Greatest by Number: #29-20

We have a few difficult decisions to make in this part of the Greatest by Number series. A few numbers are obvious, but a few have two or three or six options. You have world champions against Indianapolis 500 winners, NASCAR champions against MotoGP champions, Team Penske drivers against other Team Penske drivers. There are a lot of notable names that will be listed below, but only ten get the top honors. 

#29: Kevin Harvick

After the death of Dale Earnhardt, Harvick was thrusted into the NASCAR Cup Series, taking on the #29 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. With all the pressure and emotional weight put on him, Harvick went out and won his fourth career start at Atlanta. He would finish ninth in the championship as a rookie despite missing the opening race of the season. 

Two years later, Harvick won the Brickyard 400 and in 2007, Harvick won the Daytona 500 in a photo finish over Mark Martin. He would add two Coca-Cola 600 victories in 2011 and 2013. While he won 23 races and finished in the top five of the championships in six of 13 seasons in the #29 Chevrolet, after seeing what Harvick has done since joining Stewart-Haas Racing, you almost feel he was being held back in the #29. 

Honorable Mentions:

Bud Kaeding (Three-time USAC Silver Crown champion)

Fernando Alonso (Alonso famously used the #29 in his 2017 Indianapolis 500 attempt, where he qualified fifth, led 27 laps and retired while running in the top ten with 21 laps to go).

#28: Ryan Hunter-Reay

This was a tough one all things considered, but in the last decade Hunter-Reay has become identifiable with the #28 and his success backs it up. 

He first took on the number in 2011 representing the 28 million people living with cancer worldwide as he has been an advocate for the Racing for Cancer organization. He would win at Loudon that season. The following year would see Hunter-Reay win four races, including three-consecutive at Milwaukee, Iowa and Toronto, which put him firmly in the championship battle. His victory at Baltimore kept him alive heading into the Fontana season finale and he pulled out the championship in the final race of the season ahead of Will Power. 

Two years later, Hunter-Reay took a thrilling victory in the Indianapolis 500. Fourteen of his 18 IndyCar victories have come in the #28 car. He has also won the Pocono 500, three Iowa races and two Barber races in the #28. In an era where livery designs and numbers are constantly changing, for a decade Hunter-Reay has driven the yellow #28 DHL Dallara for Andretti Autosport. Time is the key to building recognition. Hunter-Reay has been around long enough, and he has won the biggest races along the way as well. 

Honorable Mentions:

Davey Allison (19 NASCAR Cup Series victories in 191 starts, including the 1991 and 1992 Coca-Cola 600s and the 1992 Daytona 500).

Fred Lorenzen (26 NASCAR Cup Series victories, including the 1965 Daytona 500 and the 1965 World 600).

Didier Pironi (Pironi won two races in the #28 Ferrari, an infamous victory in the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix and the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix. He was leading the world championship entering the German Grand Prix when an accident end his season and he would finish second in the world championship, five points behind Keke Rosberg)

Gerhard Berger (Berger has the most Formula One victories in the #28, all five coming with Ferrari between the 1987 and 1994. This includes Ferrari's famous victory in the 1988 Italian Grand Prix, the first race after Enzo Ferrari's passing and the only race keeping McLaren from a perfect season with the MP4/4). 

#27: Gilles Villeneuve

Name a more iconic driver and number combination! Name one. Everyone sees the #27 and thinks of Villeneuve with Ferrari and Villeneuve has been dead for almost 39 years. 

The strange thing is for how revered Villeneuve is with the #27, he only won twice in the #27, the 1981 Monaco Grand Prix and the 1981 Spanish Grand Prix. Four of his victories were in the #12. His runner-up championship finish to teammate Jody Scheckter in 1979 was in the #12. Only 19 of his starts were in the #27. He retired from ten of those races and was disqualified from another two. And yet, Villeneuve remains synonymous with the #27. 

It is part of his legend. What could have been? Ferrari won the constructors' championship in 1982. Pironi should have won the drivers' championship that year. What if Villeneuve had not had his accident in Zolder? He was already great. The only thing missing is his name filling the record book.

Honorable Mentions:

Dario Franchitti (Franchitti won 18 races in the #27 car, including his first Indianapolis 500 and his first championship, both occurring in 2007). 

Casey Stoner (Stoner won 34 grand prix on the #27 bike, including two MotoGP world championships in 2007 with Ducati and 2011 with Honda). 

Junior Johnson (Johnson won 13 NASCAR Cup races in the #27 car, including the 1960 Daytona 500).

Rusty Wallace (Wallace's 1989 NASCAR Cup championship was in the #27 Pontiac and in total he won 18 Cup races in the #27). 

#26: Jacky Ickx

Ickx's first career Formula One victory was the 1968 French Grand Prix at Rouen in the #26 Ferrari. It was his ninth career start. Ickx would use the #26 in three other grand prix and never finish in the points again, but he gets this for everything else he did in his career.

Ickx was one of the top Formula One drivers at the start of the 1970s and he was a fabulous in sports cars. In 1969, he won his first 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Ford GT40, Ford's final overall victory at Le Mans. In that same year, he was second in the World Drivers' Championship to Jackie Stewart. Ickx would also finish runner-up in the world championship to Jochen Rindt the following year. In total, Ickx won eight grand prix. 

The Belgian would go on to win six times at Le Mans, still good enough for second all-time. He won the 24 Hours of Daytona once, albeit when it was shortened to six hours because of the energy crisis. He won the 12 Hours of Sebring twice. He won the 1977 Bathurst 1000 and the 1983 Dakar Rally.

He was the 1979 Can-Am champion and he won the World Sportscar Championship in 1982 and 1983. It is an incredible record and not many will come close to matching half of it let alone all of it.

Honorable Mentions:

Dan Wheldon (Wheldon won his first nine IndyCar races in the #26 entry for Andretti Green Racing, including four of the first five races in the 2005 season. Wheldon led an Andretti Green 1-2-3-4 at St. Petersburg and he won the Indianapolis 500. He would end that season as champion). 

Paul Tracy (Tracy won six races in the #26 Team Green entry between 1999 and 2000).

Junior Johnson (Johnson's final 11 NASCAR Cup victory were in the #26 Ford and all of them came in 1965, when he won 13 of 36 starts).

Jacques Laffite (Laffite's six Formula One victories came in the #26 Ligier. He was ranked fourth in the world championship in three consecutive seasons from 1979 to 1981). 

#25: Jean-Éric Vergne

Let's give electric racing some love as Vergne has found his calling in Formula E. 

The Frenchman won the 2017-18 and 2018-19 Formula E championships, becoming not only the first multi-time Formula E champion but the first back-to-back champion as well. His nine victories have him fourth all-time in series history. His nine victories have come in eight different countries with Brooklyn being the only location with multiple victories. 

His first victory was in Montreal and he has also won in Santiago, Punta del Este, Paris, Sanya, Monaco and Berlin. 

On top of his Formula E success, Vergne has won four European Le Mans Series races, although those have come not in the #25, but the very close #26.

Honorable Mentions:

Al Unser (Unser's fourth, and somewhat improbable, Indianapolis 500 came in the #25 March-Cosworth, a year-old car that was on display at a hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania when the month of May starts. Unser was called in by Team Penske after Danny Ongais was injured ahead of the race). 

Danny Ongais (Ongais won six IndyCar races in the #25 Interscope Racing Parnelli-Cosworth between 1977 and 1978. They were the only six victories in his career).

Tim Richmond (Nine of Richmond's 13 NASCAR Cup Series victories were in the #25 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. This included a victory in the 1986 Southern 500 and a memorable victory at Pocono in 1987, Richmond's first race back after missing the first 11 races as Richmond sought treatment for AIDS).

 

#24: Jeff Gordon

Four NASCAR Cup Series championships. Fourth all-time. 

Ninety-three NASCAR Cup race victories. Third all-time. 

