Dixon, Mclaughlin in the mix as title race goes to the wire
Scott Mclaughlin tips a grandstand finish to this year’s Indycar championship with he and fellow Kiwi, Scott Dixon, both in the tight title frame with two races left.
The penultimate race is held in Portland on Monday.
There are seven drivers within 58 points at the top of the table. With a win worth 50 points, any of the seven could still lift the championship trophy.
Team Penske’s Will Power leads the standings with 482 points, followed by team-mate Josef Newgarden with 479. Dixon is the first of Chip Ganassi’s drivers with 468 points and is followed by his team-mates Marcus Ericsson (465) and Alex Palou (439.) Mclaughlin is the last Penske driver in the mix at 428 and Arrow Mclaren’s Pato O’ward is on the fringes at 424.
The season finale will be raced at Laguna Seca on September 11 and the championship is set to go to the wire.
‘‘It will be some sort of grandstand finish to the season, which is just awesome,’’ Mclaughlin told speedcafe.com, hoping for something special.
‘‘It’s two seriously great tracks to finish on, and two places I absolutely love.’’
A frustrated Dixon dropped valuable points at the last race in St Louis, finishing eighth.
But the veteran, seeking a recordequalling seventh championship, knows there is still plenty to play out. He’s used to these situations and will bank on his experience in situations where others often falter.
‘‘We’re still 14 points out of the championship and with two races to go we’re definitely in it,’’ Dixon said.
Dixon’s remarkable consistency has kept him in the hunt this year while Mclaughlin’s second full season in Indycars has quickly elevated his status amongst the drivers to watch.
Mclaughlin has been on the podium six times to Dixon’s three. But Dixon has only been out of the top 10 once in 15 races, compared to Mclaughlin’s five.
Yet only one driver has won more times than Mclaughlin has this year – Newgarden, who’s had five victories yet still trails Power overall. Mclaughlin has won two – the same as Dixon and O’ward, one more than Power and Ericsson, and twice more than defending champion Palou.
It’s a measure of Mclaughlin that his satisfaction levels have got so high so quickly.
‘‘This time last year I would have been over the moon with a podium,’’ he said. ‘‘But now, we want more and more with each week we spend together at the track. And that’s wins. Sure, podiums are nice, but it’s not the ultimate.’’