The Chevrolet bowtie badge is prominently displayed on all entrants carrying the company’s power plant. Photo: Kevin Dejewski
With the 2023 IndyCar season now concluded, Chevrolet has clinched the Manufacturers Championship for the second year in a row.
The American company beat out its rival Honda by a small margin to earn its eighth championship since returning to IndyCar competition in 2012.
Chevy outscored Honda by 28 points in the final round from Laguna Seca, which allowed them to leapfrog to the front and take the honors by a slim 12-point margin.
Representatives from the company’s management were on hand to witness the achievement, and were very proud to see the numbers tip their direction when the checkered flags flew.
“It was close,” said Jim Campbell, vice president of General Motors. “Big thanks to Will Power and Callum Ilott. They got the key positions for the key points to put us right over the top.
“Super proud of the fact this is the second in a row, eighth overall since we returned to IndyCar in 2012. It feels really good. Obviously proud of the five wins with Josef [Newgarden] with four, Scott McLaughlin one at Barber.
“Certainly would have loved more wins, but we got the Manufacturers Championship. Super proud of that.
“I think what makes IndyCar unique, one of the reasons we love it, those engines run 2000-plus miles on different disciplines. So we go short oval, big oval, road course, street course.
“We really exercise those engines in so many different ways. We love the diversity of it, and it makes days like today very gratifying.”
Part of the reason Chevy gained so much ground in the final race is because entrants that have used more than the allowed number of engines do not accrue manufacturer points.
The top two Honda finishers this weekend, Alex Palou and Scott Dixon, were using their fifth and sixth engines respectively, which is above the four engine limit set by IndyCar.
Chevrolet does not win any money for the achievement, but will now have bragging rights and the ability to market the company’s success in advertisements for its public-facing products.
Both Chevrolet and Honda have been working with IndyCar over the past couple years to integrate with the series’ new hybrid components, which are set to debut for the 2024 season.
Keyword: Chevy narrowly wins IndyCar’s manufacturer title