Gordon entered right as NASCAR was set peak and he arguably carried the series to a higher level. His first victory was the 1994 Coca-Cola 600. His second victory was the inaugural Brickyard 400. From 1995 through 2001, Gordon won six races or more in six of those seven seasons with his fewest victories being three. He won at least seven races in five of those years and he won at least ten races in three consecutive seasons from 1996 to 1998. In 1997, he became the second driver to win the Winston Million as he won the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500 all in the same season. 

His 13 victories in 1998 set the modern-era record for victories in a season. He won a record six Southern 500, including four-consecutive from 1995 to 1998. He won three Coca-Cola 600s and three Daytona 500s. He won a record five Brickyard 400s. Gordon is also tied for most victories at Pocono with Denny Hamlin on six and he has the most Sonoma victories with five. His 93 victories are the most in the modern era. 

In 23 full-time seasons, Gordon was in the top five of the championship 11 times and the top ten in the championships 21 times. His worst championship finish was 14th in his rookie season. 

Honorable Mentions:

Jack Brabham (The #24 has won five Formula One races. Three of those were first career victories for future world champions. The first was Brabham in the 1959 Monaco Grand Prix. The Australian led the final 19 laps after Stirling Moss dropped out of the race with a broken transmission. It was also Cooper's first grand prix victory).

Emerson Fittipaldi (Less than a month after Jochen Rindt's death at Monza, Rindt's Lotus teammate Fittipaldi won the United States Grand Prix, taking the lead when Pedro Rodríguez ran out of fuel with seven laps to go. Fittipaldi's victory combined with Jacky Ickx finishing fourth clinched the world championship posthumously for Rindt). 

James Hunt (Driving for Hesketh, Hunt took an upset victory for the privateer team in the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix. Hunt led the final 61 laps and won by just over a second ahead of Ferrari's Niki Lauda with Lauda's teammate Clay Regazzoni in third).

#23: Satoshi Motoyama

Motoyama had a stellar career racing in his native Japan in both Super GT and Super Formula. 

Driving for NISMO, Motoyama won three Super GT championships, including successive titles in 2003 and 2004, and he picked up 16 victories.

In Super Formula, Motoyama won four championships and 27 races, ranking him second behind only Kazuyoshi Hoshino in both categories. Only one of his Super Formula championships came with the #23, but two of his Super GT championships did and he excelled in two different types of racing simultaneously. 

He went to Le Mans with Nissan and even won the 1999 Fuji 1000km. After winning both the GT5000 and Super Formula championships in 2003, Motoyama earned himself a Friday outing at the Japanese Grand Prix with Jordan. He tested with Renault at Jerez at the end of 2003 and ran respectable times compared to Fernando Alonso. 

Honorable Mentions:

Jim Clark (Clark won the 1964 Belgian Grand Prix in the #23 Lotus-Climax after Graham Hill lost a fuel pump on the final lap of the race. Dan Gurney had led 28 laps when he ran out of fuel while leading and Clark only won this race by 3.4 seconds over Bruce McLaren.

Rubens Barrichello (Barrichello's final two grand prix victories were in the #23 Brawn in the 2009 season. He won the European Grand Prix on the streets of Valencia and he won the Italian Grand Prix in front of the tifosi, which cherished the Brazilian). 

Johnny Benson (Benson won the 2008 NASCAR Truck Series championship in the #23 Toyota. All 14 of Benson's Truck victories were in the #23 Toyota from 2006 to 2008). 

Hans Herrmann/Richard Attwood (Porsche's first 24 Hours of Le Mans victory was the #23 Porsche 917 from Porsche Salzburg with Herrmann and Attwood at the wheel. They won by five laps over the Martini Racing Porsche).

Doug Polen (Polen won the 1991 World Superbike championship on the #23 Ducati. He won 17 of 24 starts. His 17 victories remain a single season record with Jonathan Rea the only one to match the total in Rea's 2018 season. Polen would successfully defend the title in 1992 with another nine victories). 

#22: Chad Reed

This is in honor of longevity because not only was Reed a two-time Supercross champion and a Motocross champion, but Reed's career spanned 23 years, from Australia to the United States with a stint in the world championship in-between. 

Reed went toe-to-toe with the likes of Ricky Carmichael and James "Bubba" Stewart. Reed's 2004 Supercross championship did come when Carmichael was out with a knee injury and Reed's 2008 title was when Stewart had a knee injury, but in both years, Kevin Windham pushed Reed to the finale and Reed came out on top on each occasion. In 2009, Reed returned to the AMA Motocross series after not competing the previous two years and he won that championship, clinching it with two rounds to spare. 

His 44 Supercross victories has him ranked fourth all-time. He had ten AMA Motocross victories, he was runner-up the 2001 250cc Motocross World Championship and he raced until he was 38 years old in Supercross. 

Honorable Mentions:

Joey Logano (Twenty-five of Logano's 27 NASCAR Cup Series victories have come in the #22 Ford for Team Penske. These victories include his 2015 Daytona 500 victory and his 2018 NASCAR Cup championship).

Simon Pagenaud (Another Team Penske driver, Pagenaud has nine victories in the #22 car, which include his 2019 Indianapolis 500 victory, and Pagenaud won his 2016 IndyCar championship in the #22).

Bobby Allison (Allison's only NASCAR Cup championship was driving the #22 Buick for DiGard Racing in the 1983 season. Allison won six races that season, including the Southern 500. Seventeen of Allison's 84 victories came in the #22 car, including his final victory in the 1988 Daytona 500).

Jenson Button (Button famously won the 2009 World Drivers' Championship driving for the #22 Brawn. He won six races that season. In fact, he won six of the first seven races, and Monaco was one of them. Surprisingly, Button made 77 starts in car #22, but he never won in the #22 outside of that 2009 season). 

Fireball Roberts (Roberts won 25 NASCAR Cup races in the #22, including the 1958 and 1993 Southern 500s and the 1962 Daytona 500). 

#21: David Pearson

The Wood Brothers should really get the nod for the #21, but its most famous driver and perhaps the greatest driver in NASCAR history deserves the recognition. 

Pearson picked up 43 victories, 97 top five finishes and 103 top ten finishes in 157 starts in the #21 car. He won six races or more in a season four times driving the #21 car, including winning 11 of 18 starts in 1973, seven of 19 starts in 1974 and ten of 22 starts in 1976. Pearson's lone Daytona 500 victory came with the Wood Brothers in 1976. He won two World 600s with the team and two Southern 500s.

However, because the Wood Brothers did not run a full season, Pearson only finished in the top ten of the championship twice while driving the #21 car. He was third in that 1974 season despite not even running a third of the races and he was ninth in 1976.

Honorable Mention:

Katsuyuki Nakasuga (Nakasuga does not have much of an international name, but he is a Yamaha rider who won the Suzuka 8 Hours four consecutive years from 2015 to 2018, won nine All Japan Road Race JSB1000 championships and in 12 grand prix starts has scored points ten times, including a runner-up finish in MotoGP's 2012 Valencian Community Grand Prix from 16th on the grid). 

Jackie Stewart (The #21 has one Formula One grand prix victory. That victory was the 1972 Argentine Grand Prix with Stewart leading all 95 laps from second on the grid). 

#20: Tony Stewart

Stewart won 33 races and two NASCAR Cup championships driving the #20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing. He entered NASCAR's top division in 1999 and finished fourth in the championship as a rookie, which included him winning three of the final ten races.

In ten seasons in the #20 car, Stewart finished in the top ten of the championship nine times with his worst finish being 11th and even in that 11th-place season he won five races, tied for the second most. Four of his record five Watkins Glen victories came in the #20 car. His two Brickyard 400 victories were in the #20. He also has a record three victories at Chicagoland, two of which came in the #20 and is tied for most Homestead victories on three, two of which came in the #20. 

Stewart's history with the #20 started long before his first NASCAR Cup start. He won the 1995 USAC National Sprint championship driving the #20 car. He won seven races that season and Stewart became the first driver to sweep the USAC championships, taking the Silver Crown and Midget championships that year as well.

