IndyCar points battle tightens up
Dixon fending off Rossi, Power as series returns to Portland with 2 races left
INDIANAPOLIS – What has been a ferocious war for the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series championship will conclude in a couple of weeks at Sonoma Raceway, making this weekend’s Grand Prix of Portland the final battleground for contenders to position themselves for the double points finale.
Will Scott Dixon put his fifth championship on ice, or can breakout star Alexander Rossi — 26 points back — and darkhorse contender Will Power (-68) inch closer?
As the championship battle reaches it’s thrilling crescendo, the series brings its show back to a former IndyCar stalwart: Portland International Raceway. It’s been more than a decade since Indy cars have roared across its roads, and the reception the series receives will be one of many fascinating story lines to follow heading into Sunday’s Grand Prix of Portland (NBCSN, 2:30 p.m. ET).
There isn’t a lot of motor sports racing in the Pacific Northwest these days. NHRA visits the area, but that’s about it among major series. So the big question is, will fans welcome back Indy cars with open arms or will the return to Portland be short-lived?
There’s a passionate group of motor sports fans sprinkled throughout the Pacific Northwest, and I’ve heard from a lot of them who plan to attend this race. The next-closest NASCAR or IndyCar track is Sonoma, which is a 10-hour drive — so in theory, the area should be starved for big-league racing.
In general, the Portland social scene seems to be about “events.” So if word spreads the raceway is the hot place to be this weekend, it’ll be a great turnout.
Another road course thriller?
The road-course racing this season has been some of the best in recent memory, which is a big credit to Jay Frye, Bill Pappas and Tino Belli, the IndyCar trio chiefly responsible for constructing the new aero package. The latest road race, at Mid-Ohio, makes a compelling case for best race of the year. According to IndyCar, there were nearly 200 passes during the caution-free race, while cars were cornering side-byside and banging wheels all day long.
“There’s no denying that this aero kit races a heck of a lot better than what we’ve had for a long time,” Sebastien Bourdais said after his spellbinding surge from 24th to sixth at Mid-Ohio.
While it’s not a turn-for-turn match, the fast, flat, technical Portland road course could deliver the same sort of thrilling action, suggested Chip Ganassi Racing team manager Mike Hull.
“We had terrific races at Road Amer- ica and Mid-Ohio, and I think we’ll see the same in Portland,” Hull said of the 12-turn circuit. “Anytime you have a straightaway like you have at Portland with a chicane at the end, I think it lends itself to bravery. I think we’ll see a lot of that in action on Sunday.”
Wickens remains top of mind
The paddock at last weekend’s race at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois, was the quietest it’s been in some time. Some of that had to do with the weather alternating between downpour and sticky humidity, but mostly it was because the minds of everyone in attendance were divided between the race weekend and driver Robert Wickens, as he continues to recover from a horrific wreck at Pocono Raceway.
Just before the green flag, Wickens’ team, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, announced that for the first time since the wreck, the 29-year-old Canadian was breathing without medical assistance. While a welcome dose of good news, nothing more was revealed about the extent of the damage done to his spine. Until and unless the racing world learns of good news on that front, I imagine the mood around the paddock in Portland will be similar.
SPM left Wickens’ No. 6 car in its trailer last weekend at Gateway, but the team tapped former Andretti Autosport and AJ Foyt Racing driver Carlos Munoz to take the helm this weekend and in Sonoma. While this wasn’t the way the two-time Indianapolis 500 runner-up wanted to return to IndyCar, it will provide the talented young Colombian a pair of races to showcases his skills.
Power keeps title hopes alive
It’s going to take an awful lot of talent and even more luck for Power to pose a legitimate threat in the championship by the time cars hit the track a couple of weeks from now in Sonoma.
Power possess plenty of skill, but he has drawn the short stick this year in terms of luck. So perhaps it’s time for his fortunes to change.
Predicting the whim of lady luck is foolish, but even if she doesn’t materialize to derail Power’s championship competitors — Dixon and Rossi — that should not sully the job Power and his No. 12 Team Penske group have done to keep him in the championship hunt.
Power has surged to three consecutive podium finishes, including a win at Gateway, to keep his hopes alive.
Power is still a long shot to win his second title, but if he can pull off a victory in Portland and climb to within 3540 points of the leader ahead of the double points finale, he’ll have a chance to make things interesting in Sonoma.