Career Retrospective: Jimmy Vasser

As another offseason is thoroughly in session for IndyCar, we take this time to look over a few careers that have stood out in the history of American open-wheel racing. This year provided a theme that spreads over multiple decades.

We begin with a driver who has been retired for quite some time, but a name that remains recognizable to all. Some drivers hold honors that we do not recognize, and with a shift at the top of IndyCar's record book, this is the man whose achievements many years ago was the first domino to where we ended in 2026. We might not consider his achievements enough as much of his career was spent in the shadows of teammates and politics.

We start with Jimmy Vasser.

Where was Vasser coming from?

Hailing from California, Vasser began in club acing, running in SCCA, where he was the 1986 Formula Ford national champion, winning at the Runoffs held at Road Atlanta. Despite the club racing success, Vasser was not on the fast track to IndyCar. He ran three races in the 1987 Formula Atlantic West championship where he won two pole positions and had finishes of third at Portland and first at Laguna Seca.

Vasser dabbled with a few one off starts in Indy Lights, but his next big step was into Canadian F2000 in 1989, and he was fifth in that championship the following year. In 1990, Vasser returned to the Atlantic Championship for a few rounds with Genoa Racing. While he showed speed, winning two more pole positions and starting third or better in four of five races, he failed to finish four races, two of which ended on the opening lap. However, the one race he did finish was a victory at Road America.

Come 1991, Vasser was full-time in Atlantics, and he opened the season with a victory at Laguna Seca. While he won four of the first six races, mechanical issues plagued his season. Vasser won six times in 13 races, but he finished outside the top twenty in five events. Though he won the finale, Vasser lost the title by four points to Jovy Marcelo.

What did IndyCar look like when Vasser started in the series?

When Vasser made his debut in 1992 it was quite the place, full of drivers at their peak while some other legends were at the end of their career, and it was on the verge of a generational shift. 

CART was a little over a decade-old, but riding high. The series had taken on a variety of new circuits over the previous decade, as street courses became more prevalent. Following Long Beach's addition to the schedule, Detroit followed, which moved its event to Belle Isle in Vasser's first year. CART had become more international. Toronto had been added a handful fo years prior, Vancouver was in its third year, and Surfers Paradise, Australia was hosting the series for the second time.

Out of the 16 races, six were held on ovals, and most of them were shorter. Phoenix and Milwaukee were historical mainstays. Nazareth was relatively new, and New Hampshire International Speedway was hosting its first event in 1992. The other two oval events were 500-mile races at Indianapolis and Michigan. 

The top teams were Rahal-Hogan Racing, a team with an owner-driver in Bobby Rahal; Newman-Haas Racing, which had long supported the Andretti family and was fielding Michael and Mario; and Galles-Kraco Racing was a force with Al Unser, Jr. as its lead driver with Danny Sullivan also a part of the team. 

Team Penske remained a threat with Emerson Fittipaldi, but the team was experiencing a shift as Rick Mears battled injuries and Paul Tracy was a development driver for the team. Chip Ganassi Racing was entering its third season and had yet to win a race. This was Ganassi's first year as a two-car organization with Arie Luyendyk was added as an Indianapolis 500 entry along side Eddie Cheever, which expanded into a bigger role for Luyendyk.

Lola was the preferred chassis manufacturer, but Penske and Galmer-Kraco were building their own cars. Some teams got along with older cars. Year-old chassis were regularly used when it came to smaller teams. The main battle in the engine battle was Ford-Cosworth vs. Chevrolet, but Buick had a place, though mostly used at Indianapolis. Even an unbadged Judd engine was used.

How does IndyCar look now?

Settled but potentially on the verge of a generational shift. 

Álex Palou, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard, Patricio O'Ward and David Malukas represented the championship top five in 2026, an average age of 26.8. Despite this youth, there are a number of veterans on the grid, but a few are getting closer to the end of their careers. Scott Dixon turned 46 years old and had his worst season in two decades. Will Power turned 45 years old and had his first season at Andretti Global after 17 years at Team Penske. Even Josef Newgarden is 35 years old at this point with plenty of career ahead of him, but far from being a part of the next generation. 

