Phoenix aero changes brought Honda closer to Chevy, says Cindric

Marco Andretti was fastest Honda qualifier at Phoenix International Raceway in 2016 in 11^th, whereas this year the top Honda qualifier, Tony Kanaan, will roll off sixth.

While Cindric believes this is a result of Honda Performance Development’s engine improvements, he says he’s expecting a stronger challenge from HPD-powered cars in race trim due to IndyCar altering the mandatory z-wing height on the rear wing. 

“Chevy’s always had the better kit for the short ovals,” said Cindric, who saw the Penske team qualify 1-2-4-5 for tonight’s Desert Diamond Valley Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway, “although obviously Honda has made improvements to its engine, for sure.

“But IndyCar has changed the z-wing height for here, and that’s made that package more competitive in race trim than what it had before, and the Chevy package isn’t so sensitive to that rear wing change. It doesn’t really need it, because the Chevy kit is efficient enough that you’re not going to necessarily run your maximum z-wing angle.”

Cindric, who also serves as Josef Newgarden's strategist, echoed the comments of his former Penske driver Will Power who again called for IndyCar to make radical changes to the downforce/horsepower equation.

“I’m not sure how increasing the downforce is going to improve the racing,” said Cindric. “The best racing and passing is when you have tire degradation, and added downforce typically gives you less tire degradation.

“To make this short oval racing better, we need to run more power and less downforce. You know, there have been really good races here, so it’s not like it’s the track that’s the problem. We need to get the package to fit the racetrack.”