Will Power is leading the IndyCar championship with two races remaining and starts today’s Portland race from second. There are 105 points remaining over the next two races, but anyone not within 53 after today is out of contention.
Standings
1 Power 482
2 Newgarden -3
3 Dixon -14
4 Ericsson -17
5 Palou -43
6 McLaughlin -53
7 O’Ward -58
The first permutation is that Palou, McLaughlin and O’Ward will be out of contention if Power is able to win today. Given the Penske cars qualified 1-2-3, it’s not out of the question it could happen and Power has won here before.
The opportunity to win the title at Portland is slimmer but not outrageous. The most unlikely element of Power winning the title is that eighth-place starter Josef Newgarden needs to be classified (retirements still score in IndyCar) 23rd or worse.
A five-time winner this year, Newgarden has had feast or famine in 2022, so some sort of issue or bad luck in this race would be quite in keeping with that pattern after his Gateway win last time out.
The more realistic elements of Power’s clinch scenario relate to the drivers in third and fourth in the points, Scott Dixon and Marcus Ericsson.
After a poor qualifying where both drivers were well beaten by their Ganassi team-mate Palou for the second year in a row, Dixon starts 16th and Ericsson in 18th.
If Dixon finishes 12th or worse and Ericsson is 10th or worse, along with Newgarden 23rd or worse, Power would clinch his second IndyCar title.
In a year he tied Mario Andretti for the most poles in IndyCar history, it would be an outrageous way to take it a step further. But it’s certainly not out of the question.
One thing that usually throws a spanner in the works at Portland is the troublesome Turn 1 which almost always creates a pileup at the start or restart.
IndyCar has worked hard to alleviate the issue though. It’s added a second chicane in the run-off to further slow cars using the run off, and has reiterated its policy of using the previous timing line and giving preference to the cars remaining on track in any restarting order when it comes to organising the field.
The start zone will also happen at Turn 12, the last corner, in a bit to help space the field out further than in the past when the start zone has been on the start/finish straight.
