Five drivers. One race. One chance for glory.
That’s the equation for the 2022 IndyCar Drivers Championship which concludes with this weekends Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
This seasons IndyCar has been one like no other, and will go down in the history books for being one of the closest-ever contended. After 16 races, five drivers are still in a position to claim overall honours come race-day on Sunday.
Australian Will Power sits in the prime position to claim the title, 20 points ahead of American Josef Newgarden and, our very own, the legendary Scott Dixon. Then comes Swede Marcus Ericsson. He sits fourth, 49 points off top spot. Finally, the other Kiwi, Scott McLaughlin. Whilst only two points behind Ericsson, the duo still remain a strong chance for the title.
To do so, however, will require a race victory for either driver. They’ll also need other results to fall their way. Stranger things have happened.
The 1976 USAC Championship Car season is a prime example. The great Johnny Rutherford led the championship by 250 points heading into the final event at Phoenix.
With 300 points for a race win, and 240 for second, Rutherford only needed to finish in the top nine to guarantee the title should nearest rival Gordon Johncock claim line honours. Johncock claimed the title, finishing in second, whilst Rutherford failed to finish.
Then there’s the new-era, being IndyCar (formerly Indy Racing League). In 2000 and 2001 we saw 11 different race winners in a single season. This was replicated again in 2014.
The year 2000 saw Buddy Lazier claim the title, pipping Scott Goodyear by 18 points. The top seven were separated by 88 points come season end. Whilst close, that season only consisted of nine race-weekends. 2022 has 16, and the top seven only have 67 points between them after 15 of those.
2001 saw Sam Hornish Jr. claim the title. Despite having 11 unique race winners that year, the American cruised to the title by 105 points over Buddy Lazier. Despite the race-weekend parity, the top seven were separated by 216 points.
Then came 2014, where current leader Power claimed his first and only title by 62 points over Helio Castroneves. The top seven; 127 point between them.
That leaves us here, with 2022 producing one of the closest championship battles ever seen in American Open-Wheeled Racing history. We’ve only had eight unique race winners over the 16 events thus far, but consistency, or perhaps, inconsistency, has created a tight battle up top.
Power needs only a podium to claim the title. He’s managed that seven times so far this year, including a race win in Detroit. A poor Indy 500 showing, where points are doubled, has put Power in this position, but consistent top 10 results in other events throughout the year see him clinging to top spot.
Newgarden is 20 points back. He’s won more races than anyone this year, with five. Inconsistent results have hurt the American, however, with a DNF in Iowa adding to several other results outside the top 10. Despite his five wins, Newgarden has not featured on the podium at any other events.
Tied with Newgarden in New Zealand legend Dixon. With the second most race wins of all time, only behind AJ Foyt, Dixon knows how to win. He’s done it 53 times, after all. He’s also claimed the championship six times.
Whilst qualifying has not necessarily been a strong point of Dixon’s, he’s known for charging through the field to finish at the front. He did this just last weekend, in Portland, where he came home third after starting 16th.
He’s won twice this season, first on the streets of Toronto and most recently at the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville. Whilst only on the podium four times this year, consistency has been key for Dixon, with only one finish outside the top 10 coming at the Indy 500.
Things could be so different for the veteran had he not locked up coming into the lane from the lead in that race, resulting in a drive-through penalty. He ended up 21st.
Instead, race honours at the Indy 500 went to Ericsson, which put him in a championship-contending spot come season end. He sits 39 points off Power, with only two extra podiums coming this year outside his Indianapolis victory.
Then that leaves us with McLaughlin, our Kiwi former Supercars ace. In his second full-time season in IndyCar McLaughlin has claimed three wins, with the first coming at the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. From then, he won in Mid-Ohio in July, before claiming the Grand Prix of Portland last weekend to remain in contention.
In addition to his three wins, McLaughlin has also been on the podium four further times this year, leaving little doubt he belongs at the top. So good has his form been, in-fact, that some outlets are already tipping his as a favorite for the 2023 title. For now, there’s still unfinished business in 2022.
So here we are. Early on a Wednesday morning, with all this to be decided in just over five days time.
Laguna Seca. The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. 95 laps, 212.6 miles over the famous 11-turn track. After that, the question will be answered: Who is the 2022 IndyCar champion?
Practice will be shown on Sky Sport 4 (054) at 5.15am Sunday, with qualifying following at 9am. Racing gets underway at 7am Monday morning, so perhaps let the boss know you’ll be late to work.
