Two teams and their four drivers have dominated the IndyCar Series so far this year. Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Penske Racing have combined to win all eight events thus far.
Is there any indication that this stranglehold for the top spot will end as the series heads into this weekend’s Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen?
Ganassi’s Scott Dixon, who leads all 2009 winners with three victories, has been even more dominant at the Glen. The driver from New Zealand won the first three IndyCar races there dating back to its inaugural event in 2005.
His toughest competition is likely to come from teammate Dario Franchitti. The two-time winner from Scotland leads the series point standings.
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Penske drivers have started from the pole at every Glen IndyCar event but its team race record hasn’t been so good with a one top-five finish among its drivers in four years there.
Helio Castroneves, who has two victories in 2009, has three pole position starts at the Glen. His Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe, who has one win this year, scored the other pole last year.
Andretti Green Racing is one of the bigger teams that is putting all its chips on the table and betting one of its four drivers - Tony Kanaan, Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti and Hideki Mutoh - can break the Ganassi club juggernaut at the Glen.
Road course events, however, always seem to generate an added element of unpredictability. The nature of these events, with the variety of corners, adds more complexity to car set-ups and is more physically demanding on the drivers, who shift gears and brake numerous times each lap.
As a result, there have been some surprise IndyCar winners in its road race events, coming from underperforming or unestablished teams.
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