IndyCar’s championship decider at the Nashville Superspeedway is setup to be one of the most thrilling finishes in recent memory of the series.
Alex Palou’s 33-point advantage from Will Power at the top of the drivers’ standings may incredibly no longer be enough of a gap to claim a third title in four seasons.
The Spaniard slumped during qualifying for the Music City Grand Prix, earning a 15th-place berth on Saturday before taking a nine-place grid penalty for an engine change.
It means that Power and Palou will be separated by 20 grid positions on Sunday, with the latter needing to gain 15 positions in the 206-lap race to claim the silverware.
Alex Palou’s second qualifying lap ‘really, really bad’ in Nashville
Palou is now under far more pressure than anyone imagined that he might be after his poor qualifying run and accompanying penalty.
He’s starting right in the middle of the pack for the race, and will have to contend with some feisty rivals who have nothing to lose.
He shared his confusion at the performance after qualifying on Saturday, which has placed him under increasing pressure.
READ MORE: Will Power shares what he ‘needs to do’ at Music City Grand Prix IndyCar finale
“It wasn’t ideal,” Palou said. “I was a little more comfortable this morning in practice. So, don’t really know happened to the No. 10 car.
“We just have to check and see that, but first lap wasn’t too bad. But the second lap was really, really bad. So yeah, not what we wanted or what we need but we need to move from there tomorrow.”
Why the title finale could be a dangerous proposition for Palou
24th place will not be enough for the title if Power is going to have any say in proceedings, meaning that there will be an element of risk in the race for both drivers.
But there will need to be a level of hesitation and caution from the championship leader, with the last thing he wants to do being crashing out of the race.
READ MORE: Alex Palou shares why he feels Music City Grand Prix IndyCar finale is ‘unfair’
His car doesn’t appear to be set up too well for the event, which could end up being a nightmare scenario in the event that some heroics are required at the end of the race.
Power’s prior knowledge of the track and ovals in general could prove to be massively beneficial in Sunday’s race.
He will know when exactly the right time to push is, while it feels like Palou is already chasing a championship which he leads by a huge margin.