MONTEREY, Calif. — IndyCar’s intense season came to a nail-biting end in which Team Penske’s superstars duked it out for the title and the future of the race winner clouded once again.
Will Power beat Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden by 16 points for the Australian to win his second IndyCar title, and the 16th national championship for Roger Penske. He finished third on Sunday at Laguna Seca Raceway, a spot behind crestfallen Newgarden.
But the win went to outgoing IndyCar champion Alex Palou, who has been entangled in a messy legal battle in negotiations and a courtroom over his 2023 rights. Chip Ganassi Racing says it picked up next year’s option on the Spaniard; McLaren Racing says it has Palou under contract.
Palou insisted in July he’d be a McLaren driver next season, but as he celebrated his only win of the season, with owner Chip Ganassi behind him, Palou sounded far less certain. But he did indicate a resolution could be coming, perhaps as soon as Monday.
“Yeah, we talk. We talked in Portland. We talked before that … I think, Nashville. Talked this morning,” Palou said of recent, rekindled communication with the team owner.
“We’ll see when I know. I wish I could tell you guys, ‘Hey, I’m doing this,’ but I don’t have an answer yet. Maybe tomorrow.”
It was a blatant about-face that closed a spectacular season in which IndyCar, even without the pizazz and popularity of a Netflix show, drew the most viewers to its 17-race schedule since 2008.
It’s championship had seven drivers in it until the penultimate race, and with five still mathematically in the hunt on Sunday at Laguna Seca Raceway, IndyCar had its tightest championship race since 2003 to celebrate.
The battle came down to Ganassi vs. Team Penske, which had its three drivers in the hunt for Chevrolet against six-time champion Scott Dixon and Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson in Honda-pushed Ganassi entries.
Power, at 41 years old and eight years removed from his only other title, went into this season with a refreshed approach. He’s played the long-game, he said, and settled for solid finishes rather than pushing for wins.
It was Newgarden who went for the victories and his five led IndyCar this season. But he was inconsistent and crashed hard at Iowa while leading – an accident that caused a probable concussion and required Newgarden to be airlifted out of the track.
Team Penske made it clear this week it did not play team orders and all three of its drivers could fairly race for…
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