Inside Line: Who Most Needs Strong Month of May?
INDYCAR
Today's question: There are three NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in May – the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park, the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 25. Who most needs a strong Month of May?
Curt Cavin: Doesn't it feel like May is Team Penske's month? History certainly suggests it is, and the team needs it to be this year. Take a glance at the standings after three races: Roger Penske's drivers are surprisingly eighth, ninth and tied for 10th. That's not typical Team Penske land, and no one expects them to be there at year's end. (At least one Penske driver has finished in the top three each of the past 17 seasons.) Any number of the races over the next 30 days could be a breakthrough for the organization that has not won a series race this year. Penske drivers have combined to win 43 series races in the next four events (including the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on June 1). Scott McLaughlin has won the past two races at Barber Motorsports Park, Will Power is the master of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course (five wins, six poles), and, of course, Josef Newgarden is aiming for a historic three-peat in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. So, the schedule is ripe for Team Penske to start stringing together results.
Eric Smith: There are several drivers that need to produce a strong Month of May, and most reside with one manufacturer – Chevrolet. So, I'll take the broad approach and pick the entire manufacturer here. Honda has stormed out to a 3-for-3 start with two Alex Palou wins and a victory by Kyle Kirkwood in Long Beach. Recent history, however, suggests a pendulum swing this month. Chevrolet has seven wins in the last nine trips to Barber Motorsports Park, including three in a row. The end of the month is the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Josef Newgarden is a two-time defending winner in his No. 2 Chevrolet. Chevy-powered drivers also won six of the seven oval races last season and went 4-for-5 in each of the two prior years. The problem is, the Sonsio Grand Prix, where the Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Global Honda's have won the last three May road course races on the 2.439-mile IMS road course, is the meat of the May race sandwich. Also, CGR produced the fastest 'race trim' lap times in last week's Indy 500 Open Test, and the Andretti Global drivers seem overly confident in their chances. That makes me wonder if the pendulum will really swing in the Bowtie's favor this month or will Honda storm out to a 6-for-6 start and pull further ahead in the driver's standings as it has four of the top five in points, too. Chevrolet needs a rebound, and these have statistically been strong upcoming tracks for them. I officially put them on notice.
Arni Sribhen: Who could use a good Month of May? The NTT INDYCAR SERIES' newest team most certainly could. PREMA Racing is one of Europe's most famous junior formula racing names, but its startup NTT INDYCAR SERIES effort has had some growing pains as the team races in North America for the first time. Neither Callum Ilott nor Robert Shwartzman has cracked the second round of qualifying or recorded a finish in the top half of the grid in 2025. Both drivers have pace on road courses and could aim for top-15 finishes at Barber and the IMS road course. Having both drivers stay out of trouble on the IMS oval and earn a spot in the field on the first day of qualifying would also be a plus. A solid Month of May for both drivers – without any drama – could go a long way in helping the team establish itself in the series long term.
Paul Kelly: A handful of preseason contenders for the Astor Challenge Cup could use a good Month of May. It should come as no surprise to see three-time and reigning champion Alex Palou atop the NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings entering this crucial month. But most of the other drivers pegged in the preseason as the most serious contenders to Palou's throne are in serious danger of losing touch with the Spaniard if they don't kick it in gear this month. Curt made a compelling point above for Team Penske, and I'll add three drivers to that list – Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing, Pato O'Ward of Arrow McLaren and Colton Herta of Andretti Global. We're just three races into the season, and all three of those preseason title contenders are more than a race worth of points behind Palou. Dixon is fifth, 56 behind. O'Ward is sixth, minus-62, while Herta is seventh and 69 points back of Palou. With almost any other driver leading the championship, it would seem foolish to sound the alarm after just three races. But Palou has produced performances, with three titles in the last four years with Ganassi, that stand among the greatest in the long history of this sport. The No. 10 team makes so few mistakes, as Palou has finished in the top five in 26 of his last 34 points-paying starts. It's clear that another driver will need to take the title from Palou; the crown won't be given away. If Dixon, O'Ward, Herta and the Penske trio don't step on it this month, the last two years show there's a good chance it will be too late to catch Palou from June through the end of August.
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