Herta hopes to protect lead through IndyCar's biggest month

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Colton Herta arrives in Indianapolis with big goals every May.

He hopes to win two poles, dreams of sipping the milk and believes a win at the series' marquee race just might catapult him to that elusive series title.

But this is not just another May. For the first time in his IndyCar career, the 24-year-old American comes to town sitting atop the crowded standings by the narrowest possible margin, one point, and barely ahead of three multi-time series champs. And yet, Herta refuses to allow the pressure to taint his chase.

“It's cool, I've never experienced it,” Herta said. “It's doesn't really make a difference. It's still so early. I think (Alex) Palou basically won the championship (last year) with a race to go. It was such a big gap, it didn't really affect you. So you can change the championship later.”

Herta would like to keep things this way through the Sept. 15 season finale at Nashville.

He won at Indy once while competing in this series, on the speedway's 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course on a wet day in 2022, when rain forced the 85-lap race to be shortened to a timed two-hour event.

But in five career Indianapolis 500 starts, he has qualified in the top five only twice and has never finished better than eighth.

This time the stakes couldn't be higher for the Andretti Global with CurbAgajanian driver.

The standings are as tight — and as worldly — as they could be heading into IndyCar's biggest month.

— Two-time series winner Will Power, of Australia, remains second after being docked 10 points in the Team Penske cheating scandal.

— Spaniard Alex Palou, who has won two of the last three series crowns, trails Herta by only three points.

— Six-time IndyCar champ Scott Dixon, of New Zealand, is fourth after winning at Long Beach as he chases A.J. Foyt's career records for overall race wins (67) and series titles (seven).

— Felix Rosenqvist, of Sweden, sits 14 points behind Herta, and twotime points runner-up Pato O'Ward, of Mexico, is sixth with a 30-point deficit.

“As Will says, it’s just so tight every weekend," said Rosenqvist, who has consistently qualified well in Meyer Shank Racing's No. 60 Honda. “I’ve been gelling well with the car setup, which has allowed me to be confident when it matters.”