Honorable Mentions:

Gordon Johncock (Johncock had 18 IndyCar victories in the #20 Patrick Racing entry, which included both his Indianapolis 500 victories in 1973 and 1982. Johncock overcame a 220-point deficit to Johnny Rutherford entering the 1976 season finale to take his lone championship with a runner-up finish while Rutherford retired due to an oil line failure. Johncock took the title by 20 points). 

Emerson Fittipaldi (Another Patrick Racing entrant, Fittipaldi won half of his 20 IndyCar victories in the #20 entry, including his 1989 Indianapolis 500 victory, which highlighted his 1989 championship season). 

This is where the bickering and the protesting starts. Disagreements will skyrocket from here onward. If you thought the 20s were rough, wait until we get into the teens. 

Greatest by Number: #39-30

We took a break from our Greatest by Number series, but early into April and with a holiday behind us, we are back. 

We are into the 30s and only four parts of this series remain. Some of these numbers are getting quite difficult to assign. In some cases, you have three or four legitimate candidates for each one and it only gets tougher as the numbers get lower. 

#39: Bryan Clauson

Clauson was one of the best USAC drivers we saw over the last decade and he only got a taste of the top asphalt series. 

He ranks seventh all-time in USAC National Midget race victories with 38, 20 of which came in the #39 car, mostly driven for Keith Kunz. His back-to-back National Midget championships came in the #39 car in 2010 and 2011. 

Clauson also ranks seventh all-time in USAC National Sprint race victories with 41, albeit it none in the #39 car. 

His first of three Indianapolis 500 starts came in the #39 Dallara-Honda with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. 

In 2016, Clauson set a goal to compete in 200 races over the course of the season between the Indianapolis 500, USAC Midget and Sprint car races, World of Outlaws and other competition. On August 6, 2016, Clauson lost his life in an accident at the Belleville Nationals, his 116th race of the year. In his memory, Clauson's name and race number, #39, were both included in the race title for the midget car race held at the dirt track inside turn three of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the BC39. 

While Clauson had some NASCAR and IndyCar experience, he was a master on dirt, and at 27 years old he was already asserting himself among the all-time greats. He was a throwback and a half, and he is missed.

Honorable Mentions:

Michael Andretti (Andretti's final two full seasons in IndyCar had him in the #39 Team Motorola Honda and he picked up his final two victories, fittingly at Toronto, where he had seven victories, and Long Beach, the site of his first carer victory. Andretti's final start, the 2007 Indianapolis 500, was also in the #39 Dallara-Honda).

Ryan Newman (Newman is the only man to win with the #39 in the NASCAR Cup Series, with four victories including the 2013 Brickyard 400. Prior to his NASCAR success, Newman won 13 USAC National Midget Series races in the #39 car).

#38: Mike Hawthorn

Only once has the #38 won a Formula One grand prix. It was Hawthorn in the 1954 Spanish Grand Prix, on the Pedralbes Circuit around the streets of Barcelona.

In a race that saw 13 lead changes in the first 24 laps, Hawthorn took the lead after his other contemporaries Alberto Ascari, Harry Schell, Maurice Trintignant and Stirling Moss all retired. From lap 24 to the checkered flag at the end of lap 80, Hawthorn was masterful in his Ferrari, taking victory by over a minute ahead of the Maserati of Luigi Musso and Juan Manuel Fangio was a lap down in third. 

It was the only time the Ferrari 554 finished in the points. It was the final time the Pedralbes Circuit hosted a race, as the 1955 Le Mans disaster changed safety standards for motorsports events held around the world.

Hawthorn would not win another race until July 6, 1958 at the French Grand Prix. Later that year Hawthorn would become the first British World Drivers' Champion.

Honorable Mention:

Ned Jarrett (Jarrett's third career NASCAR Cup victory came in the #38 Ford on Thanksgiving Day in 1959 at Columbia Speedway. It was Jarrett's only Cup victory not in car #11).

#37: José María López

López might be the forgotten USF1 driver, but the Argentine turned into a touring car legend after his close brush with grand prix glory. 

To be fair, prior to the USF1 train wreck, López was already a two-time Argentine TC2000 champion. In 2012, he returned to Argentina and won the Super TC 2000 championship. In 2013, he won on his debut World Touring Car Championship weekend, the second race in his home Argentine round.

From there, he won three consecutive WTCC championships. López is tied for second all-time in WTCC victories, on 29 with Robert Huff. They only trail Yvan Muller. López won at an impressive list of places: Marrakesh, Spa-Francorchamps, Suzuka, Macau and the Nürburgring Nordschleife. All of his WTCC success and two of his three Argentine championships came in car #37.

Though he has never made it to Formula One, López turned touring car success into an LMP1 ride with Toyota and has since become a World Endurance Drivers' Champion. 

Honorable Mentions:

Ryan Hunter-Reay (Hunter-Reay used the #37 in the 2010 IndyCar season when he was a late addition to the grid with Andretti Autosport. With only four guaranteed races, Hunter-Reay put together an impressive run at São Paulo and a victory at Long Beach sealed him a full season. He has been with Andretti Autosport ever since).

Jon Field/Clint Field (The Fields each won an American Le Mans Series class championship in the #37 Intersport Racing entry. Jon won the 2002 LMP675 championship and Clint won the 2005 LMP2 title. Jon and Clint each had ten ALMS victories in the #37 entry).

#36: André Lotterer

Lotterer is a three-time Le Mans winner and he was an FIA World Endurance Drivers' Champion, but none of that came in the #36. 

The German famously used the number in Japan in the Super Formula and Super GT championships driving for Team TOM'S. Thirteen of his 24 Super Formula victories were in the #36 car. His 2011 championship was driving the #36 Swift-Toyota and, in his 15-year Super Formula career, Lotterer was in the top three of the championship ten times and the top five of the championship 14 times. His worst championship finish was sixth in his final season in 2017. In Super GT, Lotterer won two GT500 championships in the #36 Lexus. 

In 2017-18, he joined the Formula E and other than his first season in the series, Lotterer has used the #36, but he continues to search for that first Formula E victory. 

I think Lotterer is an underrated talent considering his success in sports cars and single-seaters. His lone Formula One start was in a Caterham that failed after a lap. He has been a blast to watch, and he should be celebrated more.

Honorable Mentions:

Dan Gurney (Gurney's most famous victory, the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix, in his Eagle-Westlake sported a blue #36 on the front. Even more incredible is this victory came a week after his 24 Hours of Le Mans victory with A.J. Foyt).

Nicolas Lapierre (Lapierre has become an LMP2 master over the last few years with the Signatech-Alpine program. In the #36 Apline-Gibson, Lapierre has three class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and two Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers champion).

Louis Meyer (Meyer's victory in the 1933 Indianapolis 500 was in the #36 Miller. He led 71 laps).

Yannick Dalmas/Hurley Haywood/Mauro Baldi (1994 24 Hours of Le Mans winners in the #36 Dauer 962 Le Mans. It was Haywood's third Le Mans victory, Dalmas' second and Baldi's first, which made Baldi the 100th different driver to win the race overall).

#35: Jimmy Murphy

Murphy was arguably the best American driver in the 1920s.

In five seasons of IndyCar competition, he won 17 of 52 starts. He won his second start at Beverly Hills in 1920 and he was fourth in the Indianapolis 500, the top rookie finisher. He won four races the next season, but his most famous victory of the year was not in the United States. 

Murphy and Duesenberg contested the 1921 French Grand Prix at Le Mans. The American outfit was competitive with Murphy and Joe Boyer as its drivers. Boyer ended up falling out of the race after 17 laps with an engine failure. Murphy inherited the lead from Boyer and won the race, becoming the first American to win a grand prix in an American car no less. 

One year later, Murphy and Duesenberg brought that same car to Indianapolis and the #35 Duesenberg won the Indianapolis 500 from pole position, leading 153 of 200 laps. It was the first time the Indianapolis 500 pole-sitter won the race and at the time it was the most laps led by an Indianapolis 500 winner. 

Murphy would win his next two starts at Uniontown and Tacoma. Murphy only used the #35 in six starts but he won half of them. He won seven races in the 1922 season and followed it with two victories the year after that and three victories in 1924. He would finish third in both Indianapolis 500s over the next two years. 

