It is the end of June and there is a brief break before a run of IndyCar races that will effectively take the series into the final quarter of the season. Before the competition resumes, let’s go over the hypothetical league format for the series.
Based on head-to-head matchups, each entry competes for a playoff spot to compete for the championship. The remaining teams hope to avoid relegation and for the bottom entries, they compete for promotion to the top league for the following season.
The 2024 season has been wild enough on the track in the actual champion, but it has been just as head-spinning in the hypothetical world as well.
League One:
Conference 1 (Top four go to the playoffs, fifth is safe, sixth and seventh to relegated playoff, eighth is relegated)
St. Petersburg: WIN (4th to #11's 25th)
Long Beach: WIN (3rd to #28's 5th)
Barber: WIN (5th to #6's 22nd)
GPOI: WIN (1st to #26's 7th)
500: WIN (5th to #45's 13th)
Detroit: WIN (16th to #2's 26th)
Road America: WIN (4th to #5's 8th)
Laguna Seca: WIN (1st to #11’s 22nd)
2. #26 Andretti 6-2
St. Petersburg: WIN (3rd to #45's 18th)
Long Beach: WIN (2nd to #2's 4th)
Barber: WIN (8th to #5's 23rd)
GPOI: LOSS (7th to #10's 1st)
500: WIN (23rd to #11's 30th)
Detroit: LOSS (19th to #28's 2nd)
Road America: WIN (6th to #6's 13th)
Laguna Seca: WIN (2nd to #45’s 13th)
3. #5 McLaren 4-4
St. Petersburg: WIN (1st to #28's 23rd)
Long Beach: LOSS (16th to #11's 12th)
Barber: LOSS (23rd to #26's 8th)
GPOI: WIN (13th to #6's 19th)
500: LOSS (2nd to #2's 1st)
Detroit: WIN (7th to #45's 11th)
Road America: LOSS (8th to #10's 4th)
Laguna Seca: WIN (8th to #28’s 10th)
4. #6 McLaren 4-4
St. Petersburg: WIN (11th to #2's 26th)
Long Beach: WIN (11th to #45's 23rd)
Barber: LOSS (22nd to #10's 5th)
GPOI: LOSS (19th to #5's 13th)
500: WIN (11th to #28's 33rd)
Detroit: LOSS (10th to #11's 3rd)
Road America: LOSS (13th to #26's 6th)
Laguna Seca: WIN (12th to #2’s 19th)
5. #28 Andretti 3-5
7. #2 Penske 2-6
St. Petersburg: LOSS (23rd to #5's 1st)
Long Beach: LOSS (5th to #10's 3rd)
Barber: LOSS (18th to #45's 6th)
GPOI: WIN (16th to #2's 17th)
500: LOSS (33rd to #6's 11th)
Detroit: WIN (2nd to #26's 19th)
Road America: WIN (9th to #11's 26th)
Laguna Seca: LOSS (10th to #5’s 8th)
6. #11 Ganassi 3-5
St. Petersburg: LOSS (25th to #10's 4th)
Long Beach: WIN (12th to #5's 16th)
Barber: WIN (9th to #2's 15th)
GPOI: LOSS (5th to #45's 3rd)
500: LOSS (30th to #26's 23rd)
Detroit: WIN (3rd to #6's 10th)
Road America: LOSS (26th to #28's 9th)
Laguna Seca: LOSS (22nd to #10’s 1st)
7. #2 Penske 2-6
St. Petersburg: LOSS (26th to #6's 11th)
Long Beach: LOSS (4th to #26's 2nd)
Barber: LOSS (15th to #11's 9th)
GPOI: LOSS (17th to #28's 16th)
500: WIN (1st to #5's 2nd)
Detroit: LOSS (26th to #10's 16th)
Road America: WIN (2nd to #45's 11th)
Laguna Seca: LOSS (19th to #6’s 12th)
St. Petersburg: LOSS (18th to #26's 3rd)
Long Beach: LOSS (23rd to #6's 11th)
Barber: WIN (6th to #28's 18th)
GPOI: WIN (3rd to #11's 5th)
500: LOSS (13th to #10's 5th)
Detroit: LOSS (11th to #5's #7th)
Road America: LOSS (11th to #2's 2nd)
Laguna Seca: LOSS (13th to #26’s 2nd)
Conference 1 Breakdown:
Álex Palou has been close to untouchable this season and with six races remaining in the regular season he basically a lock for a playoff spot. Unbeaten through eight races, Palou should lock up a playoff spot in no time.
Colton Herta’s consistent season has him in second while it is still pretty tight from third to eighth. No team is clearly going to be relegated and those final two playoff spots are very much up in the air. Despite the rotation of drivers, the #6 McLaren is currently in a playoff spot, but it is only two games above the relegation zone.
Josef Newgarden has been in the relegation fight the entire season. Newgarden opened the season 0-4. That bump with Herta at Long Beach turned into a loss because Newgarden and Herta faced off that week. A fourth ended up not being enough for Newgarden. When those days go against you, bad days cannot happen. Newgarden constantly has had poor outings in 2024 and it has him in a precarious situation.
