, it isn’t considered one of the greatest in IndyCar history. Wheldon did win four of the first five races, including the Indianapolis 500, but it is not revered. Wheldon won two of the final 12 races. He did have nine podium finishes, 12 top five finishes and 15 top ten results, with his two blemishes being retirements at Nashville and Sonoma. Those two results aren’t enough to hamper that season overall. It just doesn’t resonate despite what it means in IndyCar history.
Wheldon’s 2005 season did occur during the split, as did Bourdais’ championship seasons, the last three of which Bourdais secured a race early. Bourdais had some historic season performances as well. The Frenchman won at least half the races in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. He is the most recent driver to reach seven victories and eight victories in a season, and he was on the podium in 78.571% of the races in 2006, but there is a resistance to celebrate what Bourdais accomplished.
The split does water down some of these accomplishments, but we cannot completely dismiss everything that happened during that time.
Since reunification, there is really only one season that stands out, and that was the first season. Scott Dixon won six races with 12 podium finishes and 14 top five results in 2008. Only one other time since 2008 has a driver won at least six races (Will Power’s lost title in 2011). It is the only time since reunification a driver stood on the podium in over 60% of the races and Dixon was on the podium 70.588% of the time. Dixon’s 82.352% top five finish percentage remains the best since reunification.
And even that season from Dixon, one of the greatest IndyCar drivers, is not celebrated!
Could it be because Hélio Castroneves’ consistency kept the title alive into the finale though all Dixon needed was a top ten finish in the Chicagoland finale to ensure the New Zealander the title? Could it be that while reunited the series was still rather fractured as the Champ Car teams were scrambling in late February to secure Dallara chassis and Honda engines with less than a month to the first race and with practically no testing before the Homestead opener? Could it because it was a spec series with one chassis and engine manufacturer available?
The answer is likely all of the above to some extent.
IndyCar has long celebrated the championship battles and a nearly two-decade streak of the title going to the wire, but in return the series lacks those sensational seasons where a driver leaves everyone in awe.
Since 2010, only four times has a driver won at least five races in a season, and only one of those four ended in a championship (Simon Pagenaud 2016). We have seen some impressive seasons but records matter. Dominance can be appreciated. Every sport has those memorable years because of an individual’s spectacular ability.
Aaron Judge’s 62 home runs, Shohei Ohtani’s mere existence, LaDainian Tomlinson’s 28 rushing touchdowns, Russell Westbrook’s triple-double average, Connor McDavid’s 153 points, Erling Haaland’s 36 goals. Individual greatness gets recognized and people recount stories from those seasons for years to come.
Those type of seasons are lacking in IndyCar. We still have drivers perform at an admirable level, but what carries more historic weight is a season where a driver is practically flawless and driving at a level we have rarely seen before. When was the last time we saw that in IndyCar?
I would argue the last one was Tony Kanaan’s 2004 season. Kanaan didn’t win abundantly, he only won three times, but Kanaan did something never accomplished prior. He completed every lap that season and his worst finish was eighth. To this day it remains the last time a driver finished in the top ten of every race in a season. His 15 top five finishes earned him a top five percentage of 93.75%, the highest among all champions since 1979.
This was during the split, but Kanaan was racing during a time where every Indy Racing League race was on an oval and every race was scheduled for 200 laps, though that year’s Indianapolis 500 only completed 180 laps before weather ended it early. The 2004 season wasn’t a case of where there were a half-dozen races with fewer than 80 laps. None of those races were a breeze.
Another driver wouldn’t complete every lap in a season until Simon Pagenaud in 2017. In 2020, both Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden did it. Last year, Will Power and Dixon completed every lap.
Though repeated, Kanaan’s 2004 season remains special, and a perfect top ten finish percentage goes a long way. Is it truly a celebrated season among the rest of the IndyCar fraternity? It is hard to tell. Everyone remembers it and can recall what Kanaan did, but no recent season is truly raved about. If it isn’t Kanaan in 2004, the next closest is likely Juan Pablo Montoya’s 1999 season where Montoya won the title as a rookie with seven race victories. Either way, these seasons do not happen often. The two best examples occurred nearly more than two decades ago.
There are five races remaining, and Álex Palou has been flirting with history. To seal the deal, Palou must continue on the torrid pace. Any easing up and this will get lost in the mix of the many other very good seasons that have preceded it.
Champion From the Weekend
Jake Dennis clinched the Formula E championship with a runner-up finish in the first race from London.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Jake Dennis, but did you know...
Max Verstappen won the Belgian Grand Prix, his eighth consecutive victory and tenth of the season. Verstappen also won the sprint race.
Enzo Fittipaldi (sprint) and Jack Doohan (feature) split the Formula Two races from Spa-Francorchamps. Caio Collet (sprint) and Taylor Barnard (feature) split the Formula Three races.
Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy split the London ePrix.
Chris Buescher won the NASCAR Cup race from Richmond. Sam Mayer won the Grand National Series race from Road America, his first career victory. Carson Hocevar won the Truck race from Richmond, his third victory of the season.
Brodie Kostecki and Shane van Gisbergen split the Supercars races from Sydney Motorsports Park.
Jonathan Rea (race one), Toprak Razgatlioglu (SuperPole) and Álvaro Bautista (race two) split the World Superbike races from Most. Nicolò Bugela and Tarren Mackenzie split the World Supersport races.
The #88 AKKodis ASP Team Mercedes-AMG of Raffaele Marciello, Timur Boguslavskiy and Jules Gounon won the GT World Challenge Endurance race from Nürburgring.
Kyle Busch won the SRX race from Pulaski County Motorsports Park.
Coming Up This Weekend
IndyCar's final street race from Nashville with GT America also on the bill.
MotoGP is back after a six-week break with a round from Silverstone.
Road America remains busy with IMSA returning to town, which means a new calendar is imminent.
The Nürburgring remains busy with Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters hosting a round at the facility.
NASCAR is in Michigan.
Super GT runs around Fuji.
The World Rally Championship makes its annual August trek to Finland.