In 1924, Murphy lost his life in a race in Syracuse, three days after his 30th birthday.

Honorable Mention:

Jochen Rindt (Rindt's second and final Indianapolis 500 start was in the #35 Brabham-Repco in 1968. He qualified 16th but lost a piston after five laps and was the second retirement from the race, ahead of only Mario Andretti). 

#34: Kevin Schwantz

Schwantz won 25 of 105 500cc grand prix starts and stood on the podium 51 times. Twenty-three of those victories and 45 of those podium finishes came on the #34 Suzuki. 

The Texan was in the top five of the championship in six consecutive seasons from 1989 to 1994. Despite winning at least five races in each season from 1989 to 1991, Schwantz continued to fall short of his first championship. His breakthrough would come in 1993 in a year he won four races including the Dutch TT. That year was also marred when Wayne Rainey suffered his career-ending accident at Misano. 

Schwantz remains tied for most premier class victories in the Japanese Grand Prix. He won the British Grand Prix four times, the German Grand Prix three times and Dutch TT three times. His #34 was the first retired from MotoGP competition.

Honorable Mention:

Juan Manuel Fangio (Fangio's first Formula One victory was the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix. He took pole position in the #34 Alfa Romeo by 2.6 seconds over teammate Nino Farina. He set fastest lap at 1:51 and led all 100 laps, taking victory by a lap ahead of Alberto Ascari and two laps ahead of Louis Chiron in third. It was the first grand slam in Formula One history in the series' second race. It was one of two times Fangio used the #34 in his Formula One career. The other would be his 51st and final start in the 1958 French Grand Prix, where Fangio finished fourth from eighth on the grid).

Wendell Scott (Scott remains the only African American driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race. His victory was on December 1, 1963 in Jacksonville. Scott made 469 of his 495 Cup starts in the #34 car).

#33: Max Verstappen

This one might sound nuts, but Verstappen might have this one claimed, and he is only 23 years old. 

He already has ten grand prix victories in his first 120 starts, not a record-breaking pace, but only five drivers have more victories than Verstappen without a world championship. Those include Stirling Moss, David Coulthard, Carlos Reutemann, Felipe Massa and Rubens Barrichello. He is one of 34 drivers with at least ten grand prix victories. 

There are some good options for #33, but it is hard to ignore what Verstappen has already accomplished and what we could likely see him do over the next seven seasons before he turns 30 years old. 

Honorable Mentions:

Teo Fabi (As a rookie in the 1983 CART season, Fabi won four races and pole position for the Indianapolis 500 on his way to finishing second in the championship, five points off Al Unser).

René Rast (Rast won three Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championships in four seasons. He has 24 victories in 76 DTM starts).

Harry Gant (All 18 of Gant's NASCAR Cup Series victories were in the #33 car, two of which were in the Southern 500 and one of those led off a sweep of the month of September in 1991). 

Ron Hornaday, Jr. (Hornaday, Jr. won two of his four NASCAR Truck Series championships in the #33 Chevrolet and 22 of his 51 Truck victories were in the #33).

#32: Ray Harroun

You win the first Indianapolis 500 and get credited for inventing the rear-view mirror, you get on this list. 

Harroun's Marmon Wasp remains one of the most iconic automobiles in Indianapolis 500 history, perhaps even in motorsports history. Harroun was ready to put his driving career behind him prior to the announcement of the 500-mile race set to take place on Memorial Day weekend in 1911. With such an incredible distance proposed, Marmon got its top driver to commit to the inaugural running of this race. 

He had already won seven races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in its first two years of existence. Using a conservative pace, Harroun won from 28th on the grid, still the furthest back an Indianapolis 500 winner has started. He led a race-high 88 laps and averaged a speed of 74.602 mph and took victory by a minute and 43 seconds ahead of Ralph Mulford's Lozier. 

Harroun returned to retirement after the historic victory and 110 years later he still finds his way into our conversations.

Honorable Mentions:

Patrick Carpentier (Four of Carpentier's five IndyCar victories were in the #32 Player's entry)

Ricky Craven (Craven won two NASCAR Cup races in his career, one at Martinsville and the other was the closest finish in Cup Series history at 0.002 second at Darlington. Not a bad two places for your only Cup victories. He was also the last driver to win with Tide sponsorship).

#31: Al Unser, Jr.

From one iconic car to another, the Penske PC-23 dominated the 1994 CART season and with the Mercedes-Benz 500I engine at Indianapolis, Penske was in full control of the Indianapolis 500 that year. 

The three-car team of Emerson Fittipaldi, Paul Tracy and Unser, Jr. won 12 of 16 races. Unser, Jr. was responsible for eight of those victories, the first coming at Long Beach with a victory at Indianapolis to follow after Fittipaldi got into the wall while leading late. A victory at Milwaukee made it three consecutive victories. 

Unser, Jr. also won at Portland, Cleveland, Mid-Ohio, Loudon and Vancouver. He was runner-up on three occasions and took the championship with 225 points, 47 points clear of his teammate Fittipaldi. Unser, Jr. clinched the title with two races remaining in the season. 

After the 1994 season, Unser, Jr. would not use the #31 again until his final full season of competition in 2003 with Kelly Racing in the Indy Racing League. He won at Texas in June, his 34th and final victory and he finished sixth in the championship.

Honorable Mentions:

Jon Beekhuis (Beekhuis won the 1988 American Racing Series championship in the #31 March-Buick with two victories, five podium finishes and ten top five finishes in 12 starts. He won the title by three points over Tommy Byrne).

Patrick Long/Jörg Bergmeister (Before their success in the #45 Flying Lizard Racing Porsche, Long and Bergmeister were champions in the #31 Petersen/White Lightning Porsche. The American-German duo won five races on their way to the 2005 ALMS GT2 championship. Bergmeister won the title the following year after Long missed the season opener at Sebring, but the two won three races).

#30: Takuma Sato

There are many good options for the #30, but no great options, and I think this allows us to give a little appreciation to Sato. 

He has only adopted the #30 since he joined Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the 2018 season. In his three seasons with the team, Sato has won four races, including his second Indianapolis 500 last year. He has been in the top ten of the championship the last two years with him finishing a career-best seventh in 2020.

Sato is not without his flaws, but he has made 182 IndyCar starts and 90 Formula One starts. He was third in the 2004 United States Grand Prix, a year where he was eighth in the world championship. He drove a Super Aguri to sixth in the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix with a pass for position on Fernando Alonso's McLaren where Sato just had the faster car. Alonso was not driving wounded. Sato and Super Aguri were better that day. He is the only driver to win the Macau Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500, and he was the 2001 British Formula Three champion. 

I didn't think Sato would spend over a decade in IndyCar. I thought he would give it three or four years and then move on or retire. He has stuck around and while we have seen many poor days with questionable decision-making, in the last five years we have seen an improved Sato, one who is more calculated and is able to pull off audacious passes. For all the frustration watching Sato show speed but get into accidents, it has been rewarding to see him pull out quality results and be a threat the last few years.

Honorable Mentions:

Arie Luyendyk (He famously only used the #30 for one season driving the #30 Domino's Pizza Lola-Chevrolet for Doug Shierson Racing, but Luyendyk picked up his first career victory in the car, the 1990 Indianapolis 500 to boot. Luyendyk also won the 1998 24 Hours of Daytona in the #30 Doran/Moretti Racing Ferrari 333 SP).

Todd Bodine (Bodine won the 2005 and 2008 NASCAR Truck Series championship in the #30 Germain Racing Toyota and 21 of his 22 Truck victories were in the #30 Toyota).

Dan Gurney (Gurney won the 1962 French Grand Prix in the #30 Porsche. It remains Porsche's only Formula One victory as a constructor. It was also Gurney's first grand prix victory). 

Gabriele Tarquini (Tarquini won the 2018 World Touring Car Cup championship in the #30 Hyundai at the age of 57 years old, but this is a legacy mention as Tarquini was the 1994 British Touring Car champion, 2003 European Touring Car champion and 2009 World Touring Car champion).

