By ZECH YODER
INDYCAR
Sunday marks the final race of the 2023 INDYCAR Series.
What a year it has been. The INDYCAR Championship was decided last weekend at Portland International Raceway when Chip Ganassi Racing standout Alex Palou took both the victory and the championship.
Winning his second championship in three seasons, Palou had a phenomenal year and absolutely dominated INDYCAR with five wins, 12 top-5s, and an astonishing 16 top-10 finishes – a season where Palou never failed to finish outside of the top 10. Palou has firmly established himself as the premier talent in American open wheel racing, a distinction that he hopes will translate into a seat in Formula 1.
However, not everything is unicorns and rainbows for Palou. After being embroiled in a contractual dispute with his current team, Chip Ganassi Racing, in 2022, he finds himself in a similar situation with Arrow McLaren and the McLaren racing team. Palou had signed to drive a third car for Arrow McLaren for the 2024 INDYCAR season. However, early this summer Palou allegedly made it clear to Zac Brown, CEO of McLaren, that he would not be driving for Arrow McLaren in 2024.
As of now it appears Palou will be back with Ganassi next season. But could Palou’s recent maneuvers with McLaren be paving an alternate path to Formula 1? Multiple Formula 1 teams have open seats for next year, including Williams and Red Bull affiliate, Alpha Tauri. Red Bull have been in a multiyear search to find a suitable pairing for Max Verstappen. Given Palou’s experience and success in INDYCAR, a year at Alpha Tauri could make him a suitable candidate to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull in 2025.
If Palou wants to make the jump to Formula 1, 2024 is his best and likely last opportunity. It would certainly be interesting to see if, like Montoya and Villeneuve, Palou could convert success in INDYCAR to Formula 1.
NASCAR
This weekend, NASCAR returns to the Kansas Motor Speedway for its second race in 2023 on the 1.5-mile trioval.
For those who might have forgotten, the spring race at Kansas may have been the best race of 2023. Kyle Larson was leading late with Denny Hamlin charging. Larson and Hamlin came together on the back stretch on the last lap and Hamlin prevailed for his first win of the 2023 season.
The stakes are raised as Kansas plays host to the second race in the 16-team playoff.
Despite starting on the Pole at Darlington, Christopher Bell had a miserable race and now sits only 1 point above the cutline.
Likewise, Kevin Harvick was leading at Darlington but fell victim to an untimely caution which resulted in a penalty after he entered the pits and changed tires while pit road was closed. He remains 2 points below the cutline.
Bubba Wallace has the most to gain this weekend. The defending winner of the fall race at Kansas, Wallace is only 1 point below the cutline. Expect him and the rest of the Toyotas to be strong.
I am going to go out on a limb and say Brad Keselowski wins this week at Kansas. RFK Racing has gained momentum over the summer, and with Brad’s experience and consistency over the season, a win sure seems inevitable. I think it comes on Sunday.
Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.