Any way you look at it, Ganassi wins IndyCar crown -- but will it be Palou or Dixon?
No matter what happens in the next two races, Chip Ganassi Racing will win the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series Championship.
But which CGR driver will take home the Astro Cup remains to be seen.
Only two drivers remain in the title hunt with two races remaining, 2021 Series champion Alex Palou, and six-time champion Scott Dixon - who looks to make history by winning a record-tying seventh title.
Realistically, Palou could still very well clinch the title with a good finish next Sunday at Portland. With a 74-point lead over teammate Dixon, all Palou needs to do is extend that lead to 109 points to win his second championship in three years.
But as drivers and fans alike know all too well, anything can happen in Turn 1 at Portland. Which means to finish first, Palou will need to first finish.
Alex Palou remains in the driver's seat for the IndyCar championship. Photo courtesy Chip Ganassi Racing.
A second title would only add to Palou’s relatively young, but successful career. He won his first championship in only his sophomore season, and while he’s matured even more as a driver since then, most headlines surrounding him recently have involved his contract disputes between CGR and Arrow McLaren SP.
Last year, the 26-year-old Spaniard was sued by CGR for breach of contract when he stated he would move to McLaren in 2023 -- even though team owner Chip Ganassi had already exercised his option year to keep Palou through 2023.
An agreement was eventually reached between all parties that allowed Palou to continue to race for CGR this season, with the assumption he would race for McLaren - whether in IndyCar or Formula One - starting in 2024.
But recently, McLaren sued Palou for damages ranging between $20 million and $30 million for breach of contract. While Palou’s contract disputes have been very well documented, he has not let them affect his on-track performance.
So far, he’s scored four wins, two poles and has yet to finish worse than eighth this season.
As for Dixon, a seventh title would make a series case for him being the greatest driver of all time. It would tie him with the legendary A.J. Foyt, whom he is also chasing for the most race wins in IndyCar history (Dixon scored his 55th win Sunday at Gateway. Foyt has 67 wins).
Photo courtesy Chip Ganassi Racing.
Dixon had a slow start to his 2023 season, but his back-to-back first-place finishes at the Indianapolis road course two weeks ago and Sunday at WorldWide Technology Raceway prove that the 43-year-old Kiwi still has plenty of gas in the tank.
Still, Dixon knows he faces an uphill battle to win title number seven.
“I would much rather be in Alex's position,” Dixon said. “That's a pretty healthy lead. He's maintained and done an exceptional job all year.
It would take a pretty big hit I think (for Palou not to win the championship). It would take maybe a mechanical or a crash to make it interesting for (the season finale at) Laguna. But anything is possible, right?
“Until we're mathematically out of it, we'll keep pushing as hard as possible as we always do. The goal for us the last two races is to try to win them.”
Palou knows he has a comfortable lead, but the minute he starts feeling comfortable is also when his championship hopes can fade.
“I thought it was a good race to finish P7 from P14," Palou said. "It was a very positive day for the team and the No. 9 car. They did something that no one thought we could do on fuel and tire mileage. Now we know that the championship is going to stay with the team and I can’t wait for Portland.”
The BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland, the penultimate round of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series, takes place on Sunday, September 3 at 3 p.m. ET.