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IndyCar Buy or Sell: Team Penske 1-2-3-4 championship finish?

By Asher Fair

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 28: Helio Castroneves of Brazil, driver of the #3 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske Chevrolet, leads a group of cars during the 101st Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on May 28, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 28: Helio Castroneves of Brazil, driver of the #3 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske Chevrolet, leads a group of cars during the 101st Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on May 28, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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Team Penske is in a position with all four of its drivers in IndyCar championship contention. Could they pull off a 1-2-3-4 finish in the standings?

Last season, Team Penske pulled off a 1-2-3 finish in the IndyCar championship standings with Simon Pagenaud claiming his first career title by a record points margin over 2nd place Will Power. Helio Castroneves finished 3rd. The only Team Penske driver not a part of this sweep was Juan Pablo Montoya, who finished in 8th.

Montoya was replaced by Josef Newgarden this past offseason, and Newgarden currently leads the standings. Given the fact that Pagenaud, Power and Castroneves have all been to Victory Lane this season, this opens up the possibility that Team Penske’s four drivers will all end up in the top 4 in the standings at the end of the season.

Currently, Newgarden leads the standings by 18 points over Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, a four-time champion of the sport. From 3rd through 5th, respectively, sit Helio Castroneves (-22), Simon Pagenaud (-26) and Will Power (-42).

Team Penske 1-2-3-4 championship finish: SELL

Two words: Scott Dixon. Yes, the margin from Power to Newgarden is small at 42 points. After all, Dixon of all drivers shot up from 47 points behind Montoya two seasons ago in the season finale at Sonoma to seal his fourth career championship.

But Dixon is not going to settle for a finish outside the top 4 in the standings for the second straight season. Last season, he finished in 6th place for his first non-top 4 finish since he finished in 13th in the 2005 season.

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There are also three drivers that trail the current top 5 in the standings but are definitely within striking distance of them. Graham Rahal is 34 points behind Power, with Takuma Sato another 19 points behind Rahal and Alexander Rossi another 5 points behind Sato.

While some of these margins seem sizable, keep in mind the fact that there are still three races remaining at Gateway, Watkins Glen and Sonoma. Also, the Sonoma race is worth double points since it is the season finale.

Team Penske definitely has a chance to pull off the historic feat with four drivers that could all very well win this year’s championship, but there are simply too many factors in play that prevent this 1-2-3-4 finish from being a likelihood.

Not only that, but none of the team’s four drivers has the goal of helping the team to a 1-2-3-4 finish. Each of these four drivers wants to win this year’s championship as their own, and they are all going to fight with each other in an attempt to make that a reality.

Next: IndyCar driver power rankings

Do you think the four Team Penske drivers will complete a 1-2-3-4 sweep of this season’s championship standings? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.