IndyCar: Qualifying crucial for Laguna Seca season finale

The qualifying session for the 2019 IndyCar season finale at Laguna Seca could prove to be the most crucial session of the year.

The only race remaining on the 17-race 2019 IndyCar schedule is the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 22.

Entering this race, there are four drivers who are still mathematically eligible to win the championship, although one of these four drivers is considered a longshot.

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden leads the championship standings with 593 points. He sits 41 points ahead of Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi in second place, 42 points ahead of teammate Simon Pagenaud in third and 85 points ahead of Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon in fourth.

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With the season finale at the 11-turn, 2.238-mile (3.602-kilometer) WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca natural terrain road course in Monterey, California being a double points-paying race, the battle between Newgarden, Rossi and Pagenaud figures to be a tight one.

But that battle may be won and lost in the qualifying session for this race because of how tough it may be to pass at this track, which has been illustrated in past races there. In 14 of the 22 races at the track, the winner has started from the pole positions, and in four of the other eight races, the winner came from the front row as well.

Speaking to the media earlier this week, Rossi outlined just how crucial the qualifying session could prove to be.

“I’ve been saying for a while this championship very well could be decided in qualifying
at Laguna. It’s no secret that we’re expecting it to be a challenging race to pass just because of its history,” he stated. “So, yeah, I mean, it’s 100% going to be a critical qualifying session that you’re going to have to be inch perfect and nail it through all three rounds.

“The guy that’s on pole, if he’s one of the guys that are in the championship fight, it’s going to make their job to win the thing a whole lot easier.”

IndyCar tested at the track in February, although rain ended up washing out part of the session, and Rossi stated that this test did not provide any kind of an indicator about passing opportunities.

“I have no idea about passing zones because obviously in a test the main goal is to stay as far away from other cars as possible. In terms of the challenging parts of it, I think it’s a very
low-grip surface. It’s one of those tracks where you’re going to see the cars sliding around a lot, guys working the wheel. There’s dirt runoffs, drop wheels, throw dust on the track, that sort of thing. From that standpoint it’s pretty tricky.”

For what it’s worth, Rossi finished in fifth place in that test with a top lap time of 71.58 seconds (112.557 miles per hour). Carlin’s Max Chilton topped the speed chart in this session with a top lap time of 71.29 seconds (113.014 miles per hour).

Pagenaud finished in ninth with a top lap time of 71.79 seconds (112.227 miles per hour) and Newgarden finished in 11th with a top lap time of 71.87 seconds (112.102 miles per hour). Dixon finished in eighth with a top lap time of 71.77 seconds (112.259 miles per hour).

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NBC is set to broadcast the 2019 IndyCar season finale live from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 22. The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey itself is scheduled to get underway at 3:00 p.m. ET.