INDIANAPOLIS -- Perhaps the best movement that has swept through professional sports in America during the past five years is parity and the even playing field it's created.
It's a trend that's been evident in each of the three major sporting leagues in this country. Seeds one and six in NBA's Western Conference were separated by two games entering the 2008 Playoffs, the Florida Marlins currently have the best record in the National League despite having the lowest budget in Major League Baseball, and the last Super Bowl was one of the most memorable upsets in the history of sports. Few can argue that parity has reaped major benefits for each league.
As swift as the movement has been, parity has not carried over to auto racing in recent years, at least not in the IndyCar series. With Team [Roger] Penske, Target Chip Ganassi and the recently merged Andretti Green Racing programs receiving more funding than any other teams along pit row, their drivers have dominated races for the past decade.
A primary theme throughout the month of May was the unification created when the Indy Racing League and Champ Car series merged after a 12-year war of words and controversy. The inclusion of the CART series was supposed to provide a deeper pool to the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500.
Sure Scott Dixon, a driver for the powerhouse Target Chip Ganassi team, enjoyed the sip of milk in victory circle Sunday. But look deeper and you'll see a much more diverse field at the top of the finishing order than there's been in many years.
While Dixon's victory made him the eighth driver from the top three teams to win at Indianapolis in nine races this decade, it was also the first time since 2003 that three of the top six finishers didn't come from that elite group. That's the first year Andretti Green Racing was in existence.
Vitor Meira led the charge for the little guy, finishing in second place while competing as a one-man team for Panther Racing. Meira led at the 400-mile mark, and immediately following him were Dixon, Helio Castroneves and Marco Andretti, each a member of the big three.
"We have Ganassi, AGR and Penske who for the last two or three years have won everything," Meira said. "We are up against very, very hard competition. To gain back from them, sometimes, it's even harder to maintain the pace we're at [as a small team]. That's what we did right now. ... This feels like a victory for us. How many of you counted me as leading at lap 160? I mean, not many."
Ryan Hunter-Reay, who was the top rookie finisher at sixth place, competed for another small team - Rahal Letterman Racing. He edged out fellow rookie Hideki Mutoh - a driver for Andretti Green Racing - for rookie of the year honors.
Despite his solid finish, Hunter-Reay kept a realistic outlook.
"We are punching above our weight," Hunter-Reay said. "I'm not under any crystal illusions that we're going to be fighting Penske, AGR and Ganassi every weekend. They're in a league of their own at the moment."
The process to regaining parity in the IRL might not be complete, but it's baby steps that move that process along. Following the race, Meira was confident that those baby steps began Sunday.
"We will be very good from here one," Meira said.
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