We covered the field in this section. A dirt track driver, a motorcycle champion, a pair of Le Mans winners, two drivers born in 1800s and a driver born in 1997. We are only going to include more champions, more famous race winners and there will be more difficult decisions. Some names are going to be left out and it will be hard to fathom, but it will be equally as difficult to imagine it being any different.  

Musings From the Weekend: Let's Look at the League – 2021

Fabio Quartararo won the second round of the MotoGP season from Qatar ahead of the Pramac Ducatis of Johann Zarco and Jorge Martín. IndyCar tested at Texas and Texas is still not suitable for IndyCar because the PJ1 compound has taken the grip out of the surface. Maybe we don't put chemicals down on the ground? Just a thought. In other news, Scott McLaughlin will drive a yellow submarine. Kevin Magnussen turned down a ride with Toro Rosso a few years ago. LMP2 cars will be getting slower. NASCAR was able to get in its dirt race from Bristol. Here is a rundown of what got me thinking.

Let's Look at the League – 2021

With IndyCar season less than two weeks away, it is the perfect time to resurrect for a third consecutive year the league concept and apply it to the IndyCar grid. 

A quick summary of the concept: The IndyCar grid is broken up into two leagues. The top league features 16 teams, split into two conferences of eight and each team meets the other seven in its conference twice over a 14-week season. The top four teams make the playoffs, taking place over the final three weeks to decide the champion. 

The bottom league features eight teams, each team meets the other twice over a 14-week season and the top two teams are promoted while the bottom team from each conference in the upper league are relegated. 

Head-to-head matchups add intrigue to a race as two drivers might be fighting for eighth on track, but it could actually be for a head-to-head victory. Those battles matter and they would be happening throughout the entire field. 

What do the leagues look like?

Each team stands on its own, regardless of the driver. The #1 Penske entry defeated the #9 Ganassi entry in the final last year. They remain, as do the other semifinalists, the #10 Ganassi and #28 Andretti entries.

The #12 Penske and #18 Coyne entries were third in their respective conferences while the #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan and #22 Penske entries were each fourth. The #30 RLLR entry and the #5 Arrow McLaren SP entry remain, as does the #7 AMSP and #27 Andretti. Seventh in each conference were the #55 Coyne and the #98 Andretti. 

Top two in League Two were the #88 Andretti and the #21 Ed Carpenter Racing entries. 

One problem ahead of 2021, the Andretti camp is completely mixed up. The #98 Andretti entry is no longer full-time. The #88 Andretti is technically the #29 Andretti and Colton Herta moves over to the #26 Andretti, which was due to stick in League Two. 

I am making an executive decision. I am not keeping Colton Herta in League Two for another season when he won that championship. He moves up. The #98 Andretti entry will be the #29 Andretti this year. If you don't like it, too bad. 

Each conference is set up via entrants' points from the previous season:

Conference One:

#9 Ganassi

#5 AMSP

#12 Penske

#22 Penske

#27 Andretti

#18 Coyne

#21 ECR

#29 Andretti

Conference Two:

#2 Penske

#26 Andretti

#15 RLLR

#30 RLLR

#28 Andretti

#10 Ganassi

#51 Coyne

#7 AMSP

On to League Two, the #20 ECR entry and the #14 Foyt entry were relegated. The #59 Carlin, #8 Ganassi, #60 Meyer Shank and #4 Foyt entries remain. The good news is we have the #3 Penske and #48 Ganassi entries joining the grid, and those bring League Two up to eight entries

League Two

#8 Ganassi

#60 MSR

#59 Carlin

#4 Foyt

#14 Foyt

#20 ECR

#3 Penske

#48 Ganassi

Schedule

Week 1 (BARBER):

#9 Ganassi vs. #29 Andretti

#5 AMSP vs. #21 ECR

#12 Penske vs. 18 Coyne

#22 Penske vs. #27 Andretti

 

#2 Penske vs. #7 AMSP

#26 Andretti. vs. #51 Coyne

#15 RLLR vs. #10 Ganassi
#30 RLLR vs #28 Andretti

 

Week 2 (ST. PETERSBURG):

#9 Ganassi vs. #21 ECR

#5 AMSP vs. #29 Andretti

#12 Penske vs. #22 Penske

#27 Andretti vs. #18 Coyne

 

#2 Penske vs. #51 Coyne

#26 Andretti vs. #7 AMSP

#15 RLLR vs. #30 RLLR

#28 Andretti vs. #10 Ganassi

 

Week 3 (TEXAS):

#9 Ganassi vs. #18 Coyne

#5 AMSP vs. #22 Penske

#12 Penske vs. #29 Andretti

#27 Andretti vs. #21 ECR

 

#2 Penske vs. #10 Ganassi

#26 Andretti vs. #30 RLLR

#15 RLLR vs. #7 AMSP

#28 Andretti vs. #51 Coyne

 

Week 4 (TEXAS):

#9 Ganassi vs. #27 Andretti
#5 AMSP vs. #18 Coyne

#12 Penske vs. #21 ECR

#22 Penske vs #29 Andretti

 

#2 Penske vs. #28 Andretti

#26 Andretti vs. #10 Ganassi

#15 RLLR vs. #51 Coyne

#30 RLLR vs. #7 AMSP

 

Week 5 (GPOI):

#9 Penske vs. #22 Penske

#5 AMSP vs. #12 Penske

#27 Andretti vs. #29 Andretti

#18 Coyne vs. #21 ECR

 

#2 Penske vs. #30 RLLR

#26 Andretti vs. #15 RLLR

#28 Andretti vs. #7 AMSP

#10 Ganassi vs. #51 Coyne

 

Week 6 (INDIANAPOLIS 500):

#9 Ganassi vs. #12 Penske

#5 AMSP vs. #27 Andretti

#22 Penske vs. #21 ECR

#18 Coyne vs. #29 Andretti

 

#2 Penske vs. #15 RLLR

#26 Andretti vs. #28 Andretti

#30 RLLR vs. #51 Coyne

#10 Ganassi vs. #7 AMSP

 

Week 7 (BELLE ISLE):

#9 Ganassi vs. #5 AMSP

#12 Penske vs. #27 Andretti

#22 Penske vs. #18 Coyne

#21 ECR vs. #29 Andretti

 

#2 Penske vs. #26 Andretti

#15 RLLR vs. #28 Andretti

#30 RLLR vs. #10 Ganassi
#51 Coyne vs. #7 AMSP

 

Week 8 (BELLE ISLE):

#9 Ganassi vs. #29 Andretti

#5 AMSP vs. #21 ECR

#12 Penske vs. 18 Coyne

#22 Penske vs. #27 Andretti

 

#2 Penske vs. #7 AMSP

#26 Andretti. vs. #51 Coyne

#15 RLLR vs. #10 Ganassi
#30 RLLR vs #28 Andretti

 

Week 9 (ROAD AMERICA):

#9 Ganassi vs. #21 ECR

#5 AMSP vs. #29 Andretti

#12 Penske vs. #22 Penske

#27 Andretti vs. #18 Coyne

 

#2 Penske vs. #51 Coyne

#26 Andretti vs. #7 AMSP

#15 RLLR vs. #30 RLLR

#28 Andretti vs. #10 Ganassi

 

Week 10 (MID-OHIO):

#9 Ganassi vs. #18 Coyne

#5 AMSP vs. #22 Penske

#12 Penske vs. #29 Andretti

#27 Andretti vs. #21 ECR

 

#2 Penske vs. #10 Ganassi

#26 Andretti vs. #30 RLLR

#15 RLLR vs. #7 AMSP

#28 Andretti vs. #51 Coyne

 

Week 11 (TORONTO):

#9 Ganassi vs. #27 Andretti
#5 AMSP vs. #18 Coyne

#12 Penske vs. #21 ECR

#22 Penske vs #29 Andretti

 

#2 Penske vs. #28 Andretti

#26 Andretti vs. #10 Ganassi

#15 RLLR vs. #51 Coyne

#30 RLLR vs. #7 AMSP

 