There were 18 races this past season, and all 18 were held on the North America continent. There was a new race in Canada, as Markham replaced Toronto, which had spent the better part of four decades on the calendar. It was quite the season for new events with three total new street courses. Along with Markham, Arlington, Texas hosted a race, and Washington, D.C. pulled off an event on eight-month notice.

Long Beach remains, Detroit had its fourth consecutive year on a downtown street course after leaving Belle Isle, and St. Petersburg has spent closer to 25 years on the schedule. 

Five oval races were on the schedule. Indianapolis and Phoenix remained, but Phoenix was a part of combination weekend with NASCAR. It was IndyCar's first visit to the Arizona capital in eight years, and it was only the fourth IndyCar race in the last 21 years at the one-mile oval. Gateway has been on the schedule for almost a decade after over a decade away, and Nashville Superspeedway hosted a race for a third consecutive year. Milwaukee had a doubleheader weekend, its third consecutive year on the schedule after nearly a decade away. 

Chip Ganassi Racing has now won the most championships in IndyCar history, surpassing Team Penske this season. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is a mid-pack team capable of strong days but more known for its struggles for consistent pace. Andretti Global is not owned by an Andretti. McLaren is on the grid but, despite its history of building IndyCar chassis and building cars in Formula One, it is not fielding a McLaren as all IndyCar teams use the Dallara DW12 chassis, which just completed its 15th season of competition. 

Chevrolet and Honda have been the only two engine manufacturers since 2013.

What did Vasser do in-between?

Starting out in a year-old Lola, Vasser's first IndyCar experience was with Hayhoe-Cole Racing. The team ran most of the races, and it did not take long for Vasser to score his first career top ten finish, a seventh in his third career start at Long Beach.

After overcoming Bump Day drama, Vasser was the fastest rookie qualifier for his Indianapolis 500 debut, but started 28th. He was nearing the halfway point of the race when he had an accident in turn one, which left him with a broken leg.

Vasser spent two more seasons with Hayhoe-Cole. In 1993, he was third in the second race of the season at Phoenix, finishing behind Mario Andretti and Raul Boesel. It was Andretti's final victory. Vasser was three laps down. The 1994 season began with three top five finishes in the first four races, including a fourth in the Indianapolis 500. His results dipped over the final three-quarters of the season, but Vasser drew the eye of Chip Ganassi and was hired for the 1995 season.

Though Vasser did not win during his first season at Ganassi, he had four podium finishes and was eighth in the championship. In 1996, Ganassi took on Honda as an engine partner and the team hired Alex Zanardi. Vasser started the season with his first career victory. He won four of the first six races, including the U.S. 500 from Michigan held counter of the Indianapolis 500, which concluded the inaugural Indy Racing League season. 

Consistency was key over the second half of the 1996 season as Vasser took the championship ahead of Michael Andretti.

Vasser remained a top driver over the next few seasons, but he could not get the best of his teammate Zanardi. In 1997, Vasser was third in the championship with only one victory. Zanardi took the title with a race to spare and five victories. Zanardi was even better in 1998 with seven victories. Vasser was second in the championship, but Zanardi clinched a successful title defense with four races remaining.

Zanardi left after 1998, and Juan Pablo Montoya joined Ganassi alongside Vasser. Montoya picked up where Zanardi left off with seven victories going to the Colombian. Montoya took the championship on tiebreaker over Dario Franchitti. Vasser was not close to his teammate, ending up ninth in the championship with zero victories. Vasser had one more season at Ganassi, and results improved, he won at Houston, but he was dismissed from the team at the end of the season. 

Vasser went to Patrick Racing for 2001, and he started the season well with four consecutive top five finishes, but the results never came close to victory. Vasser moved to Team Rahal in 2002, where he won at Fontana, but he did not stay with the team as it moved to the Indy Racing League in 2003. Vasser stayed in CART and joined the team American Spirit Team Johnasson as the veteran driver alongside rookie Ryan Hunter-Reay. The team lasted a season before folding.

