Michael Andretti closed a call earlier in the week with an obvious overstatement.
“We’ve got to get a win,” he told RACER. “It’s been a horrible year for us, so we’ve got to get our act together. We’ll see what happens this weekend.”
It’s safe to assume the same message was delivered to his five-car team after a season filed with nine straight races where winning felt like a distant dream. After Alexander Rossi’s helpful podium on Saturday during the first of two Honda Indy 200 doubleheaders, Andretti’s wishes came true as Colton Herta(pictured at left, above, with Rossi) turned pole position into an unchallenged win with Rossi and teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay in tow to sweep the podium in Round 2.
Considering how bad 2020 has been on race day for the Honda-powered outfit, the massive swing of fortunes by owning all phases of the Sunday race was a fitting response to a season filled with disappointments.