Week 12 (NASHVILLE):

#9 Penske vs. #22 Penske

#5 AMSP vs. #12 Penske

#27 Andretti vs. #29 Andretti

#18 Coyne vs. #21 ECR

 

#2 Penske vs. #30 RLLR

#26 Andretti vs. #15 RLLR

#28 Andretti vs. #7 AMSP

#10 Ganassi vs. #51 Coyne

 

Week 13 (IMS ROAD COURSE):

#9 Ganassi vs. #12 Penske

#5 AMSP vs. #27 Andretti

#22 Penske vs. #21 ECR

#18 Coyne vs. #29 Andretti

 

#2 Penske vs. #15 RLLR

#26 Andretti vs. #28 Andretti

#30 RLLR vs. #51 Coyne

#10 Ganassi vs. #7 AMSP

 

Week 14 (GATEWAY):

#9 Ganassi vs. #5 AMSP

#12 Penske vs. #27 Andretti

#22 Penske vs. #18 Coyne

#21 ECR vs. #29 Andretti

 

#2 Penske vs. #26 Andretti

#15 RLLR vs. #28 Andretti

#30 RLLR vs. #10 Ganassi
#51 Coyne vs. #7 AMSP

League Two

Week 1:

#8 Ganassi vs. #48 Ganassi

#60 MSR vs. #3 Penske

#59 Carlin vs. #20 ECR

#4 Foyt vs. #14 Foyt

 

Week 2:

#8 Ganassi vs. #3 Penske
#60 MSR vs. #48 Ganassi

#59 Carlin vs. #4 Foyt

#14 Foyt vs. #20 ECR

 

Week 3:

#8 Ganassi vs. #20 ECR

#60 MSR vs. #4 Foyt

#59 Carlin vs. #48 Ganassi

#14 Foyt vs. #3 Penske

 

Week 4:

#8 Ganassi vs. #14 Foyt

#60 MSR vs. #20 ECR

#59 Carlin vs. #3 Penske

#4 Foyt vs. #48 Ganassi

 

Week 5:

#8 Ganassi vs. #4 Foyt

#60 MSR vs. #59 Carlin

#14 Foyt vs. #48 Ganassi

#20 ECR vs. #3 Penske

 

Week 6:

#8 Ganassi vs. #59 Carlin

#60 MSR vs. #14 Foyt

#4 Foyt vs. #3 Penske

#20 ECR vs #48 Ganassi

 

Week 7:

#8 Ganassi vs. #60 MSR

#59 Carlin vs. #14 Foyt

#4 Foyt vs. #20 ECR

#3 Penske vs. #48 Ganassi

 

Week 8:

#8 Ganassi vs. #48 Ganassi

#60 MSR vs. #3 Penske

#59 Carlin vs. #20 ECR

#4 Foyt vs. #14 Foyt

 

Week 9:

#8 Ganassi vs. #3 Penske
#60 MSR vs. #48 Ganassi

#59 Carlin vs. #4 Foyt

#14 Foyt vs. #20 ECR

 

Week 10:

#8 Ganassi vs. #20 ECR

#60 MSR vs. #4 Foyt

#59 Carlin vs. #48 Ganassi

#14 Foyt vs. #3 Penske

 

Week 11:

#8 Ganassi vs. #14 Foyt

#60 MSR vs. #20 ECR

#59 Carlin vs. #3 Penske

#4 Foyt vs. #48 Ganassi

 

Week 12:

#8 Ganassi vs. #4 Foyt

#60 MSR vs. #59 Carlin

#14 Foyt vs. #48 Ganassi

#20 ECR vs. #3 Penske

Week 13:

#8 Ganassi vs. #59 Carlin

#60 MSR vs. #14 Foyt

#4 Foyt vs. #3 Penske

#20 ECR vs #48. Ganassi

 

Week 14:

#8 Ganassi vs. #60 MSR

#59 Carlin vs. #14 Foyt

#4 Foyt vs. #20 ECR

#3 Penske vs. #48 Ganassi

Something New

I wanted to try a few new things last year but with the pandemic, the changing schedule and generally uncertainty over the entire season, I held off on implementing those. However, I want to try them in 2021. 

Fifth in each League One conference is guaranteed safety.

Sixth and seventh in each League One conference enter a relegation playoff. During week 15, sixth from Conference One faces seventh from Conference Two and vice versa and the winners from those match ups are guaranteed safety for the 2021 season. The losers face-off in week 16 and the winner that week is guaranteed safety.

In League Two, the third place team faces sixth place in week 15 and fourth place faces fifth place. The winners will advance to a matchup in week 16.

At week 17, we will have a playoff between the loser from week 16 in the League One relegation playoff against the winner from week 16 in the League Two promotion playoff. The winner in week 17 gets the final spot in League One for 2021.

It adds another level to the season and allows more meaningful matchups throughout the entire season.

A couple of thoughts

Conference One is stacked. It is shaped up to be Scott Dixon vs. Patricio O'Ward vs. Will Power vs. Simon Pagenaud vs. Alexander Rossi. One of those drivers will miss the playoffs. 

The second conference is a little tame, but Felix Rosenqvist topped conference two last year in the #10 Ganassi entry. He went 12-2, the best regular season record. Don't rule him out. 

League Two will have Scott McLaughlin, Jimmie Johnson, Sébastien Bourdais, Tony Kanaan, Marcus Ericsson and Jack Harvey all competing against one another. Some of those matchups are going to be as interesting as any of the League One matches. 

Notable Matchups

Week one: Simon Pagenaud vs. Alexander Rossi. Both drivers need to get off to a good start. Rossi does not like Barber, and he went 5-9 last year. 

Week two: Josef Newgarden vs. Romain Grosjean. Grosjean opens against Herta. Newgarden has won the last two years at St. Petersburg. Talk about a rude awakening in IndyCar for Grosjean to open against the drivers that were second and third in the championship last year.

Week three: Patricio O'Ward vs. Pagenaud. O'Ward has been one of the top cars in testing and he was quick at Texas. No one should be surprised if he picked up his first career victory early in the season.

Also, week three: Sébastien Bourdais vs. Scott McLaughlin. Bourdais is in his first "home" race for Foyt, and it will be McLaughlin's first oval start.

Week four: Scott Dixon vs. Rossi. Rossi very likely will be 2-1 entering this week while Dixon should be 3-0. Any slower of a start for Rossi than 2-1 sets this up to be a must-win. If both drivers are 3-0, then good for us 

Week five: Dixon vs. Pagenaud. Need I say more? 

Week six (Indianapolis 500): All of these matchups are great.

Dixon vs. Power. 

O'Ward vs. Rossi.

Newgarden vs. Rahal. 

Herta vs. Hunter-Reay

Palou vs. Rosenqvist.

Carpenter vs. Kanaan

Those are all in one week. 

Week seven: The halfway point is when the top teams from the season before meet. 

Dixon vs. O'Ward. 

Power vs. Rossi. 

Newgarden vs. Herta. 

Ericsson vs. Harvey. 

McLaughlin vs. Johnson. 

Week eight: This is the start of the second meetings for every team. We get Pagenaud vs. Rossi again and Newgarden vs. Rosenqvist at Belle Isle, two capable drivers on street courses. 

Week nine: Ericsson vs. McLaughlin. It could position one or the other as the favorite for a promotion spot.

Week ten: Herta vs. Sato. Herta won at Mid-Ohio last year. Sato historically does bad at Mid-Ohio. 

Week 11: Dixon vs. Rossi again, but also Pagenaud vs. Hinchcliffe in Hinchcliffe's home race and Pagenaud is the most recent Toronto winner. 

Week 12: Dixon vs. Pagenaud at Nashville, as well as O'Ward vs. Power. We also get Bourdais vs. Johnson.

Week 13: Another trip to the IMS road course and we get Dixon vs. Power and O'Ward vs. Rossi. These matchups will play into who makes the playoffs out of conference one. 

