The Verizon IndyCar Series championship could get very interesting at Pocono, as the 2016 ABC Supply 500 boasts a very chaotic starting order at a difficult track.
Just when the IndyCar championship seemed clear, along comes the 2016 ABC Supply 500 to mess the whole thing up. Sunday’s race has major implications for the title hunt thanks to an unexpected qualifying, and more problems are likely as the drivers tackle one of the league’s most challenging tracks.
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There are two fast young drivers at the front of the field – Mikhail Aleshin and Josef Newgarden. Pocono could be a prime opportunity for Newgarden to get his second victory of the 2016 season as he’s never finished lower than eighth there, and he’ll be pressing hard since he cannot race in next week’s conclusion of the Firestone 600 at Texas.
But the real stories are in the middle of the pack, as normally front-running drivers have found themselves deeper in the running order and alongside people who could give them trouble early in the race.
Keep your eye on Juan Pablo Montoya, who starts 15th in the 2016 ABC Supply 500. Montoya has never finished outside of the Top 3 at Pocono. He’s also the guy starting just behind points leader Simon Pagenaud. Having to keep Montoya behind him will keep Pagenaud busy while he also has to try and climb his way to the front of the field. And do you think Montoya will go easy on Pagenaud just because he’s a teammate? Probably not.
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It doesn’t get any easier for Will Power. The championship runner-up has a much better starting spot than Pagenaud mathematically, beginning the race eighth. But that means he’ll have Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi beside him, and Tony Kanaan and Ed Carpenter behind him. Kanaan in particular has driven strong all season and is just waiting for that winning opportunity.
There may even be problems at the back of the field, where two of the three previous race winners will start. Scott Dixon is 19th and Ryan Hunter-Reay is 22nd. But you can never count out Dixon, and RHR won Pocono from the rear in 2015.
The 2016 ABC Supply 500 is the opportunity that the IndyCar championship contenders have been waiting for. Everyone has needed not only to drive well themselves, but for Pagenaud to have a bad day. With his worst starting position of the season and tough opposition around him, this could be that day.
If the expected stars don’t shine through, someone like Newgarden – who remains fourth in points – will capitalize and vault themselves into a very promising position.
With everything that’s on the line and how the grid shakes out, Pocono may not necessarily be about who wins. It may be about the points that other drivers keep Pagenaud, Power and the usual suspects from earning. And then all of a sudden, the 2016 IndyCar championship won’t be such a sure thing anymore.
The 2016 ABC Supply 500 takes place today at 3 p.m. ET from Pocono Raceway with the race broadcast airing on NBCSN.