Conference 2 (Top four go to the playoffs, fifth is safe, sixth and seventh to relegated playoff, eighth is relegated)
1. #12 Penske 6-2
2. #27 Andretti 6-2
St. Petersburg: WIN (2nd to #7's 5th)
Long Beach: WIN (6th to #27's 7th)
Barber: WIN (2nd to #15's 11th)
GPOI: WIN (2nd to #77's 12th)
500: LOSS (24th to #9's 3rd)
Detroit: WIN (6th to #3's 20th)
Road America: WIN (1st to #8's 12th)
Laguna Seca: LOSS (7th to #7’s 3rd)
2. #27 Andretti 6-2
St. Petersburg: WIN (10th to #8's 21st)
Long Beach: LOSS (7th to #12's 6th)
Barber: WIN (10th to #9's 15th)
GPOI: LOSS (11th to #3's 6th)
500: WIN (7th to #15's 15th)
Detroit: WIN (4th to #77's 23rd)
Road America: WIN (5th to #7's 18th)
Laguna Seca: WIN (6th to #8’s 17th)
3. #3 Penske 5-3
St. Petersburg: LOSS (27th to #15's 14th)
Long Beach: LOSS (26th to #77's 8th)
Barber: WIN (1st to #7's 25th)
GPOI: WIN (6th to #27's 11th)
500: WIN (6th to #8's 28th)
Detroit: LOSS (20th to #12's 6th)
Road America: WIN (3rd to #9's 21st)
Laguna Seca: WIN (21st to #15’s 24th)
St. Petersburg: WIN (7th to #77's 22nd)
Long Beach: WIN (1st to #15's 17th)
Barber: LOSS (15th to #27's 10th)
GPOI: WIN (4th to #7's 8th)
500: WIN (3rd to #12's 24th)
Detroit: WIN (1st to #8's 22nd)
Road America: LOSS (21st to #3's 3rd)
Laguna Seca: LOSS (6th to #77’s 4th)
5. #7 McLaren 4-4
St. Petersburg: LOSS (5th to #12's 2nd)
Long Beach: WIN (10th to #8's 13th)
Barber: LOSS (25th to #3's 1st)
GPOI: LOSS (8th to #9's 4th)
500: WIN (4th to #77's 19th)
Detroit: WIN (5th to #15's 15th)
Road America: LOSS (18th to #27's 5th)
Laguna Seca: WIN (3rd to #12’s 7th)
6. #77 JHR 3-5
St. Petersburg: LOSS (22nd to #9's 7th)
Long Beach: WIN (8th to #3's 26th)
Barber: LOSS (12th to #8's 3rd)
GPOI: LOSS (12th to #12's 2nd)
500: LOSS (19th to #7's 4th)
Detroit: LOSS (23rd to #27's 4th)
Road America: WIN (7th to #15's 10th)
Laguna Seca: WIN (4th to #9’s 6th)
St. Petersburg: WIN (14th to #3's 27th)
Long Beach: LOSS (17th to #9's 1st)
Barber: LOSS (11th to #12's 2nd)
GPOI: WIN (9th to #8's 24th)
500: LOSS (15th to #27's 7th)
Detroit: LOSS (15th to #7's 5th)
Road America: WIN (10th to #77's 7th)
Laguna Seca: LOSS (24th to #3’s 21st)
8. #8 Ganassi 1-7
St. Petersburg: LOSS (21st to #27's 10th)
Long Beach: LOSS (13th to #7's 10th)
Barber: WIN (3rd to #77's 12th)
GPOI: LOSS (24th to #15's 9th)
500: LOSS (28th's to #3's 6th)
Detroit: LOSS (22nd to #9's 1st)
Road America: LOSS (12th to #12's 1st)
Laguna Seca: LOSS (17th to #27’s 6th)
Conference 2 Breakdown:
This conference is more evenly spread out. Will Power and Kyle Kirkwood are tied for first and that is a fair representation of their seasons.
Only one game covers Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi. Someone good will be missing the playoffs. It will likely come down to the final race of the regular season.
Romain Grosjean is just on the outside and a run to end the regular season could net him a playoff spot. Graham Rahal is a game ahead of Linus Lundqvist in the final spot for safety for automatic relegation, though the relegation playoff would be ahead of whoever finishes seventh. There is no wiggle room, and like the other conference there is no clear entry set to be relegated. Much is on the line in the final six weeks, and it could all turn upside down.