Week 14: Last week of the regular season. All these matchups will matter, but Dixon vs. O'Ward after what we saw last year at Gateway? Power vs. Rossi? Newgarden vs. Herta? We could see Grosjean make his oval debut against Rosenqvist. It's not just playoff spots. Relegation is on the line. Fifth matters. 

We also have promotion spots. Bourdais is set to take on the #59 Carlin. Who will drive that car on ovals? That could be for a promotion spot. Teams in league two are going to fight just to make the top six and have a glimmer of hope of promotion. McLaughlin will take on Kanaan! 

Portland, Laguna Seca and Long Beach will comprise the playoffs. 

We have no idea how this will play out. It is for fun. In year one, the #20 ECR entry made the final. Last year, the #10 Ganassi was the best over the regular season though we all know Rosenqvist wasn't lights out. The top teams will succeed and likely finish on top, but it all comes down to one result. Anything can happen in one race. Hopefully, we will see some more fun and some surprise outcomes.

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Fabio Quartararo, but did you know...

Sam Lowes won the Moto2 race from Qatar, his second consecutive victory of the season. Pedro Acosta won the Moto3 race, his first career victory.

Tomoki Nojiri won the Super Formula race from Fuji. 

Scott McLaughlin won the final IndyCar iRacing event from Sebring

Coming Up This Weekend

Super GT begins its season at Okayama.

NASCAR has its first night race of the season from Martinsville.

Formula E has its second round of the season, a doubleheader in Rome. 

Supercross visits Atlanta Motor Speedway for its first of three races. 

Supercars heads to Symmons Plains.

2021 Super Formula Preview

Another series is ready to kick off its 2021 season, this time from Japan. 

One of the most infatuating series in the world, Super Formula is ready for another season. Two years ago, there were seven different winners in seven races. Last year, there were six winners in seven races. 

While gaining global prominence in recent years for being a stopgap for promising international drivers, such as Stoffel Vandoorne, Pierre Gasly, Felix Rosenqvist and Álex Palou, the 2021 season will be a little more domestic due to pandemic conditions. Even some of Japan's top drivers may be reduced to cameo roles due to travel restrictions and other commitments. 

Schedule

Fuji will open the season on Easter Sunday, April 4 with Suzuka following on April 25. 

Autopolis will take place on May 16 ahead of Sportsland SUGO on June 20. The series will then go on a two-month break for the Olympic Games.

The season will resume on August 29 at Twin Ring Motegi before another month off. Okayama will host the penultimate round on October 3 before Suzuka closes out the seven-race season on October 31.

Teams:

TCS Nakajima Racing

Naoki Yamamoto: #1 TCS Nakajima Racing SF19-Honda

What did he do in 2020: Yamamoto won the first Suzuka race and took the championship with 62 points. It was his third championship and second in the last three seasons. It was also his third consecutive season he had exactly three podium finishes. In Super GT, Yamamoto won the GT500 championship for the second time in three years with a thrilling victory in the season finale.

What to expect in 2021: Yamamoto has moved on from Team Dandelion Racing to Nakajima Racing saying he hoped to aim higher and not settle with the Dandelion organization, a team where he won a championship and was second in his other season. The testing pace was a little off for Yamamoto, as he was eighth at Fuji and about two-tenths off his younger teammate. I believe he will be fine. He will get on the podium, win a race and be in the championship conversation. 

Toshiki Oyu: #64 TCS Nakajima Racing SF19-Honda

What did he do in 2020: Oyu won the second Suzuka race and he was second in the Fuji finale. He ended the season with four consecutive points finishes after opening the season with zero points through the first three events. He was sixth in the championship on 41 points, the top rookie in the series. 

What to expect in 2021: Oyu was second at the Fuji test and he ended 2020 on a good note. He has a difficult teammate to compete with. We saw Yamamoto teamed with Nirei Fukuzumi, a GP3 and Formula Two experienced driver, and Yamamoto remained on top. Oyu comes from the domestic ladder system. I think Oyu will give Yamamoto a run for his money. There is a chance he could top his elder teammate in the championship.

Vantelin Team TOM'S

Kazuki Nakajima: #36 Vantelin Team TOM'S SF19-Toyota

What did he do in 2020: Nakajima competed in only five of seven races due to FIA World Endurance Championship commitments. His best finish was second in the first Suzuka round. He scored 25 point and finished 11th in the championship. It was his third consecutive season without a victory after having a victory in six of his first seven seasons. In WEC, Nakajima won his third consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans and he finished in the top two of every race but was only second in the championship.

What to expect in 2021: There is a concern Nakajima will miss majority of the season because of his WEC commitments with Toyota. Travel restrictions could keep him from running at Suzuka, Sportsland SUGO and Motegi. I don't know if his schedule congestion keeps him from being competitive in Super Formula, but after the last three seasons it is hard to see him returning to the level he was at when he first joined the series, though testing was encouraging.

Ritomo Miyata: #37 Vantelin Team TOM'S SF19-Toyota

What did he do in 2020: Miyata won 12 of 17 Super Formula Lights races and he was on the podium after 16 races, enough to take the championship with 153 points. Last year, he made two Super Formula starts as a substitute. He was ninth at Okayma and eighth at Autopolis. He has also competed in Super GT for the last three seasons with last year being hs first full year in GT500. His best finish as seventh with ten points from eight races.

What to expect in 2021: Miyata is another recent Japanese ladder system product who looks to fit right in. I would not be surprised if he won a race this season and ended up in the top five of the championship. He seems to be the leading rookie.

JMS P.mu/cerumo INGING

Sho Tsuboi: #38 JMS P.mu/Cerumo INGING SF19-Toyota

What did he do in 2020: Tsuboi won at Okayama and the Fuji finale, but his only other finish in the points was fourth in the second Suzuka race and he was third in the championship on 50 points. 

What to expect in 2021: Another strong season. Tsuboi had a breakout 2020, but inconsistency cost him the title. He has to clean that up. I think he will finish in the points more than last year. If he maintains the pace we saw in 2020, he could pull out the championship. 

Sena Sakaguchi: #39 JMS P.mu/Cerumo INGING SF19-Toyota

What did he do in 2020: Sakaguchi was vice-champion in Super Formula Lights on 116 points with four victories and 16 podium finishes. Sakaguchi was set to run at Okayama as a substitute for Kenta Yamashita, but the car failed on the grid and Sakaguchi was unable to start the race.

What to expect in 2021: Testing suggests 2021 will be a learning year for Sakaguchi. He is good, but not quite as good as fellow rookie Miyata. There is a sizable gap between him and his teammate Tsuboi. Tsuboi was 11th in the championship as a rookie. Some drivers need a year or two to get their footing. I think Sakaguchi falls just shy of the top ten in the championship, but has one or two good showings.

Docomo Team Dandelion Racing

Nirei Fukuzumi: #5 Docomo Team Dandelion Racing SF19-Honda

What did he do in 2020: Fukuzumi was eighth in the championship on 29 points with his best finish being second in the second Suzuka race. Fukuzumi did win a Super GT race at Motegi and finished fifth in the GT500 championship.

What to expect in 2021: With Yamamoto gone, Fukuzumi is the top dog at Dandelion and he topped Fuji testing. I think he gets a victory this season and he could be a championship contender. The one thing that has hurt him over his first two seasons is he hasn't put himself in a top position often to be contending for victories. He has kind of been stuck fighting in the backhalf of the top ten. He has to raise his game this year.

Tadasuke Makino: #6 Docomo Team Dandelion Racing SF19-Honda

What did he do in 2020: Makino was 12th in the championship with 20 points. His best finish was third at Autopolis. He was in the points in four of six starts and missed the finale due to meningitis. He was co-driver to Naoki Yamamoto as the two took the Super GT GT500 championship.

What to expect in 2021: We saw Makino take a step forward as a sophomore last season, but he did not accomplish much in his rookie season. He missed testing as he continues to recover for meningitis. I think that time out of the seat will hurt him. We are not sure if he will be good to go for a full season and Ukyo Sasahara will replace him for the season opener. Sasahara was impressive in the tests. Makino is facing pressure because Sasahara appears to be a capable driver. Makino's results have to be close to outstanding, although if Sasahara does great in the season opener, who is to say this will not be his car for the entire season?

