By Luis Torres, Staff Writer
It all comes down to the final two weeks on the West Coast to determine who’ll be crowned as the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series champion.
Six drivers from two race teams are the few remaining that’ll be fighting for bragging rights with both teams taking different approach to their quest for the Astor Cup. The two teams are Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing, who’ve been scratching and clawing for wins all season long.
Penske opted to use their final test session of the year at Portland while Ganassi headed to Laguna Seca. Hoping to get a competitive edge, but also learn what’ll work come race weekend. With testing out of the way and each showing promising speed, the focus shifts to Portland for the time being.
Out of the six competitors, four of them are separated by 17 points with Will Power leading his teammate Josef Newgarden by three points. Scott Dixon leads the Ganassi squad, sitting third in points with teammate Marcus Ericsson not far behind.
Needing a strong run to be in the hunt at Laguna Seca are Alex Palou and Scott McLaughlin, who are still in the hunt for another week. Palou is the defending race winner, but hasn’t won since taking the checkered flag at Portland. Whereas inconsistency have put McLaughlin 54 points in the hole.
Both teams are entering the Grand Prix of Portland with one mindset. That’s being the top team this weekend before putting everything on the line at Laguna Seca in two weeks.
Of course, the grand rumble in the paddock is how will the 110-lap contest begin.
Since the series returned to the Pacific Northwest in 2018 (excluding 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), there’s been a multi-car crash on the opening lap.
Time will tell if we’ll see another shakeup in the running order with several retirees, but the start of the race will factor on how the race strategy unfolds in Portland.
By the Numbers
What: Grand Prix of Portland, NTT IndyCar Series Race No. 16 of 17
Where: Portland International Raceway – Portland, OR (Opened: 1960; First INDYCAR Race: 1984)
When: Sunday, September 4, 2022
TV/Radio: NBC / INDYCAR Radio Network (SiriusXM Channel 211) 3 p.m. ET
Track Size: 1.964-mile oval
Race Length: 110 laps, 216.04 miles
2021 Race Winner: Alex Palou – No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda (Started first, 29 laps led)
Track Qualifying Record: Will Power – No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet (57.2143 seconds, 123.577 mph – September…
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