Sonoma almost exclusively a Penske and Ganassi domain - MotorSportsTalk

Going into this weekend’s GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, the 15th of 19 IZOD IndyCar Series races this year (4 p.m. EST, Sunday, NBCSN), the question is the same as entering Mid-Ohio: can anyone knock the Ganassi and Penske teams from the top of the standings?

After the unpredictability of the first half of this season, the established power teams of Ganassi, Penske and Andretti Autosport are undefeated in the last seven races. Collectively, the three of them have won all eight prior IndyCar-sanctioned races at Sonoma, with Andretti scoring the first two (2005 and 2006) and Penske (2008, 2010-12) and Ganassi (2007, 2009) taking the remaining six.

The last three years in particular, no team has been able to even enter the same zip code as the Ganassi and Penske squads. Since 2010, Penske and Ganassi drivers have taken 15 of the 18 Firestone Fast Six appearances on Saturday. On Sunday, only one driver outside Ganassi or Penske has even scored a top five – that was Rubens Barrichello in fourth a year ago.

You’d have to go back to 2009 to find the last time more than one driver outside of the Ganassi and Penske teams have invaded the top five.

Here’s the breakdown, with bolded drivers ones outside of Ganassi and Penske in either the top five in the race or Fast Six on Saturday:

Race Top 5

2012: Ryan Briscoe (Penske), Will Power (Penske), Dario Franchitti (Target Ganassi), Rubens Barrichello (KV), Graham Rahal (Service Central Ganassi)
2011: Power (Penske), Helio Castroneves (Penske), Briscoe (Penske), Franchitti (Target Ganassi), Scott Dixon (Target Ganassi)
2010: Power (Penske), Dixon (Target Ganassi), Franchitti (Target Ganassi), Briscoe (Penske), Castroneves (Penske)
2009: Franchitti (Target Ganassi), Briscoe (Penske), Mike Conway (Dreyer & Reinbold), Mario Moraes (KV), Hideki Mutoh (Andretti)

Firestone Fast 6

2012: Power (Penske), Briscoe (Penske), Sebastien Bourdais (Dragon), Castroneves (Penske), Dixon (Target Ganassi), Franchitti (Target Ganassi)
2011: Power (Penske), Helio Castroneves (Penske), Briscoe (Penske), Franchitti (Target Ganassi), Dixon (Target Ganassi), James Hinchcliffe (Newman/Haas)
2010: Power (Penske), Castroneves (Penske), Franchitti (Target Ganassi), Alex Tagliani (FAZZT), Briscoe (Penske), Dixon (Target Ganassi)
2009: Franchitti (Target Ganassi), Briscoe (Penske), Castroneves (Penske), Marco Andretti (Andretti), Mutoh (Andretti), Rahal (Newman/Haas)

Ryan Hunter-Reay was named to replace Conor Daly in Ed Carpenter Racing’s No. 20 Dallara-Chevrolet, starting in the NTT IndyCar Series event next week at Road America.

Hunter-Reay is the 2012 series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner. He finished 11th for Dreyer & Reinbold last month in the 107th Indy 500, his first start since the 2021 season finale. He drove full time for Andretti Autosport from 2010-21.

“We need to improve our competitiveness and I wanted to add a fresh perspective from a driver like Ryan who has a massive amount of experience and success as well as a reputation as a team leader. I am excited to welcome Ryan to the team,” team owner Ed Carpenter said in a team release. “We have worked together in the past as teammates and he tested for ECR at Barber Motorsports Park in October 2021, where he made an immediate impact as we were able to qualify one of our cars on the pole following that test. I am confident that his experience and technical abilities will be an asset to ECR as we move forward toward our goals as a team.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 IndyCar victories, most recently in 2018. He also is a winner in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, having been a part of winning entries in the 2020 Twelve Hours of Sebring and 2018 Petit Le Mans. Last year, he was an endurance driver for Cadillac Racing while being on standby for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Daly, whose departure was announced a day earlier in what the driver and team said was a mutual decision.

“I was surprised when I got the call from Ed,” Hunter-Reay said in a team release. “He described how frustrated he was that his team has not been able to realize its potential despite their efforts, investments, as well as technical and personnel changes over the past few years and asked for my help. Ed and I are very close friends and have been for a long time. I’ve worked with the team in the past and they are a very talented group with high expectations and a committed partner in BITNILE.COM.

“This will certainly be a challenge for me as well. It’s a tough situation jumping in a car in the middle of the season without any testing in what I believe to be the most competitive series in the world. Certainly, part of my motivation in saying ‘yes’ to Ed is the great challenge ahead. The last time I turned right driving an NTT IndyCar Series car was in October of 2021 with this team at Barber. However, I remain very confident in both my driving and technical abilities and believe by working with the talented people at ECR and Team Chevy, while representing BITNILE.COM, we will make progress. I am going to do everything I can do to help the team achieve its long-term objectives.”

Said Milton “Todd” Ault, the chairman of sponsor BitNile.com: “It is great for BitNile.com to be aligned with an Indy 500 Winner and an NTT IndyCar Series champion. I have followed Ryan’s career for years and I am confident he will challenge the entire ECR team to perform at higher levels. I wish everyone luck at Road America.”