IndyCar: 2018 Championship-clinching scenarios at Sonoma Raceway

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SONOMA, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 hum by Verizon Chevrolet (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /

How can each of the four IndyCar championship contenders win the 2018 title in the season finale at Sonoma Raceway? Here are all of the title-clinching scenarios.

For the fourth consecutive IndyCar season, the race at the 12-turn, 2.385-mile Sonoma Raceway road course in Sonoma, California, the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma, is set to determine who the champion will be.

This race, an 85-lap race, is a double points-paying race, meaning that all points earned except for bonus points will be doubled. Here is how each of the four drivers who are still mathematically eligible to win this year’s championship can do so.

NOTE: Bonus points are not factored into this list, which may affect the accuracy of some of the scenarios. One bonus point is given to the race polesitter, one point is given to any driver who leads at least one lap of the race and two bonus points are given to the driver who leads the most laps of the race.

Here are the current championship standings among the four drivers who still have a chance to win this year’s title.

Rank	Driver	Car, Team, Engine/Aero Kit	Points	Behind
1	Scott Dixon	#9, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda	598	–
2	Alexander Rossi	#27, Andretti Autosport, Honda	569	-29
T-3	Will Power	#12, Team Penske, Chevrolet	511	-87
T-3	Josef Newgarden	#1, Team Penske, Chevrolet	511	-87

Because of the fact that the season finale is a double points-paying race, here is what the standings effectively look like.

Rank	Driver	Car, Team, Engine/Aero Kit	Behind
1	Scott Dixon	#9, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda	–
2	Alexander Rossi	#27, Andretti Autosport, Honda	-14.5
T-3	Will Power	#12, Team Penske, Chevrolet	-43.5
T-3	Josef Newgarden	#1, Team Penske, Chevrolet	-43.5

Here is how each of the four remaining championship-eligible drivers can win the 2018 IndyCar championship.