IndyCar: The Penske contender Alex Palou can eliminate just by showing up
By Asher Fair
There are three drivers still mathematically eligible to win the 2024 IndyCar championship, though the title race has been billed as a two-man race between Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou and Team Penske's Will Power for one simple reason.
As long as Palou shows up, Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin has no shot.
In the event that Palou does, for whatever reason, miss this coming Sunday afternoon's relocated Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway, the first IndyCar race at the four-turn, 1.333-mile (2.145-kilometer) Lebanon, Tennessee oval since 2008, McLaughlin still has a shot.
Only one can call themselves 2024 champion.
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) September 9, 2024
📺: #MusicCityGP - Sunday at 3 PM ET on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/CV5rQ0FgNy
Palou leads the championship standings by 33 points over Power, with McLaughlin a further 17 points back. A driver can score a maximum of 54 points in a race: one for taking the pole position, one for leading at least one lap, two for leading the most laps, and 50 for winning.
All drivers who start the race are guaranteed to score five, so McLaughlin can only make up as many as 49 points on Palou if both drivers compete.
Palou can eliminate McLaughlin just by competing
The 31-year-old New Zealander is well aware of what is at stake in Sunday's 206-lap season finale (if the 27-year-old Spaniard doesn't show up, that is), and that led to a comical exchange on Twitter/X.
Yeah so that means if I lock Alex in a porta potty pre race I’m a chance. https://t.co/e9mfbKv92W
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) September 8, 2024
Hey @AlexPalou, wanted to invite you over for dinner this week. I’m making sushi from scratch, don’t worry though, my fish guy is legit.
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) September 9, 2024
After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I must respectfully decline your offer @smclaughlin93 🙂↕️
— Alex Palou Montalbo (@AlexPalou) September 9, 2024
If Palou takes the green flag, the race officially becomes a battle of two-time champions to become the first three-time champion since Scott Dixon, now a six-time champion, won his third title in 2013.
A Palou championship would be his second in a row, making him the first back-to-back series champion since Dario Franchitti won three in a row from 2009 to 2011, and his third in four years since joining Chip Ganassi Racing. A Power championship would be his second in three years.
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NBC is set to provide live coverage of the Big Machine Music Grand Prix from Nashville Superspeedway this Sunday, September 15, starting at 3:00 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV today and don't miss it!
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