The Indianapolis 500 is arguably the most popular auto race in America. It’s held every year in Speedway, Indiana over Memorial Day weekend. The race has a long history dating back to the earliest days of automobiles. Some recognizable names have provided cars and engines for the race, but currently, there are only two automakers competing by providing engines for the race. Those two are Chevrolet and Honda.
What Goes Into the Indy Cars
Indy Car is a term used to describe a single-seat, open-cockpit, open-wheel race car. Since 2020, all Indy Cars have used a 2.2-liter V6 with twin turbochargers. The engines are tuned to produce between 550 and 750 horsepower. As mentioned above, Chevrolet and Honda currently make all the engines for the cars. Dallara is the chassis builder, and Firestone is the exclusive tire provider for the race. In the earlier history of the race, automakers often built the entire car rather than just the engine.
Chevrolet vs. Honda
The two automakers currently competing by providing engines for the Indy 500 are Honda and Chevrolet. In the race’s history, Honda has won 15 times. The automaker debuted in 1994 in CART and was the sole engine manufacturer between 2006 and 2011. Chevrolet has won the race 11 times, winning straight victories between 1988 and 1993, as well as in 2002, 2013, 2015, and 2018-2019.
Other Automakers Competing in the Indianapolis 500
Even though Honda and Chevrolet are the sole engine providers currently in the Indy 500, several other automakers have been involved in the past. Some of these include Ford, National, Ideal Motor Car Company, and Oldsmobile, among others. Another one is Offenhauser, and it is still the leader in wins with 27. Honda ranks 2nd with 15 wins, and Chevrolet is 4th with 11 wins. Ford is also close with 8 wins to rank 6th.
Historic Indianapolis 500 Wins
In the earliest days of the Indy 500, the cars that competed were largely built by regular folks in their garage. The first race won by a car company was in 1911 and the company was Marmon. That company no longer exists, but it made luxury vehicles between 1902 and 1933. National won the race in 1912 and is another car company that went out of business roughly a century ago. Maserati and McLaren are two other familiar names that won Indy 500 races in some of the earliest years of the sport.
Modern Era Wins
Ford has 8 total wins over the years in the Indy 500. It built engines partnering with the Cosworth Tuning Company. Its first win came in 1965. Oldsmobile was never a name known for speed, but the company had a five-year streak of wins with its engines. Toyota also had a short span of competing in the race but has only won one time in 2003. That leaves Honda and Chevrolet to continue their competition. Honda currently has more wins on the Indiana track, but Chevy boasts a streak of six consecutive wins between 1988 and 1993.
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