2016 Grand Prix At The Glen Preview: Dixon Goes For Four

Scott Dixon will be looking for his fourth victory at Watkins Glen while Will Power will be hunting the IndyCar title in the 2016 Grand Prix at the Glen.

Watkins Glen International’s big return to the Verizon IndyCar Series could be huge for some of the series’ most notable drivers in the 2016 Grand Prix at the Glen.

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Scott Dixon is the man to beat heading into today’s race. The defending series champion needs a victory to keep his title hopes alive, being 132 points back from current leader Simon Pagenaud.

And Dixon can get it, too – he’s won three times on the New York course and is starting on the pole after breaking the track record in practice and then breaking it again in qualifying. There’s no doubt that he has speed and he always has the skill.

While Dixon is the clear favorite to win the 2016 Grand Prix at the Glen, there’s a separate race going on today between title contenders.

There is no way the IndyCar championship will be settled on Sunday. Even if Pagenaud wins and picks up the three bonus points on offer, he would still only have an 81-point lead over Will Power. More than 100 points will be available at the season finale Sept. 18 at Sonoma.

Thus the real question is how Power continues to have all the momentum and if he’ll capitalize at Watkins Glen. He had a chance at Texas but lost it; instead Pagenaud finished fourth and added to his lead.

Someone else who may be in trouble is Josef Newgarden. Newgarden lost points by not being able to finish at Texas and dropped to fifth in the championship standings. So far Watkins Glen has not been kind to him; he stalled in practice (see above) and qualified a disappointing twelfth. He needs to make up points and quickly.

The 2016 Grand Prix at the Glen could also be fantastic for Tony Kanaan. The No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet driver proved he’s still got plenty of fight in his wheel-to-wheel battling with Graham Rahal, James Hinchcliffe and Pagenaud at Texas. He always seems like he’s just one step away from hitting his stride.

Having qualified fifth – and still sitting third in the championship – could Watkins Glen be the race in which Kanaan finds Victory Lane?

Every one of the drivers still eligible for the IndyCar championship has something on the line at Watkins Glen. Two of them are deep in the field. Graham Rahal will be battling back from 20th just a week after stealing a win at Texas thanks to a penalty for qualifying interference on Saturday; Carlos Munoz is just a few places ahead of him.

The 2016 Grand Prix at the Glen has a clear favorite to win the race but IndyCar’s penultimate event will have repercussions for everybody, which is only fitting as the league returns to one of fans’ favorite tracks in the nation.

The 2016 Grand Prix at the Glen takes place Sunday, Sep. 4 from Watkins Glen International at 2:37 p.m. ET/11:37 a.m. PT. The race broadcast begins at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT on NBCSN.