In the IndyCar manufacturers' fight, four is the magic number

Songs from Schoolhouse Rock, and later De La Soul, taught us that ‘Three Is a Magic Number,’ but when it comes to early-season hot streaks by IndyCar’s auto manufacturers, the magical number is four.

Chevrolet opened the current 2.2-liter turbo V6 era in 2012 by winning the first four races of the season on the way to capturing the Manufacturers’ championship and the Drivers’ title with Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay. It happened again in 2016, with Chevrolet pushing the win streak to five straight thanks to Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing. Chevy ran away with Manufacturers’ honors, and Penske’s Simon Pagenaud was crowned Drivers’ champion.

Honda got in on the four-straight game to start 2020 with Chip Ganassi Racing when Scott Dixon did the unfathomable by leading the championship from start to finish while Honda garnered the Manufacturers’ title. Chevy did it for the third time in 2022 by reeling off four straight victories with Team Penske and Arrow McLaren on the way to easily securing the Manufacturers’ championship and the Drivers’ title with Penske’s Will Power.

And now Honda’s gotten back in on the quadruple-victory routine with Ganassi’s Alex Palou and Andretti’s Kyle Kirkwood standing atop the podiums from St. Petersburg through Barber Motorsports Park.

There’s no guarantee the streak will continue this Saturday at the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis road course, or at the Indy 500 on May 25, where Chevy has held the upper hand since 2023, but the indicators suggest a closer fight between the brands is on the way.

“An amazing day for HRC and Honda,” Honda Racing Corporation USA VP Kelvin Fu said after Palou delivered the brand’s fourth win of the year and the first wearing HRC’s red-white-and-blue livery. “Thanks to everybody at the factory for all of their hard work this year, we are four for four this year! Huge thanks to Alex and CGR.

“I don’t even know what to say right now, I’ve gotten so many excited texts from everybody back in the factory after seeing this car in victory lane. Thank you to everybody for making this happen—the livery looked great. Alex drove an amazing race. And for us to win with the HRC livery on the car is amazing for Honda and HRC.”

Honda leads the Manufacturers’ standings 366-284 over Chevy. In the four prior instances where one or the other won the four opening races, that brand went on to win the Manufacturers’ championship.