A Battle of Will Power
If ever a reason was needed to escape to the Monterey area and the world famous WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca it was the culmination of the IndyCar series season finale and a record breaking heatwave that roasted most of California for the week prior to the grand prix weekend.
The 2.2 mile road course would again serve as season finale and as the championship decider with the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, treating spectators to show involving a title decider, an epic drive from 25th place and a reminder from the 2021 champion that he still has much left in the tank.
Will Power, a name so perfect for sports and auto racing that it's mention to the uninitiated typically leaves them shaking their head with doubt that such a name is real and not the work of Hollywood writers. Alas, it is real and Power came to Laguna Seca with a 20 point lead over team-mate Josef Newgarden and Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon. In order to seal the deal, he would need to finish on the podium and keep his championship rivals behind him. On Saturday he claimed the pole position, the 68th of his career which would also put him ahead of the record established by Mario Andretti and further increase his lead in the championship by another point for a total of 21 points before Sunday's race. Everything indicated that he was on his way to the win, and the championship on Sunday in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.
Twenty seasons and a previous championship (2014) forged a crafty veteran in Power, who knows the value of consistency and scrapping for every point available to reach the needed sum to equal a championship. While leading the first sixteen laps he soon came under pressure from his teammate, Newgarden, in the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet and Alex Palou in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. At times it looked dicey as Newgarden was also in the championship hunt but based on the points spread needed a win and for Power to finish well behind a podium position. Power did what all the greats do, he ran his race not allowing the pursuers to take him our of his zone. Will Power used his will power to do what he has done all season and that was play the long game with a steely temperament to collect the points needed to win. Power did so with class and the grit developed over two decades of racing at the pinnacle of American open wheel racing.
Newgarden would start 25th and with five wins this season, on paper he should have been in control of the championship over Will Power who only had one win prior to arriving at Laguna Seca this year. On the heels of Power, Newgarden had a strong chance to take the title, but Saturday's qualifying would see Newgarden make a rare mistake in the famous Corkscrew leading him to spin into the gravel, beaching himself and ending his qualifying run.
Newgarden started the race in 25th place, forcing himself into a herculean effort to get back to the front of the pack. At the midpoint of the race Newgarden made three passes for position in the Corkscrew in the span of only 5 laps. He passed 23 of the cars in front of him and finished the race in second place in what will likely be remembered as one of the truly legendary drives at Laguna Seca, though Chip Gnassi Racing's Alex Palou would also have something to say.
The 2021 Champion Palou was out of contention for the championship this year but come Sunday, race watchers wouldn't know it. Palou started 11th and charged to the front where he led 67 of the 95 laps. It was not only his race craft to get from 11th to first that put his stamp on the race, but that once he got out front he built a lead lap after lap finishing 30.38 seconds ahead of Newgarden for his fourth career victory. Palou's performance was a slap to the head reminder that he will be around pushing for wins and championships for years to come.
The NTT IndyCar series final race of the season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca treated fans to another display of championship drama and several career-defining drives by the top drivers and teams.
==Mark Farouk
Final Results:
1. (11) Alex Palou, Honda, 95, Running
2. (25) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 95, Running
3. (1) Will Power, Chevrolet, 95, Running
4. (8) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 95, Running
5. (16) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 95, Running
6. (7) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 95, Running
7. (4) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 95, Running
8. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 95, Running
9. (9) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 95, Running
10. (3) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 95, Running
11. (18) Colton Herta, Honda, 95, Running
12. (13) Scott Dixon, Honda, 95, Running
13. (6) David Malukas, Honda, 94, Running
14. (14) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 94, Running
15. (20) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 94, Running
16. (23) Jimmie Johnson, Honda, 94, Running
17. (10) Simon Pagenaud, Honda, 94, Running
18. (19) Graham Rahal, Honda, 94, Running
19. (12) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 94, Running
20. (21) Jack Harvey, Honda, 94, Running
21. (17) Kyle Kirkwood, Chevrolet, 94, Running
22. (26) Simona De Silvestro, Chevrolet, 94, Running
23. (22) Takuma Sato, Honda, 94, Running
24. (15) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 93, Running
25. (24) Dalton Kellett, Chevrolet, 93, Running
26. (2) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 37, Mechanical
Winner’s average speed: 103.277 mph; Time of race: 2:03:31.0628; Margin of victory: 30.3812 seconds; Cautions: 1 for 3 laps; Lead changes: 7 among 5 drivers; Lap Leaders: Power 1-14; Ilott 15; Palou 16-18; Rosenqvist 19-23; Power 24-26; Palou 27-67; Newgarden 68-72; Palou 73-95.
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