Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach 2019: 3 IndyCar takeaways

Andretti Autosport could be the team to beat in 2019

When it comes to discussing teams, not just drivers, IndyCar fans always start with Team Penske. But if the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach taught us anything, it’s that Andretti Autosport is right up there in 2019.

Not only did the organization claim its 200th victory on Sunday, but its drivers have looked darn impressive so far this season.

Aside from Alexander Rossi single-handedly snatching back-to-back victories, Ryan Hunter-Reay looked very sharp in what was ultimately a fifth place finish.

Hunter-Reay finished in the Top 10 in three out of the four races, and is currently fifth in championship points; if not for his mechanical troubles at St. Petersburg, he could be right up there with Rossi.

Marco Andretti hasn’t finished lower than 13th, with a Top 10 result at Circuit of the Americas. As for Zach Veach, he’s still trying to get things rolling this season, but there’s no reason that neither he nor Marco can’t get themselves up to where Rossi and Hunter-Reay are at in a week or two.

Andretti has it all to win right now. Their team is always solid, but they’re better than anyone in May when the action shifts to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

They’ll have another five cars at the Indy 500 (with the addition of Conor Daly), and all five are expected to perform well. And since the Indy 500 is double points, even a decent showing by Andretti drivers next month could shake up the championship.

There hasn’t been a champion from a team other than Penske or Chip Ganassi Racing since 2012. And that champion was none other than Ryan Hunter-Reay. Could this be the year that streak is broken?

Based on what’s been seen so far, between Andretti’s strengths and how Penske hasn’t been quite as controlling as usual, it’s a very distinct possibility.

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