Three-time IndyCar Series leader Alex Palou’s chances of becoming a champion increased further on Sunday when he finished fourth in Toronto despite starting from the ninth row.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver, who started the race with a 35-point lead over Team Penske’s Will Power, left Canada with an increased lead of 49 points over the Australian.
Power ruined his own title chances by colliding with team-mate Scott McLaughlin, receiving a drive-through penalty as both were driving ahead of the Spaniard.
Power remains within reach of Palou after finishing 12th, but McLaughlin ends up in the wall and is now 83 points behind.
That allowed the dominant Toronto driver Colton Herta to climb to fourth in the points standings, 57 behind Palou. The Andretti Global driver did not rule out a late attempt at the championship.
Palou’s teammate Scott Dixon jumped to third in the title fight after rising from 15th to third, but in total he managed to gain only four points over Palou.
Dixon admitted that such a net gain was “frustrating” given that Palou had started even further back, in 18th place, after being penalised for impeding Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward during qualifying.
Although Palou did not make as much progress as Dixon with his aggressive overcut strategy during the two pit stop laps, he ultimately finished just seven-tenths behind at the finish after a series of cautions in the closing minutes for crashes, many of which cost him a position on the track.
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images
“We were just there waiting for someone else to make those mistakes,” Palou said of his insidious drive to gain positions. “So I needed it, and they made (mistakes) today.
“It was a shame that we had to start from 18th. The car was great, super fast, super easy to drive. So we finished in the top four, three (Ganassi) cars in the top five for the team.”
When asked if he would change his mindset for the title fight – which consists of five races in the final four rounds at the Gateway Oval, Portland, a doubleheader in Milwaukee and the Nashville Oval after the Olympic break – he replied: “No, absolutely not.
“The goal is still the same, win as many races as possible. There are still a lot of points to win, so we have to keep doing what we are doing.
“It’s good to recharge the batteries now before we’re ready to go into the last few races.”
While Dixon’s fourth podium of the season improved his overall position over Palou, he pointed to external circumstances that hampered his own challenge.
“In the last 10 laps, a couple people got out of his way,” Dixon sighed, referring to the three spots Palou gained thanks to the intra-Penske collision and then O’Ward’s spin that led to a bad crash and a red flag.
“I wouldn’t say it’s luck. They’re doing a great job. That’s why he’s won two championships in the last three years.
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images
“I don’t want to take anything away from that. You create a lot of your own happiness. They do that well.
“We’re going to keep fighting here. I think without our tire issue at Road America and the (hybrid) issue at Mid-Ohio, we might be leading the championship.
“It’s frustrating, but you can’t do anything about it. It’s out of your control.
“We’re keeping our heads down here. I think this time last year we were 120 points behind, we’ve brought it down to 60 or 70 (78 at the end of the season).
“They’re a tough team. I see everything they do, and they do it well. But until we get out of there, we never give up.”
