The IndyCar season finale from Laguna Seca was a strategic battle as much as anything else, as the race for the win was mixed with the race for the championship.
High degradation plagued all drivers on the iconic course, but a few of them were in a class of their own and quickly became the focus of the afternoon.
In the race for the win, Alex Palou was untouchable. He started down in 11th after being given a grid penalty, but was in the lead by time the halfway point came around.
He did not give up the lead again, and was able to easily pull away from the competition behind him who were fighting among themselves to sort out the championship.
The win was Palou’s first of the season despite being the reigning series champion. Having a great weight off his shoulders, the Spaniard will now try to figure out for which team he will be driving in 2023.
Josef Newgarden crossed the line in second after his team made a brave call to extend his final stints to the very edge of his fuel window. Team Penske also threw everything at the car in terms of tire strategy to attempt to make up as many positions as possible.
Even though he worked his way up from the back row to a podium, it was not enough to overcome his 21-point deficit and Will Power was able to maintain the points lead.
Power’s second title comes a full eight years since he won his first championship in 2014, and caps off a year where the veteran’s new calm and collected attitude carried him through a consistently-fast season.
The battle between the experienced titans of the series was entertaining right through the final race, and any small mistake could have changed the result.
Scott Dixon, the other title contender entering the event, was not able to make up any meaningful ground during the race and ended the season third in the championship race.
Drivers that started on the softer red-walled tires were at a disadvantage early in the race, as the times fell off after only a couple laps.
Those that used their mandatary stint on the reds later in the race were better able to manage their positions before switching back to any other sets of the harder tires they had left.
A promising race for the rookie Callum Ilott came unraveled on lap 39, when he stopped on the start/finish straight. His engine could be heard struggling as it let go and he crawled to a stop on track.
The Juncos Hollinger driver had started on the front row and stayed in the top 10 until his troubles emerged. He will look to carry that momentum to next season when he will have a team-mate to help him achieve more strong results. Drivers and fans will now have a nearly five-month long offseason to digest the entertaining battle that just unfolded, and watch to see how the rest of the open seats get sorted out.
| # | Driver | Gap | Laps Led | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Palou | – | 67 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2 | Josef Newgarden | 30.3812 | 5 | Team Penske |
| 3 | Will Power | 33.8528 | 17 | Team Penske |
| 4 | Felix Rosenqvist | 35.5322 | 5 | Arrow McLaren SP |
| 5 | Christian Lundgaard | 50.8901 | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | |
| 6 | Scott McLaughlin | 56.1091 | Team Penske | |
| 7 | Romain Grosjean | 57.9853 | Andretti Autosport | |
| 8 | Pato O’Ward | 59.9521 | Arrow McLaren SP | |
| 9 | Marcus Ericsson | 62.6247 | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| 10 | Alexander Rossi | 65.3231 | Andretti Autosport | |
| 11 | Colton Herta | 67.6483 | Andretti Autosport w/Curb-Agajanian | |
| 12 | Scott Dixon | 67.9752 | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| 13 | David Malukas | 1 Lap | Dale Coyne Racing with HMD | |
| 14 | Rinus VeeKay | 1 Lap | Ed Carpenter Racing | |
| 15 | Devlin DeFrancesco | 1 Lap | Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport | |
| 16 | Jimmie Johnson | 1 Lap | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| 17 | Simon Pagenaud | 1 Lap | Meyer Shank Racing | |
| 18 | Graham Rahal | 1 Lap | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | |
| 19 | Helio Castroneves | 1 Lap | Meyer Shank Racing | |
| 20 | Jack Harvey | 1 Lap | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | |
| 21 | Kyle Kirkwood | 1 Lap | AJ Foyt Enterprises | |
| 22 | Simona De Silvestro | 1 Lap | Paretta Autosport | |
| 23 | Takuma Sato | 1 Lap | Dale Coyne Racing w/RWR | |
| 24 | Conor Daly | DNF | Ed Carpenter Racing | |
| 25 | Dalton Kellett | DNF | AJ Foyt Enterprises | |
| 26 | Callum Ilott | DNF | 1 | Juncos Hollinger Racing |