To continue his career, Vasser bought into PKV Racing along side Dan Pettit and Champ Car owner Kevin Kalkhoven. In two seasons, Vasser had three podium finishes and nine top five finishes and finished in the top ten of the championship. He ran the 2006 season opener from Long Beach before stepping away from driving. 

While never moving to the IRL as a driver, Vasser did start four Indianapolis 500s after The Split, two with Chip Ganassi where he finished seventh and fourth in 2000 and 2001. In 2002 and 2003, he ran with the Rahal team, but gearbox issues ended each race. Vasser's final start was the "final Champ Car race," as the 2008 Long Beach race was held post-reunification with the pre-existing Champ Car teams as the IRL teams ran at Motegi on the same weekend. Vasser was tenth.

What impression did Vasser leave on IndyCar?

Vasser's legacy could be greater as a team owner as a driver. Winning in 1996 was probably the worst thing that could happen to him because all anyone can remember about 1996 when it comes to American open-wheel racing is The Split. Even if Vasser was succeeding against high-quality competition, the politics of the sport overshadowed his accomplishments.

On top of all of it, Vasser contributed to the war in his post-U.S. 500 victory lane interview when he said, "Who needs milk?" 

Without The Split, 1996 could largely be remembered as the year of Vasser as he probably would have won the Indianapolis 500 had all the CART teams been there instead. 

Vasser is the first Ganassi champion, which is significant when you consider Ganassi now sits alone with the most championships. Vasser started it. However, he was outmatched by each of his teammates. Vasser won the title his first year against Zanardi, but Zanardi was entirely new while Vasser had spent four years in CART and was in his second year at Ganassi. Zanardi's next two seasons throttled all Vasser accomplished. Then Montoya came and the intra-team beating continued. 

Though not the best driver from his own team, Vasser was still one of the better drivers in the second-half of the 1990s. He had great speed and may have been unfortunate to be pair with two extraordinary talents that toppled American open-wheel racing with ease. 

When the driving career was over, Vasser became a team owner and developed a competitive organization that lasted through the final days of Champ Car and into the unified IndyCar. KV Racing gave Tony Kanaan a home, and it turned into an Indianapolis 500 victory. Sébastien Bourdais showed he could still go toe-to-toe with IndyCar's best with KV Racing. For over a half-decade, it was the team just outside the elite level of IndyCar. Unfortunately, the team did not have the funding to continue beyond the 2016 season despite winning that year. 

In 2018, Vasser and partner James Sullivan partnered with Dale Coyne Racing, where the team reunited with Bourdais and won the group's first race back together. However, the partnership with Coyne only lasted until 2021. 

The Split hurt Vasser becoming a household name, but within IndyCar circles he is a respected figure and one that is generally celebrated. Just as with Michael Andretti, who did not win the Indianapolis 500 as a driver but was venerated with multiple victories as an owner, Vasser got his "500" victory after losing a prime part of his career to The Split. The 2013 race will be remembered for Kanaan getting his moment, but it is just as fitting Vasser also received his glory that day after such an incredible but obstructed career. 

Vasser has spent the last few years running Lexus' sports car program in IMSA with Sullivan. The team has won a championship and a number of races. Part of Vasser probably itches to get back to IndyCar, but he knows how difficult it is to run an IndyCar program, let alone a competitive one. In a few weeks, Vasser will turn 61 years old. He is only seven years younger than Chip Ganassi. Does Vasser wish to spend the final chapter of his life running an IndyCar team? 

It would be a lot of work just to get back. Vasser would be a dedicated owner and make the series better, but there is a chance that part of his life is behind him, and assuming the role of dignitary in the paddock carries less responsibilities than that of competitor. Whether it is as a guest or on a timing stand, Vasser will have a place.

Musings From the Weekend: A Sprint Concept for IndyCar

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

With Jorge Martín withdrawing from Malaysia due to his arm injury suffered last week in Australia, Marc Márquez grasped the opportunity and won the Malaysian Grand Prix after finishing second in the sprint race to Pedro Acosta. Márquez could clinch the MotoGP world championship at the next round, but this MotoGP has shown us not to be certain over anything. Records were broken in Mexico City. Esteban Ocon was benched at Haas, and Ryō Hirakawa made an unexpected Formula One debut. All three NASCAR national series championships will be decided at Homestead. It may be November, but something around May was on my mind.

