Welcome back for another dose of math. And if that sentence didn’t drive you away, well then, let’s get down to the business of adding stuff up.
Yesterday’s post was about who were the winningest drivers in the DW12 Era, if there is such a thing. And there is, because I said so. See what happens when they let anyone write what they want on the internet?
Today let’s drill deeper, looking at total wins on both Oval tracks and Non-Oval circuits. And buckle your 5-point safety harness, because it’s about to get interesting. Here are the Top Three for each category.
Oval Wins
#3 – Scott Dixon. Over the last 6 seasons there have been 34 Indycar races on ovals. Dixon has won three of those. That’s roughly one win out of every 10 races. Place your wagers accordingly.
#2 – Will Power. Back the truck up! You mean to tell me the Street Course Thug (I think Bill Zahren trademarked this, but I’m not sure) is a bona fide oval master? Why yes, yes I do, as his five DW12 wins on ovals irrefutably demonstrate. Now, if only he could win at that one particular 500-mile oval race in May.
#1 – Ryan Hunter-Reay. See, now you know what I was teasing in the earlier post yesterday. (You did read yesterday’s post, right?) Hunter-Reay and his seven oval wins are the clear leader in this category. Now that the 2018 aero kits are standardized for everyone, an educated person might expect RHR to increase his totals further next season.
1. Hunter-Reay – 7
2. Power – 5
3. Dixon – 3
After these Top Three are a plethora of “usual suspects” for oval expertise, all tied with two wins. That list includes Ed Carpenter, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Juan Pablo Montoya, Josef Newgarden, and Graham Rahal. So putting it in perspective, Hunter-Reay has more oval wins in the last six years than Ed Carpenter, Helio Castroneves, and Tony Kanaan combined. Did anyone in 2012 see that coming?
Non-Oval Wins
For those who prefer to turn right, this list is for you. Basically, there are three Indycar drivers who have had significantly more success on Non-Ovals than anyone else. Can you guess who they are? Yes, you probably can.
#3 – Simon Pagenaud. Well, he has 11 total wins in this chassis and 10 of them aren’t on ovals, so this should come as a shock to absolutely no one.
#2 – Scott Dixon. Amazingly, another category that Dixon doesn’t lead. He’s really, good – there’s no doubt. But despite 11 wins on road and street circuits Dixon has got to be irked to once again be behind. . .
#1 – Will Power. Over the last six seasons Power has more total wins that Dixon. He has more oval wins than Dixon. And by the slimmest of margins, with 12 victories he has more non-oval wins than Dixon. Am I the only one who seems astounded by this?
1. Power – 12
2. Dixon – 11
3. Pagenaud – 10
As I noted, these three are clearly the crème de la crème, as the next closest driver is Newgarden with five non-oval wins. That’s half of what Pagenaud has, for those of you mathematically challenged. Behind Newgarden with four wins are Sebastien Bourdais, James Hinchcliffe, and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for the final installment of the win totals, where the Non-Oval wins are divided into Road Courses and Street Circuits. You might be surprised, although you know probably have a good idea of who’s on that list. Or maybe you don’t.
Could this all have been included in a single post? Definitely. But it’s not, because I said so. And I have the unlimited power of infinite words.