Indianapolis 500: Chevy holds the edge, but Honda maintains hope

A glance at the speed charts gives a good indication which manufacturer is favored to win Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. Chevrolet-powered drivers have led every practice session and captured not just the pole, but also 11 of the first 15 positions.

Chevrolet’s edge over Honda comes as the IndyCar Series has introduced new aerodynamic body kits this season. The impetuses for the change were multifold and included wanting to establish distinct differences between the competing manufacturers and returning some of the engineering ingenuity gone missing in open-wheel racing in recent years when every team had utilized the same engine-chassis package.

Thus far, however, Chevrolet has proven faster.

“I definitely think come this Sunday, Chevrolet has a huge advantage,” said Graham Rahal of Honda-backed Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. “I think they appear to have more horsepower. When everybody is lifting in the corners and they go back to power, they always gap you no matter what. That’s a hard thing to compete with.”

One of the significant benefits Chevrolet holds over Honda is the organizations it has aligned itself with since reentering the IndyCar Series in 2012. In Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske, Chevrolet backs open-wheel’s deepest and well-resourced outfits -- especially when it comes to competing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Drivers representing Ganassi and Penske have won nine of the past 15 Indianapolis 500s and enter Sunday’s race as clear favorites. Ganassi’s Scott Dixon captured the pole in qualifying with Penske teammates Will Power and Simon Pagenaud completing the front row. Starting fourth and fifth are Tony Kanaan (Ganassi) and Helio Castroneves (Penske).

“I think there’s a lot more than [Ganassi or Penske], that’s for sure,” Dixon said. “I think obviously [Ganassi] and Penske do a fabulous job with all the entries they have. With the group of our cars, we’re definitely at the point end of the field, which is good to see for the group of us.”

Sunday is expected to resemble a NASCAR restrictor-plate race featuring an abundance of lead changes and drivers running in packs. Even then, Honda is still at a disadvantage because while the draft will help level the playing field, Rahal contends Ganassi and Penske are a class above.

“We’re not going to win this race by speed alone,” Rahal said. “We’re not going to go drive around a Penske. We’re not going to drive around a Ganassi.”

All is not lost for Honda, though, since the Indianapolis 500 is often decided by more than just sheer speed. And it’s not as if the carmaker isn’t in an unfamiliar position.

A year ago Chevrolet had flashed the most speed in qualifying and practice, giving the appearance it would dominate come race-day. That didn’t happen. Instead, Honda’s Ryan Hunter-Reay overcame a poor qualifying effort (19th) to lead a race-high 56 laps -- including the final four when he fended off a determined Castroneves to secure the win.

“I think we can beat them straight up,” Hunter-Reay said. “They were the dominant package in qualifying here last year as well, but anytime we as Honda get on the track, we’re contenders.

“There’s certainly a lot of lessons to be learned from last year’s race.”