A Sprint Concept for IndyCar

I was thinking about how hard it is to get an Indianapolis 500 one-off entry. We have 25 full-time cars and at least eight one-off entries. The problem for young drivers is not just raising the funding but convincing a team you are worth the shot, especially if there are nine extra entries or more. Even if you get a ride, that could be it. 

With the charter rules, only 25 cars are going to be allowed in all other races shortly (unless IndyCar changes its rulebook for Barcelona, but we can discuss that a later day). Midseason driver replacements are not unheard, but they are not a yearly thing. A driver may get a ride for Indianapolis and then not get another shot until the following May, or perhaps never again. 

It does feel like the pool of one-off drivers is shrinking. We make the joke that Conor Daly is everyone's reserve driver, but it is partially true. Daly will have a full-time ride in 2027 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Teams will have to look somewhere else. 

How can any drivers get a shot in IndyCar with how few opportunities there are to drive? 

Every year, it feels like most of the Indy Lights grid does not have a sniff at IndyCar. Only two drivers from the support series in 2025 moved up to IndyCar in 2026. From 2024 to 2025, two drivers moved up and Nolan Siegel was a midseason promotion in 2024. When it comes to the 2023 championship, only Christian Rasmussen moved up while Siegel, Louis Foster and Jacob Abel all eventually got a shot, but Abel was out of IndyCar after a season, and Siegel may not have a ride in 2026. 

A lot of talent is left on the sideline. Hunter McElrea was runner-up to Rasmussen in 2023, and he has one IndyCar start to his name. Toby Sowery was third in the 2019 Indy Lights championship, and it took him five years to get a handful of starts with Dale Coyne Racing. We can never say whether or not Kyle Kaiser was any good because Kaiser had six starts over two seasons. He will always have bumping Fernando Alonso and McLaren from the Indianapolis 500, but to rate Kaiser in any way as an IndyCar driver is complete unfair. His career, like many, was rather incomplete. 

I was thinking about Myles Rowe and how Rowe excelled notably on ovals in Indy Lights. Rowe had a few good road and street course performances, and he was fourth in the 2025 Indy Lights championship. Rowe has done enough to get at least an Indianapolis 500 entry, but outside of an Indianapolis 500 attempt, I am not sure he will get a chance to race elsewhere.

What could be done to get more drivers a shot at IndyCar and gauge what is the best talent currently without a ride? 

Whether we like it or not, sprint races have become a regular thing in a few forms of motorsports. Formula One introduced a few in 2021, and coming in 2027 there will be ten sprint rounds. MotoGP adopted sprint races at every round starting in 2023. Starting next year, MotoGP sprint races will receive their own qualifying session, just like Formula One. 

There is no good reason for IndyCar to adopt sprint races in the same vain as Formula One and MotoGP, but for a championship that is not going to increase its number of race weekends, this is a way for more racing to take place. However, it could also present an opportunity to allow the sprint races to stand apart from the actual championship. 

I don't think we need more races for the driver's championship, but sprint races could be used as a separate series meant for non-full-time drivers. It couldn't be at every race weekend, but my idea would be eight race weekends would be delineated as sprint weekends, three road courses, three street courses and two ovals, and participation would be limited to drivers with 35 IndyCar starts or fewer at the start of that season. 

On those weekends, each car is split between the full-time driver and the sprint driver. On the first day for road/street courses, each driver gets a practice session. The full-time driver gets 45 minutes and the sprint driver gets 30 minutes. On Saturday, the sprint drivers get a modified qualifying session. The field is split into two groups. Each group gets ten minutes. The top three from each group advances before a six-minute final round. IndyCar practice and qualifying takes place as usual for the full-time drivers, and then the sprint race is held, 50% of the full race distance. 

