Young Americans are on rise in IndyCar

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Graham Rahal loves what he sees at the top of the IndyCar series standings right now.

A trio of 20-something Americans — Alexander Rossi, Josef Newgarden and Rahal — are lined up neatly, 1-2-3, heading into Sunday’s race at Barber Motorsports Park. It will be just the fourth event of the year, but the success of the American millennials also builds on Newgarden’s series title last season.

“I think for the sport, it’s great,” the 29-year-old Rahal said. “You’ve got three Americans at the top but also three guys that are all under 30, so there’s a lot of promise, a lot of pride that everybody should take in that. Obviously it’s early in the year, but still for IndyCar, I think it shows that the future is very bright. There’s a lot for fans to be excited about.”

Maybe more than the series has had in years when it comes to American open-wheel racing, which doesn’t have the deep feeder system of NASCAR for developing young drivers. The 27-yearold Newgarden’s championship was only the third by an American IndyCar driver in 11 years, following Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012) and Sam Hornish Jr. (2006).

Rossi, a 26-year-old who is coming off a win last Sunday in Long Beach, Calif., leads with 126 points, followed by Newgarden (104) and Rahal (93).

It’s a long way from the days when U.S. drivers such as A.J. Foyt reigned over IndyCar, but it’s still a notable development in a series that has been dominated in recent years by international stars, including four-time season champion Dario Franchitti (Scotland), three-time champ Scott Dixon (New Zealand) and Newgarden’s fellow Team Penske drivers, Will Power (Australia) and Helio Castroneves (Brazil), who is now running part-time in IndyCar.

“It’s great. I think the fans love it,” said Newgarden, a Hendersonville, Tenn., native who won last year’s race in Birmingham and logged the fastest lap during Friday’s practices.

“It’s good for the series to have strong Americans doing a good job against the best from around the world. That’s important. You want to have the top American talent in the series succeeding, and I think you’re getting that right now.”

IndyCar rookie Zach Veach, Rossi’s 23-year-old Andretti Autosport teammate and another American, finished a career-best fourth at Long Beach. Seven of the 23 drivers at Barber Motorsports Park are American, and others have taken note of the resurgence.

“There’s definitely a lot of good American drivers now capable of winning championships and races,” Power said, “which is what the series needs.”