IndyCar fans are in for a treat this weekend at the Milwaukee Mile 250 with an oval doubleheader and a tantalising championship fight coming to its conclusion.
Alex Palou currently holds a 54-point lead from Team Penkse rival Will Power at the top of the standings, despite having achieved one less win than the Australian driver this season.
Colton Herta, Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin are all major outsiders, but could influence which way the title goes if they can get between the two at the top.
Both Power and Palou finished one-two at the final IndyCar road course race of the season at Portland, where the former appeared to have more consistency and race pace than his Spanish rival.
Alex Palou can win his third IndyCar championship by outscoring Will Power by one point at the Milwaukee Mile 250
The equation is simple for Palou as he bids to gain his third IndyCar title in the space of just four seasons.
There are a maximum of 54 points up for grabs at every IndyCar event – the exact gap between Palou and Power currently.
The curveball for the Milwaukee Mile 250 is that there are two races instead of the usual one this weekend – offering Palou a chance to wrap up the IndyCar title early.
All he has to do is score one more point than Power, and avoid being beaten by his rivals to ensure that the title doesn’t go down to the wire at the final race in Nashville.
The Spaniard is already the only man to have claimed two titles before the age of 26, and he bids to become the eighth-ever driver to win three or more championships.
What can Power do to prevent himself from becoming powerless?
Power needs to make sure that he outscores Palou, and preferably wins at least one of the two oval races on offer at Milwaukee.
He has the most wins in the series this year after his Portland triumph, and his Penske car has shown the most pace of anyone on a consistent basis recently.
It’s also the case that he doesn’t have to worry about those behind him, and has a free licence to be aggressive and attack the large gap ahead.
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He will be ruing a couple of mistakes, namely getting caught up in multiple incidents at Gateway which may cost him a realistic shot at the crown.
But his experience should enable him to take the championship to Nashville, with Palou yet to win an oval race, someone is going to need to make a significant breakthrough at Milwaukee.