WEST ALLIS, Wisc. (AP) — IndyCar returns to the Milwaukee Mile after an eight-year absence with a championship on the line between a pair of drivers each seeking a third series championship.
In one corner stands points leader Alex Palou, a calculating Chip Ganassi Racing driver seeking his second consecutive IndyCar title and third in four years.
In the other is Will Power, one of IndyCar's greatest drivers and a Team Penske stalwart who won the 2022 championship sandwiched between Palou's two titles.
Palou carries a 54-point lead into this weekend's doubleheader — one race Saturday night, the other Sunday — and theoretically could put Power away with a race to spare.
But here's where things get interesting: Power is one of five drivers in the IndyCar field who has raced before on the 1-mile oval located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair. The Australian has seven career starts, including a victory.
Palou? He has tested once at Milwaukee.
Power, winner last week on the road course at Portland to tighten the title race, has 10 career wins on ovals. Palou has never won an oval.
Asked if that makes a difference, Power teammate Josef Newgarden tried to rattle the Spaniard about his lack of experience on ovals.
“It means a lot. It’s very indicative I think to how Alex is going to perform. He should be nervous about that,” Newgarden said. “It’s tough for a guy like him. You should be very concerned. It’s not good for you history-wise. Alarming. Alarm bells are going off, let me tell you that.”
“If I show up to Milwaukee,” Palou responded. “I’m so nervous.”
“It’s so bleak, you might as well not go,” Newgarden replied.
Alas, when the paddock opened Friday, Palou was front and center and undeterred by Newgarden's attempt at mind games.
“Yeah, yeah, I showed up. I like my way of doing things,” Palou said.
It has worked quite well since Palou's move in 2021 to Ganassi, the rival to Penske as the top two teams in IndyCar. He has won 11 races — all on road and street courses — and given the team two IndyCar titles despite continual distractions from a contract dispute with McLaren Racing that has Palou facing a lawsuit that seeks more than $30 million in damages.
He has been unflappable since he took over the No. 10 and has a reputation for almost never making mistakes. But Palou had both a spin and a stall on the oval at Iowa, evidence that he can err on track.
Power knows that Palou's points lead is ample enough that Power has to be the aggressor and is aiming to sweep both races at Milwaukee. Palou, though, has no intention of being conservative to maintain his hold on the championship leading into the Sept. 15 finale at Nashville Superspeedway.
“I think we need to try and go for it, like, we need to try to go for wins," Palou said. "In terms of going into the race and what strategies we do, I don’t think we need to play conservative, to be quiet, because that’s when the (stuff) starts happening, changing the game.
“We need to be more conservative on moves and last couple of stints, but not in the way we race. I think I can allow myself to be aggressive.”
Shy of a pair of wins, Power knows he must finish ahead of Palou both Saturday and Sunday to still be in the title picture at Nashville. Team Penske tested earlier this summer at Milwaukee — as did Palou, in a separate test — and the trio of Penske drivers were decidedly superior to the rest of the field.
It created talk of team orders come this weekend and if there's any chance Newgarden or Scott McLaughlin might assist Power in closing the gap on Palou. Team Penske has traditionally shied away from using team orders to manufacturer a win.
“I think at the moment, anywhere but first for those guys, they would help me,” Power said. "I think they would. I spoke to Josef before Portland, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, man, if you’re like sixth, and I’m fifth, or even second and third.’
“Honestly, I do need their help to win this because we’re so far out. Ultimately, yes, they can play a big part in helping me out here, and I hope we all have good cars, and we’re up there, and I hope I’m in a position where that is a thing.”
Of the 27 drivers in the field this weekend at Milwaukee, only five have raced the Mile before.
Aside from Power, Palou teammate Scott Dixon has 10 starts at Milwaukee and a win. Graham Rahal has seven starts, Newgarden has four starts and Katherine Legge has two starts.
IndyCar has marked the restart zone at Milwaukee to avoid a repeat of the race outside St. Louis earlier this month when Newgarden gamed the restart to win the race.
In order to preserve his late lead, Newgarden waited very late in the zone to takeoff in an effort to catch his fellow competitors by surprise. It led to a stack-up in traffic behind him and a crash that took out Power.
After a spirited driver meeting in Portland last week, IndyCar agreed to make some changes for the remainder of the season. Added to the track are a rectangular sign on the outside wall catch fence and a painted line on-track to mark the end of the restart zone.
The restart zone for the pair of 250-lap races at Milwaukee starts at the midway point between Turns 3 and 4 and runs until near the end of the curve of Turn 4, but before the start of the straightaway.
Ed Carpenter, owner of his eponymous race team, was scheduled to run the final three races of the season because he's an oval specialist. But after finishing 17th at Gateway, Carpenter began to reconsider running Milwaukee and Nashville.
He backed out earlier this week and will allow Christian Rasmussen to finish the season in the No. 20. Rasmussen has shared the car with Carpenter, with Carpenter running the ovals.
“First off, this was a very difficult decision for me to make. I want to make it clear that this is not a retirement announcement,” said Carpenter. “However, the reality is, I have not performed to the level that I expect of myself for the team. Christian tested at Gateway prior to the race and he showed me that he deserves this expanded opportunity.
"He also had such a strong performance during the Month of May and has earned the chance to continue his development. I am excited to watch him finish the season out strong for the No. 20 crew and the entire ECR team.”
Rasmussen finished 12th in the Indy 500. His final race of the year was scheduled to be last weekend at Portland.
"I am incredibly thankful to Ed for providing me this opportunity,” Rasmussen said. “I am excited to drive the No. 20 in the remaining three races and I am fully committed to giving the team my absolute best. While I haven’t raced at Milwaukee or Nashville before, my past performances on ovals have been strong and I’m eager to add these tracks to the list.”
Rasmussen tested this summer at Milwaukee.
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