Herta Wins at Long Beach as Palou Wins the Championship

Alex Palou became the first Spanish driver to win the NTT IndyCar Series championship, and Southern California native Colton Herta finished off the year’s campaign with a victory at the iconic Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The championship by Palou, 24, gives Chip Ganassi Racing its 14th title; more impressively, it was won by someone other than Scott Dixon, who has won six Astor Cups. He joints an impressive roster of drivers who won titles for Ganassi: Dario Franchitti, Juan Pablo Montoya, Alex Zanardi, and Jimmy Vasser.

Palou is the sixth-youngest champion ever, and the first under the age of 25 since Dixon won the title in 2003.

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Could Newgarden Author an Epic Comeback? It’s Not Over Yet

Could Josef Newgarden author one of the most epic comebacks in Indycar history to win a 17th championship for team owner Roger Penske?

It is still within the realm of possibility.

Hoping to win his third championship for racing’s most successful team, Newgarden must max out the points this weekend. Win one point for the pole. One point for leading a lap. Two points for leading the most laps. Fifty points for the win.

Newgarden accomplished Step 1 by qualifying first on Saturday, ahead of a Fast Six that included Scott Dixon on the front row, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud on the second, and Felix Rosenqvist, and Romain Grosjean on the third.