Can he hang on? The double IndyCar champ is known for his Alain Prost-like consistency, but a couple of uncharacteristic errant results – a 16th at the messy Detroit GP and crash at Iowa – has given his rivals the chance to chip away at his advantage over the coming races.
“There is no doubt it doesn’t favour us,” Palou told Motorsport.com. “I wouldn’t say that’s made on purpose; it’s more like it doesn’t favour us.
“Now, we’re going to places the team has not won in the past; I have to say Gateway, Scott won there last year, but we were not super-fast. We were not amazingly good enough to win, so that doesn’t help us.
“We are only having one road course left, which is Portland. We won there last year, so we’re really good there and looking forward to that one. But yeah, I would much prefer if there were only one or two ovals […] it favours them [Team Penske] but it’s okay.
“It’s the game. I think if we can pull this off, it will be pretty amazing.”
| Position | Driver | Team | Points | Gap to lead |
| 1 | Alex Palou | 411 | ||
| 2 | Will Power | 362 | ▼49 | |
| 3 | Scott Dixon | 358 | ▼53 | |
| 4 | Colton Herta | 354 | ▼57 | |
| 5 | Pato O’Ward | 340 | ▼71 | |
| 6 | Scott McLaughlin | 328 | ▼83 | |
| 7 | Kyle Kirkwood | 314 | ▼97 |
Power – whose Penske team has won 10 of the last 13 ovals – has four poles and a win at eight races on the Gateway 1.25-mile, Dixon won there last year, and O’Ward has finished runner-up three times in Illinois. Power’s Penske team-mate McLaughlin recently secured his first oval win at Iowa recently too, while the Andretti drivers of Herta and Kirkwood have shown decent oval pace this year.
Power has said he’s still taking nothing for granted though.
“I know it looks as though as if we’ve been very strong on ovals, and we have, but when I look at the last few races, I think it’s anyone’s game,” he told IndyCar.
“I don’t think anyone has a big advantage. It’s very situational. Pit strategy, track position. We’ll see how that plays out.”
“You can’t sit back and think this is easy because I can guarantee you it ain’t. It’s going to be very different always to what you expect, so you’ve got to be ready for the unexpected.”
Power is tracking Palou
IndyCar
Making the task even formidable for Palou are the jokers in the pack, who might not have much of a chance in the championship fight themselves, but can still influence its outcome.
Third Penske man Josef Newgarden is still recognised as the pre-eminent oval force, and this year’s Indy 500 champion could easily be in the thick of the action. McLaren’s Alexander Rossi, who was in with a shout of beating Newgarden to the 2024 500, returns from a thumb injury this weekend.
David Malukas, who has at times dazzled with his pace upon his comeback with Meyer Shank after suffering his own hand injury, has scored his only two podiums at Gateway.
