Indianapolis 500 Thought of the Day: Helio vs. Dario

For the first time since 1987^*, this year’s Indianapolis 500 figures to have two drivers vying for a record-tying fourth victory at the Brickyard.

Helio Castroneves, who won his first Indy two starts, and Dario Franchitti, who has won two of the last three 500s, each have a chance to match A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears.

Here’s the tale of the tape for these two:

 

Driver	Wins	Starts	Poles	Laps led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
Castroneves	3	12	4	231	5.75	7.5
Franchitti	3	9	0	329	9.7	7.5

 I quite was surprised that despite three fewer starts Franchitti has led nearly 100 more laps than Castroneves. (The reason for the disparity in starts is because Franchitti’s Indy debut came a year after Castroneves’; he did not compete in 2003 due to an injury and missed 2008 because he took a detour to NASCAR.)

The other thing that’s interesting is that despite their careers overlapping, their success on all different types of circuits and driving for powerful teams, Castroneves and Franchitti aren’t exactly rivals.

Which is too bad. One of the storylines for this year’s race should be Helio vs. Dario.

Heading into this year’s event, Franchitti may have the least amount of buzz ever for a reigning champion, or at least in recent years. His rock-solid consistency and results have eluded him for more than a year (Indianapolis notwithstanding).

Castroneves led the series points standings heading into the most recent event at Sao Paulo, Brazil, thanks to a second and a third in the first two races.

Each driver, along with their storied teams (Target Chip Ganassi and Team Penske), now find themselves suddenly caught in what appears to be a changing of the guard in the IndyCar Series.

Andretti Autosport continues to be the dominant player. James Hinchcliffe and reigning series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay have won three of the first four races while Marco Andretti is a surprising second in the points.

What’s even more surprising is the points leader: Takuma Sato, winner of the season’s other race for A.J. Foyt’s team, which has struggled mightily since Penske, Ganassi and Andretti returned following the infamous split.

We’ll see if Castroneves and Franchitti can pick up the pace this month – something that would help each of them and this year’s 500.

*This gets a bit confusing. In 1987, both Al Unser Sr. and Johnny Rutherford were in the race, seeking a record-tying fourth victory at Indianapolis. Of course, A.J. Foyt also was in the field, seeking his fifth 500 victory. Foyt, Big Al and Rick Mears all raced in the 1992 500, with each vying for a record-breaking fifth Borg-Warner Trophy.

 

Photo credits: Jim Haines (Castroneves) and Dana Garrett (Franchitti) / Indianapolis Motor Speedway