League Two (Top two automatically promoted)
1. #60 MSR 6-1
St. Petersburg: WIN (5th to #14's 9th)
Long Beach: WIN (9th to #4's 19th)
Barber: WIN (4th to #41's 26th)
GPOI: WIN (10th to #30's 14th)
500: LOSS (27th to #21's 9th)
Detroit: WIN (8th to #20's 14th)
Road America: WIN (14th to #78's 23rd)
Laguna Seca: BYE
2. #14 Foyt 6-2
St. Petersburg: LOSS (9th to #60's 5th)
Long Beach: WIN (21st to #20's 27th)
Barber: WIN (7th to #30's 27th)
GPOI: (LOSS (27th to #21's 26th)
500: WIN (8th to #4's 21st)
Detroit: WIN (9th to #51's 18th)
Road America: WIN (15th to #18's 24th)
Laguna Seca: WIN (9th to #78’s 18th)
3. #18 DCR 4-3
St. Petersburg: WIN (17th to #51's 20th)
Long Beach: LOSS (25th to #30's 24th)
Barber: BYE
GPOI: WIN (18th to #20's 20th)
500: LOSS (DNQ to #41's 16th)
Detroit: WIN (17th to #4's 24th)
Road America: LOSS (24th to #14's 15th)
Laguna Seca: WIN (25th to #21’s 26th)
4. #66 MSR 4-3
St. Petersburg: WIN (15th to #20's 19th)
Long Beach: LOSS (22nd to #51's 20th)
Barber: LOSS (19th to #4's 14th)
GPOI: BYE
500: WIN (31st to #30's 32nd)
Detroit: LOSS (25th to #78's 12th)
Road America: WIN (19th to #21's 24th)
Laguna Seca: WIN (12th to #41’s 20th)
St. Petersburg: WIN (8th to #78's 16th)
Long Beach: BYE
Barber: WIN (17th to #20's 24th)
GPOI: WIN (26th to #14's 27th)
500: WIN (9th to #60's 27th)
Detroit: LOSS (14th to #30's 13th)
Road America: LOSS (24th to #66's 19th)
Laguna Seca: LOSS (26th to #18’s 25th)
St. Petersburg: WIN (14th to #41's 24th)
Long Beach: WIN (24th to #18's 25th)
Barber: LOSS (27th to #14's 7th)
GPOI: LOSS (14th to #60's 10th)
500: LOSS (32nd to #66's 31st)
Detroit: WIN (13th to #21's 14th)
Road America: BYE
Laguna Seca: LOSS (14th to #20’s 13th)
St. Petersburg: LOSS (24th to #30's 14th)
Long Beach: LOSS (18th to #78's 15th)
Barber: LOSS (26th to #60's 4th)
GPOI: WIN (22nd to #51's 25th)
500: WIN (16th to #18's DNQ)
Detroit: BYE
Road America: WIN (17th to #4's 27th)
Laguna Seca: LOSS (20th to #66’s 12th)
7. #4 Ganassi 3-4
St. Petersburg: BYE
Long Beach: LOSS (19th to #60's 9th)
Barber: WIN (14th to #66's 19th)
GPOI: WIN (15th to #78's 21st)
500: LOSS (21st to #14's 8th)
Detroit: LOSS (24th to #18's 17th)
Road America: LOSS (27th to #41's 17th)
Laguna Seca: WIN (23rd to #51’s 27th)
9. #20 ECR 3-5
St. Petersburg: LOSS (19th to #66's 15th)
Long Beach: LOSS (27th to #14's 21st)
Barber: LOSS (24th to #21's 17th)
GPOI: LOSS (20th to #18's 18th)
500: WIN (17th to #78's 22nd)
Detroit: LOSS (14th to #60's 8th)
Road America: WIN (20th to #51's 22nd)
Laguna Seca: WIN (13th to #30’s 14th)
10. #78 JHR 3-5
St. Petersburg: LOSS (16th to #21's 8th)
Long Beach: WIN (15th to #41's 18th)
Barber: WIN (20th to #51's 21st)
GPOI: LOSS (21st to #4's 15th)
500: LOSS (22nd to #20's 17th)
Detroit: WIN (12th to #66's 25th)
Road America: LOSS (23rd to #60's 14th)
Laguna Seca: LOSS (18th to #14’s 9th)
11. #51 DCR 1-6
St. Petersburg: LOSS (20th to #18's 17th)
Long Beach: WIN (20th to #66's 22nd)
Barber: LOSS (21st to #78's 20th)
GPOI: LOSS (25th to #41's 22nd)
500: BYE
Detroit: LOSS (18th to #14's 9th)
Road America: LOSS (22nd to #20's 20th)
Laguna Seca: LOSS (27th to #4’s 23rd)
League Two Breakdown:
The two revelations of the season are in promotion spots. It is difficult seeing either Félix Rosenqvist or Santino Ferrucci winding up not in one of the two automatic promotion spots. Nobody else in League Two has been as competitive as those two.
With the second group stage following in this new League Two format, there is no grand incentive to finish third, but Jack Harvey has done well against this group of contemporaries. With the #66 Meyer Shank Racing entry in fourth, it must be noted Tom Blomqvist was 2-2 in his four matchups and he did win at the Indianapolis 500 despite being the cause for the opening lap accident. That is because Pietro Fittipaldi was also caught in that incident.
Light is growing between the rest of League Two and the #51 Dale Coyne Racing entry. With a rotation of drivers likely to continue, and this only a single round robin, meaning every entry faces each other once and there are three matchups left, it will be do-or-die for the #51 entry at Mid-Ohio.
With four races in the span of 15 days, it will all become clear quickly, especially in League Two. Many answers will soon be provided.