For ovals, it would be a little tougher, but those sprint weekends could have a test day for sprint drivers the day before the two-day weekend begins. It could be a two- or three-hour test for these drivers. Then on Saturday, the full-time drivers could get an hour practice session before the sprint drivers have a one-hour session that doubles as qualifying. The full-time drivers could get another practice and their qualifying session in before the sprint race closes the day with a race at 50% full race distance. 

Early sprint rounds could be held at Arlington and Barber Motorsports Park. It could return after the Indianapolis 500 at Detroit and Gateway. The summer could rotate, but initially races could be held at Mid-Ohio, Portland and Markham before the sprint finale at Milwaukee.

For the sprint portion to carry some weight, while the drivers would score their own points and not contribute to the full drivers championship, the sprint points could go toward the entrant's championship. Have you ever wondered what is the point of the entrant's championship if it is identical to the drivers? Here is a chance to differentiate it. All points scored by those cars, regardless of the driver, go toward the entrant's championship, and now teams have incentive to find the best drivers available and not just settle for another driver with money to fill the championship. It would hopefully incentivize the teams to hire drivers, especially if the full-time seats are already funded. 

There would still be variety in the driver lineups. We would see Hunter McElrea get more than just testing opportunities and Toby Sowery would likely get a chance to race. The proposed rule would allow Team Penske to run Felipe Nasr, as well as giving Myles Rowe an opportunity. It would leave the door open for current Indy Lights drivers to get a shot in an IndyCar while still developing. It would be a great for Enzo Fittipaldi and Tymek Kucharczyk, and it would keep both drivers in the IndyCar bubble, not sending both to the curb. This could be the place for the likes of Josh Pierson to show what they are capable of before receiving full approve to drive in IndyCar. 

This proposal would also allow teams to bring in talent from different parts of the motorsports world. Alex Dunne could be a driver for Dale Coyne Racing if he doesn't get a full-time ride. Kakunoshin Ohta could use it as a chance to get familiar with an IndyCar driving for Meyer Shank Racing. We could see Andretti Global bring in Jake Dennis from Formula E. Perhaps General Motors wants to keep Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti busy and farms them to Ed Carpenter Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing respectively. We could maybe see Linus Lundqvist actually race after running three races as a substitute in 2023 and the entire 2024 season before being kicked to as a "simulator development driver." What a depressing title! 

I just listed 12 names above, essentially half a grid, and tell me you would not be interested in seeing an IndyCar race with McElrea, Sowery, Nasr, Rowe, Fittipaldi, Kucharczyk, Dunne, Ohta, Dennis, Aitken, Vesti and Lundqvist competing? And we would still need 13 more drivers! Think about who else could be added!

Bringing more drivers into IndyCar isn't a bad thing, and it could be done in a way to let talent shine with results that can be used to improve a career that are not just controlled test sessions. These would be actual race results against a full field. 

When you consider IndyCar's driver ecosystem, IndyCar doesn't keep drivers around. Drivers are here-and-gone in a flash. Such a sprint concept would have over two-dozen more drivers competing, of which some would likely be from sports cars and the sprint would be a secondary job, but others would be racing versus not racing, and that is something IndyCar fails to do at the moment. We see drivers race in the month of May and then do nothing until the following May. 

This isn't NASCAR where drivers may fall out of the Cup Series but they can continue their careers in the lower two levels and extend their career a decade or more. There are no Justin Allgaiers, Harrison Burtons or Daniel Hemrics within the IndyCar spectrum. This concept would create a few, and that would be a good thing to have a handful more drivers more skilled with an IndyCar and increases the options for full-time drivers that teams otherwise are not considering.

IndyCar isn't one to try new things. It doesn't do anything revolutionary to a point it hurts. This would be a departure from a usual race weekend format, but it could be done to help the series develop drivers while also increasing meaningful events on track. This would be more than just another practice session, and a race where all drivers have something to prove could be utterly exciting to watch. 

Such a weekend format is far from reality. No one within IndyCar's office is thinking about a sprint series, but it could be beneficial to the series and the drivers around it. It could give Indy Lights drivers a place to go instead of just hitting a dead-end and going to sports cars or entirely ending a career altogether. There are plenty of kinks and hurdles keeping it from reality, but it surely would be something different that could see IndyCar's prospective talent pool grow. More names could be brought to the table, and if results are strong enough, it could force teams to consider drivers previously never on their clipboard.

