Team Penske ran roughshod over the 2019 IndyCar season

Roger Penske's team ran roughshod over the entire 2019 IndyCar season
Roger Penske's team ran roughshod over the entire 2019 IndyCar season

Although Roger Penske has come out and said the competition in IndyCar has never been better, in fact nothing can be further from the truth. Let's examine the facts:

  1. There are ten full-time teams in IndyCar. Yet just one team, Team Penske, won 9 of 17, or 53% of the races
  2. Team Penske won the Indy 500 for the 18th time. This is the crown jewel of the IndyCar series, the one race that pays a real purse. Team Penske won it with Simon Pagenaud.
  3. Team Penske won the IndyCar Series title with Josef Newgarden – Team Penske's 16th drivers title in IndyCar. No one else comes close
  4. Team Penske had the most top-10 finishes led by Simon Pagenaud (14)
  5. Team Penske had the most top-5 finishes with Josef Newgarden (12)
  6. Team Penske had the most laps led, 1,990 with Simon Pagenaud
  7. Team Penske drivers had the most race wins Josef Newgarden (4) and Simon Pagenaud (3)
  8. Team Penske drivers had the most poles with Simon Pagenaud and Will Power – 3 each
  9. Team Penske drivers had the most races led with Josef Newgarden (12) and Will Power (11)
  10. Team Penske drivers finished 1-2-3 in most laps led Newgarden (490), Pagenaud (267) and Power (233)

In other words Team Penske made the 2019 IndyCar Season a one-sided affair.