IndyCar: One question each title contender must answer

IndyCar contenders: Scott McLaughlin – Can he replicate Alex Palou?

Scott McLaughlin has said throughout the year that he wanted to follow the lead of reigning series champion Alex Palou in terms of becoming a championship contender in his second year.

He has done that, winning three races — three times as many as the points leader — and keeping himself in the fight until the season finale.

Unfortunately for him, a 41-point deficit is probably a bit too much to overcome, even if he dominates the weekend like he did last weekend at Portland International Raceway.

If you take away his rough late spring stretch — or even just his Indy 500 crash — we’re having a much different discussion right now.

But he has come quite a long way since barely beating a part-time Dale Coyne Racing driver to the 2021 Rookie of the Year Award.

Fresh off a contract extension with Team Penske that is said to keep him with the organization long into the future, McLaughlin is poised to enter the offseason as the early 2023 title favorite, and justifiably so. A fourth win in 2022 would further back that up.

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 this Sunday, September 11. If you haven’t yet started a free trial of FuboTV, now would be a great time to do so!