Three drivers are in contention for the 2024 IndyCar title headed into the final round of the season at the Nashville Superspeedway.
A circuit which hasn’t hosted a race since 2008 returns to round out the year in style, with Alex Palou, Will Power and Scott McLaughlin set to battle it out for the championship.
Palou holds a 33-point lead over Power, and a 50-point lead over McLaughlin, meaning that ninth-place in Sunday’s race would be enough to earn him a third crown in four seasons.
But, as his outing at Milwaukee proved, IndyCar can throw up all sorts of issues and there’s no guarantee of him taking home the trophy from Tennessee.
Scott McLaughlin jokes with Alex Palou ahead of championship decider
Effectively, unless Palou retires on lap one, McLaughlin’s hopes of a maiden IndyCar title are over – but he would’ve been just a few points behind had he not been disqualified at the season opener for a push-to-pass infringement.
Power is aware that anything but a win will likely see his chances over too, with Palou only having finished outside the top five on two occasions this season.
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McLaughlin is so aware of the numbers behind the title decider, that he has jokingly offered to have Palou round his house to have a ‘fish’ dinner – implying that the food poisoning route may be his only shot at the championship.
“Hey @AlexPalou, wanted to invite you over for dinner this week. I’m making sushi from scratch, don’t worry though, my fish guy is legit,” he said on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I must respectfully decline your offer @smclaughlin93,” he replied.
Looking ahead to the IndyCar future
All three drivers will be back with their respective teams for the 2025 season, meaning that they could well be in the same situation this time next year.
Only Power has raced on the Nashville oval layout, but that was back in 2008 during his rookie season – where he managed to finish 11th.
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He at least has some prior knowledge of the track this weekend, which will be an advantage over Palou especially, who is still yet to win on an oval track.
They all have teammates who regularly compete at the front of the field that will be able to back them up, which could be a huge help in the strategy department.
But, it’s unlikely that any of them will want to influence the race too much, leaving the top three to battle it out for the prestigious title honours.