The Indianapolis 500 is one of the biggest events on the global racing calendar. Drivers from all around the world want victory at the Indy 500 on their resumes, but only a handful of racers have earned the title. The 2020 Indy 500 was an eventful one, with Honda being the undisputed winner of the entire race.
Smiles For Miles
Takuma Sato was victorious at the 2020 Indianapolis 500 thanks to his Honda-powered car. The Japanese racer wasn’t the only Honda-powered driver to do well, with eight of the top 10 drivers sitting on a Honda engine. In fact, it’s fair to say that Honda was the one true winner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August.
Japanese Dominance
There were 200 laps at the Indy 500, and a Honda-powered car led for 180 of them. That’s a huge portion of the race where Honda proved to be the superior drive this year. The manufacturer had three drivers on the podium, with Scott Dixon and Graham Rahal completing the set.
Dixon led the race for a total of 111 laps, with Sato the next best on 27 laps at the front. Of course, Sato led the race when it mattered the most, at the finish line, to take his second Indy 500 title.
Putting Chevrolet In Its Place
This sweep of the podium by Honda leaves its biggest competitor with a lot of work to do. Chevrolet was soundly beaten at the 2020 Indy 500, but the manufacturer will look back to 2015 to know that it’s not all doom and gloom. Just five years ago, it was Chevrolet who had dominated the Indy 500 by sweeping the podium.
Sato’s victory in 2020 was the first time Honda had won the event since the Japanese driver claimed victory in 2017. It seems Sato and Honda are a match made in heaven at this iconic race.