The other IndyCar battle going on at Long Beach

While the 2021 IndyCar championship battle is getting much of the focus, there is another key battle to watch this Sunday at Long Beach.

For the 16th consecutive season, the IndyCar championship battle has come down to the final race on the calendar.

While Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou was able to extend his lead in the championship standings in this past Sunday’s race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, he was unable to officially eliminate Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward or Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden from title contention.

Heading into this Sunday’s race on the streets of Long Beach, California, the driver of the #10 Honda leads O’Ward by 35 points, with Newgarden a further 13 points behind.

But aside from the obvious championship battle, there is another battle — a closer battle — set to take place at Long Beach this Sunday.

Despite the fact that only one of the rookies is a full-time driver, this year’s IndyCar Rookie of the Year battle is also set to come down to the 16th and final race on the schedule.

Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin sits in 13th place in the championship standings and leads Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing’s Romain Grosjean, who sits in 15th, by 20 points (286 to 266).

This battle has come down to the wire despite the fact that Grosjean only competed in one of the season’s four oval races; he did not compete in the doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway, and he did not compete in the double points-paying Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Yet even with only 12 starts compared to McLaughlin’s 15, Grosjean finds himself in a decent position heading into Long Beach, coming off of his third podium finish of the season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Grosjean has averaged 22.17 points per race this season. If you discount the extra points McLaughlin earned in the Indy 500 because of the fact that it was a double points-paying race, he has averaged 18.40.

The 2021 IndyCar season is scheduled to conclude this Sunday, September 26 with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. This race is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network from the streets of Long Beach, California beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Start your free trial of FuboTV today if you have not yet done so!