Honda drivers have a ‘frustrating Indy 500’

The Chevy powered cars, like Indy 500 winner Juan Montoya above, have smoked the Hondas all year long

Graham Rahal played catch-up for 3 hours and 5 minutes Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, pushing and charging and scraping for every last speck of speed.

In the end he'd chase the leaders for 500 miles. Problem was: He could've chased for 500 more and still never closed the gap.

Why? Because Rahal was racing the 99th edition of the Indianapolis 500 with one arm tied behind his back. That's life when you're running a Honda engine on a day – a month, really – that was thoroughly conquered by Chevrolet.

It was clear early in May and clear throughout Sunday's race: A Honda wasn't winning this year's 500. Chevrolet was that dominant, that overwhelming. They were faster. Stronger. Better.

Rahal settled for the best of the rest: His fifth-place finish led a Honda crew of 18 drivers that landed just two in the top 11.

The Chevy was just in a league of its own, unfortunately, on horsepower," Rahal said. "I was happy that we were as close to (third-place finisher Charlie Kimball) and (fourth-place finisher Scott Dixon) as we were.
"I thought there was no hope."

There wasn't much hope after pole day. A week ago Chevrolet flexed its muscle, powering each of the top five qualifiers and six of the top eight. In Sunday's race their dominance was even more stark. Chevy-driven cars grabbed the first four spots and eight of the top 10.

Only Marco Andretti (sixth), a veteran who entered Sunday's race with five top-five finishes at Indianapolis under his belt in just nine starts, joined Rahal among Honda drivers in the top 10.

An hour after the race concluded, leaning on a bench in his team garage in Gasoline Alley, Rahal tackled the discrepancy head-on. Did it feel like he was playing catch-up for three hours? Because it sure looked like it.

"Without a doubt," he said without hesitation. "We didn't have the horsepower. Look at their speeds. They're definitely quicker."

Was fifth the best he could've hoped for, all things considered?

"Without a doubt," he said once more.

It was one of the more impressive performances of the day. Rahal started 17th and grinded his way through the field bereft of the speed the lead pack flaunted all afternoon. Whether it was winner Juan Pablo Montoya, runner-up Will Power or the late-charging Charlie Kimball, the Chevy machines put on quite a show. Especially over the course of the final 10 laps.

Rahal's Honda had no chance against the faster Chevys

Honda, meanwhile, played chase. Rahal and Andretti lingered in the top 10 all afternoon by avoiding mistakes. They drove safe and smart. But it was apparent they never had the extra gear required to contend for a spot in victory lane.

"It was a frustrating 500 miles," was how Andretti put it. "It was just hard to keep the car balanced, let alone try to win. I was just trying to be best in class, but there were so many times that I just got the short end of the stick."

The 10 Chevy cars that finished the race averaged 161.228 mph compared to the 160.896 mph average managed by the 12 Honda cars that completed all 500 miles.

"We were in the hunt all day, I just don't know if we ever had enough to beat the (Roger) Penske or (Chip) Ganassi cars," Rahal said. "But I think we were the next-best. We just had to keep pushing."

Gabby Chaves was the top rookie finisher in 16th. He was asked after the race if it felt like the Honda drivers had enough power to hang with the Chevys.

"Well, we didn't," Chaves said. "I think we were definitely a little bit under-powered, under-paced compared to the other guys."

All 33 cars in Sunday's field were required to use the same chassis. The variables started with the engines and the driver. Honda fielded 18 of the cars in this year's race; Chevy had 15.

Chevy's average finish: Seventh. Honda's average finish: 15th.

The difference in performance was clear, same as it was all month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Rahal knew his reality going in. He was intent on making the most of it.

"There's nothing you can do about it, you just have to do the best you can," he said. "You have to hope for good pit stops, make some passes and work your way forward. You can't sit here and get worked up about it all day. You just have to make the most of it."

So Rahal did. Fifth is the second-best day he's ever had at Indy. He'll leave Gasoline Alley with a smile.

The rest of Honda? Much more of a scowl. Zak Keefer/Indy Star