IndyCar: How many drivers can still win the championship?

There are seven drivers still mathematically eligible to win the 2022 IndyCar championship with two races remaining on the schedule.

The final two races on the 17-race 2022 IndyCar schedule are scheduled to take place the next two weekends.

The Grand Prix of Portland is scheduled to take place this Sunday, September 4 at Portland International Raceway, and the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey is scheduled to conclude the season on Sunday, September 11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

There are 54 points up for grabs in each race, with 50 going to the race winner, one for the polesitter, one for any drivers who lead at least one lap, and two for the driver who leads the most laps.

With all drivers who compete in the race set to earn at least five points, this means that any given driver can make up 49 points on another driver in a single race weekend.

This means that there are seven drivers still mathematically eligible to win the championship — and none of them are even close to being 98 points out of the lead.

Here is where those seven drivers stack up in the point standings.

Rank – Driver – Points (Behind)
1 – Will Power – 482 (0)
2 – Josef Newgarden – 479 (-3)
3 – Scott Dixon – 468 (-14)
4 – Marcus Ericsson – 465 (-17)
5 – Alex Palou – 439 (-43)
6 – Scott McLaughlin – 428 (-54)
7 – Pato O’Ward – 424 (-58)

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden is considered the favorite, despite trailing teammate Will Power by three points. Power has led the standings after each of the last three races, but this is the closest it has been at the top. Newgarden now has five wins this season, more than any driver in a single season since 2016, while Power still has just one.

Additionally, after Power had just three finishes outside of the top five in the season’s first 13 races, he has finished outside the top five in consecutive races.

Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Scott Dixon and Marcus Ericsson are also within a stone’s throw of the lead, sitting just 14 and 17 points behind, and Portland International Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca both seemed to suit Chip Ganassi Racing more than Team Penske last year.

And if that should benefit any driver, it should benefit teammate Alex Palou. While 43 points is a sizable margin to close over the course of two races, Palou did score 36 more points than any of the other six contenders at these two tracks last year, winning at the former and placing second at the latter.

While betting odds show him lower than Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin and Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward, he is definitely not out of the championship mix.

McLaughlin and O’Ward will need to be perfect over the next two races in order to have a chance, as their deficits are not able to be overcome in a single weekend.

The Grand Prix of Portland is set to be broadcast live on NBC from Portland International Raceway beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 4, and the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey is set to be broadcast live on NBC from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 11. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now!