Itochu Enex Team Impul

Yuhi Sekiguchi: #19 Itochu Enex Team Impul SF19-Toyota

What did he do in 2020: Sekiguchi was 14th in the championship with 17 points and his best finish was third at the second Suzuka race. His only other points finish was fifth in the second round at Okayama. It was his worst championship finish in his Super Formula career and it was the first time he did not win a race in a Super Formula season.

What to expect in 2021: Sekiguchi has fallen into this rut where he can put together one strong race a season, but no more than that. I think he will be fighting to make the top ten in the championship. Last year, he caught a bad break because he had problems on the grid keep him from starting two races. Those possibly cost him a handful of points and a few spots in the championship. His points total should go up.

Ryō Hirakawa: #20 Itochu Enex Team Impul SF19-Toyota

What did he do in 2020: Hirakawa won the season opener at Motegi, his was second at Sportsland SUGO and he scored points in five races. However, his 60 points put him second in the championship. In Super GT, Hirakawa ended up second in championship after his Toyota Supra ran out of fuel coming to the checkered flag in the final race, only to have Yamamoto pass him before for the victory coming to the line.

What to expect in 2021: Hirakawa can be champion. He fell short by the skin of his teeth last year. He has been emerging as this next great domestic product over the last five years. He could be leading the next wave of Toyota drivers internationally. A championship this season would do him wonders. No one would be surprised if he does it.

Kondō Racing

Kenta Yamashita: #3 Kondō Racing SF19-Toyota

What did he do in 2020: Yamashita was second in the season opener at Motegi, missed Okayama due to competing at Le Mans and he finished in the points in the final five races, but his best finish was fifth and he was seventh in the championship on 34 points.

What to expect in 2021: Yamashita was average in testing. He is a regular points scorer. I think he will end up just inside the top ten of the championship again. He could get a podium finish through strategy. He has the talent to win, but I don't think the pace will be there.

Sacha Fenestraz: #4 Kondō Racing SF19-Toyota

What did he do in 2020: Fenestraz was third in the season opener at Motegi, but he retired from four of the final six races with his other finishes being tenth and eighth. The Frenchman ended up 13th on 19 points.

 

What to expect in 2021: Fenestraz will miss the season opener due to visa issues. Yuichi Nakayama will drive at Fuji. Fenestraz has yet to test this year. Streaky would be a kind description for his 2020 results. I feel like 2021 could look the same. I don't understand why a driver who makes his career in Japan does not live in Japan full-time or at least figures out how to be in the country on time for his season opener. 

Team Mugen

Hiroki Otsu: #15 Red Bull Mugen Team Goh SF19-Honda

What did he do in 2020: Otsu competed full-time in Super GT in the GT500 class for Nakajima Racing. he and co-driver Takuya Izawa were second in the penultimate round of the season from Motegi, but they were 12th in the championship on 31 points. He started the Super Formula finale at Fuji and was 13th.

What to expect in 2021: Otsu looked good in testing. He hovered in and around the top ten in both outings. I don't think he will beat his teammate, but a good season would be scoring points in four of seven races. 

Tomoki Nojiri: #16 Team Mugen SF19-Honda

What did he do in 2020: Nojiri won at Autopolis and he finished in the points of the first six races, two of which were top five finishes. He won pole position for the Fuji finale, but retired and rounded out the top five in the championship on 47 points. 

What to expect in 2021: Testing results were encouraging as Nojiri was right in the middle of the top ten at Suzuka and Fuji. He has won a race each of the last two seasons and he has been in the top five of the championship each of the last two seasons. Nojiri's one problem is he has not been a regular podium finisher. Only once has he had multiple podium finishes in a season. If he wants to remain in the top five of the championship, I think he needs to have a career year. 

carrozzeria Team KCMG

Kamui Kobayashi: #7 carrozzeria Team KCMG SF19-Toyota

What did he do in 2020: Kobayashi had one finish in the points, fourth at the first Suzuka race. He was running at the finish of his other four starts. He missed two races due to Toyota LMP1 commitments. He won the World Endurance Drivers' championship with Mike Conway and José María López after winning four races and finishing no worse than third.

What to expect in 2021: Kobayashi has made 41 Super Formula starts over six seasons. He has won zero races. It is hard to fathom how such an accomplished driver has yet to win in this series. He does have five runner-up finishes. Similar to Nakajima, Kobayashi will have WEC commitments and that will eat into his season. He could win a race, but if he is limited to only four or five starts those are not a lot of opportunities, especially against drivers who are focused on Super Formula. He has not participated in any preseason testing. Kobayashi will miss Fuji and Kazuto Kotaka substitutes for him. Kotaka was third in Super Formula Lights last year with one victory and 11 podium finishes. 

Yuki Kunimoto: #18 carrozzeria Team KCMG SF19-Toyota

What did he do in 2020: Kunimoto was ninth in the championship on 29 points with his best finish being third in the first Suzuka race. He had three top five finishes. 

What to expect in 2021: While Kobayashi has not been at testing, Kunimoto has been slow. He was at the bottom of both Suzuka and Fuji tests. He has not won a race since his championship season in 2016. His best finish over the last seasons is third. All signs point to a dip in results from 2020.

B-Max Racing

Yves Baltas: #50 B-Max Racing SF19-Honda

What did he do in 2020: Baltas did not compete in any series in 2020. His last start was in the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup series at Monaco. He made only six starts in that series and his best finish was ninth at Silverstone. The rest of his junior formula career consists of ten starts in Euroformula Open and six races in the F4 British Championship. 

What to expect in 2021: I do not expect Baltas to last long. He had to miss the opening test due to travel restrictions and he will miss the season opener. He will likely go the way of Tristan Charpentier, who lasted only one race in Super Formula. B-Max had originally wanted to retain Nobuharu Matsushita, but Honda nixed that deal. I suspect someone else will run majority of the 2021 season in the #50 Honda. 

ROOKIE Racing

Kazuya Oshima: #14 ROOKIE Racing SF19-Toyota

What did he do in 2020: Oshima scored five points, one at Motegi, two at Sportsland SUGO and one in the second Suzuka race. He was 19th in the championship, his worst championship finish in a full Super Formula season.

What to expect in 2021: It is a single car team, Oshima hasn't scored more than seven points in any of the last four seasons. I expect him to score about five to seven points. 

Drago Corse with ThreeBond

Tatiana Calderón: #12 Drago Corse with ThreeBond SF19-Honda

What did he do in 2020: Calderón competed five races and her best finish was 12th in the Motegi season opener and the second Suzuka race.

What to expect in 2021: Calderón will be splitting this season with an LMP2 opportunity in WEC. She is still learning this car and series. Last year was not ideal for a rookie. I don't see her results improving that much. She might be able to pull out a point or two, but I don't see her scoring more than that.

Other Notes:

Four different teams have produced the last four champions. It is the longest stretch of champions from different teams since 1993-1997.

Yamamoto is aiming to become the first driver to successful defend a championship since Tsugio Matsuda in 2007-08.

Since Toyota joined the series in 2006, Honda has not won consecutive drivers' championships.

The last European champion was André Lotterer in 2011. Lotterer's 2011 championship is also the last time the champion missed a race during the season. The German won five of seven races that year.

Yamamoto won three races in his 2018 championship season. That is only time the champion has had at least three victories since 2012.

Last year, Yamamoto became the first champion after failing to score points in the season opener since Richard Lyons in 2004. Lyons was eighth in the season opener and only the top six finishers scored points that season. 

Baltas could become the first American to compete in the series since Jeff Krosnoff competed in the 1995 season finale at Suzuka. Krosnoff ran the entire season, and his best finish was ninth on two occasions. Krosnoff also had four top ten finishes in eight races.

Ross Cheever won ten races in an eight-season Super Formula career that spanned 1987-1994. Cheever was championship runner-up twice and he finished in the top three of the championship five times. 

The 2021 season opener from Fuji will be held at 12:55 a.m. ET on Sunday April 4.