Alex Palou could notch up a third IndyCar crown within a matter of days as the series arrives in Milwaukee for a double-header.
His task in simple terms, is to outscore his closest rival – Will Power, by one point across both races to ensure that the title doesn’t go down to the wire in Nashville.
His recent consistent form suggests that this shouldn’t be too much of a tricky task, but he’s yet to win an IndyCar oval race, which is the type of course which faces him in all of the three remaining races.
An impressive Grand Prix of Portland, where he ran to second place with solid race pace, all-but-ended the hopes for some of his championship rivals who were struck by bad luck, such as Scott Dixon, who crashed out early on.
Josef Newgarden pokes fun at Alex Palou with ‘should be nervous’ comment
Josef Newgarden may no longer be in the title fight, but that doesn’t mean that he’s any less eager to achieve more race victories in the final three races.
He poked fun at Alex Palou after the Grand Prix of Portland, where both drivers featured on the podium in what was a fairly standard affair.
READ MORE: How Alex Palou can become IndyCar champion at the Milwaukee Mile 250
“Oh, it means a lot [Palou having no oval wins]. It’s very indicative, I think to how Alex is going to perform and he should be nervous about that. It’s tough for a guy like him,” said Newgarden.
“You should be very concerned. It’s not good for you history-wise as Jenna pointed out. Alarm bells are going off, let me tell you that right now. It’s so bleak, you might as well not go.”
Newgarden’s Team Penske teammate Will Power is in the best position to challenge Palou, and the American will expect to be backed up by his colleague as they bid to steal the crown from Chip Ganassi Racing.
Is Newgarden playing mind games on behalf of his teammate?
Palou is no rookie to the idea of a championship fight, and the points buffer he has built up will help him a lot over the next three events.
It affords him some bad luck, whether mechanical or driver error at some point if he needs to use that margin.
He won’t want to give up any points, but in case he does, he will still likely head into the final race of the season in Nashville with a lead.
READ MORE: Will Power shares update on his IndyCar future after dominant Portland victory
The entire grid is in a bit of a nothing to lose predicament, meaning Palou will need to be watching out for cars coming from everywhere.
A good qualifying at Milwaukee could be essential to his hopes of winning the championship without the need for a finale in September at the Nashville Speedway.