3 IndyCar takeaways from the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama 2019

3. Team size doesn’t matter

There’s long been a belief among IndyCar viewers that the large teams control the sport, and the two and one-car organizations are always playing catch-up. It’s easy to think that Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Autosport are in a class of their own, with the resources they have that smaller groups may not.

But the truth is that the NTT IndyCar Series has remarkable parity, and the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama demonstrated that thoroughly. The winning driver came from a two-car team, and the third-place driver from a one-car roster. Only Scott Dixon hailed from one of the Big Three teams, and these days, he’s only got one teammate himself. Add in the struggles of Penske overall, and it sent a clear message that on every weekend, any team can win.

That’s the beauty of IndyCar in 2019. The audience is seeing perhaps the most level playing field in any sport. Rookie drivers are putting together strong performances, while veteran drivers are also winning. And while the power teams are still proving why they’ve got that reputation, the smaller squads aren’t far behind them, either. This is anyone’s championship, and regardless of who one’s favorite driver is, it’s a pleasure to watch the competition unfold every weekend.

Now the 2019 IndyCar season is headed to Long Beach, where the entire podium from Barber has won before. Takuma Sato, Scott Dixon and Sebastien Bourdais are past Grand Prix of Long Beach winners, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sato go back to back or Bourdais nab his first win of 2019. How fantastic would that be?

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