There are plenty of things IndyCar must iron out, but this would be a different way to solve a problem, and it would keep drivers within the IndyCar circle. IndyCar should not be afraid of that, and it should seek to develop its talent pool, realizing great drivers are all over the place, some just need a chance.

Champions From the Weekend

Andrea Kimi Antonelli clinched the World Drivers' Championship with a third-place finish in the Mexican Grand Prix. Antonelli became the youngest world champion at 20 years and 68 days old, over three years younger than the previously youngest world champion Sebastan Vettel.

Máximo Quiles won the Moto3 race from Malaysia, his 11th victory of the season, and Quiles technically clinched the Moto3 championship after his victory in Indonesia a few weeks ago, but it was lost in the shuffle that weekend, and we properly recognize Quiles at this moment.

Winners From the Weekend

You know about, Marc Márquez, Pedro Acosta and Máximo Quiles, but did you know...

Max Verstappen won the Mexican Grand Prix, his third victory of the season.

David Alonso won the Moto2 race in Malaysia, his second victory of the season.

William Byron won the NASCAR Cup Series race from Martinsville. Carson Kvapil won the Grand National Series race, his third victory of the season. Chandler Smith won the Truck race, his third victory of the season.

Coming Up This Weekend

The NASCAR season concludes at Homestead for the first time since 2019.

The FIA World Endurance Championship wraps up in Monza.

Super GT ends at Fuji.

MotoGP may race in Qatar. Yamaha is already boycotting the race based on the current conflict in the region.

Formula One continues onward to Brazil.

Best of the Month: October 2026

How is October already over? It was just June. 

Some of you have already participated in returning to Standard Time. Most of the United States returns to it this weekend as the calendar flips to November. An hour returns, but the races are dwindling and the cupboard is running out silverware. A few more pieces could be gone before this weekend is over. These are the days we must cherish the most, because soon races will be seldom as daylight lessen and the temperatures continue to drop.

What NASCAR's Playoff Change Has Gotten Correct

We are about to enter the penultimate weekend of the NASCAR season, and a week ago, a blanket covered the top seven in the Cup Series championship. Now, there is a chance the title will be secured with a race to spare for the first time since 2003, the most recent season decided based on a full season points aggregate. 

Championship format aside, the one thing that has stood out this season and should be appreciated is the increase in points for a victory. 

With an elimination of playoff rounds and the playoffs returning to a ten-race aggregate without eliminations, NASCAR increased the points for winning a race while keeping the rest of the points distribution the same. 

Prior to any stage points being awarded, a race victory earns a driver 55 points while second earns 35 points, decreasing by a point for equal subsequent position. For a long time I have argued the issue with NASCAR's point system was not how much the winner received but how much second on down received. Second received too large of a proportion of a race victory, and if NASCAR wanted winning races to matter more, second place should receive a smaller proportion of the winner’s point total. This change fixed it. 

On the base level, second place equalled 63.636% of a race victory. That is a smaller share than second-to-first in Formula One (72%) and IndyCar (80%). Throw in stage points, and it is possible that a race winner could earn more than double the rest of the field. A race victory could pay as much as 76 points. That could be as much as 41 points more than the rest of the field. Second place could leave with 46.05% of a race victory.

That is phenomenal!

If you want winning to matter and carry weight, it should be significantly more than second and the rest of the finishing positions. 

This is what allowed the championship swings we saw during the season. Tyler Reddick was running away through the first quarter of the season, but when Reddick stumbled, Denny Hamlin shot to the top because he was winning and scoring piles of points on the competition.

In the playoffs, Kyle Larson has positioned himself to win the championship because he has won three of the eight races run so far, and he has seven finishes inside the top six. 

If there is anything that should be tweaked further it is the points reset after the regular season. The reset totals were set based on the past points system when winning was not worth as much. I don't know if 25 points between the top championship driver after 26 races and second with five-point increments down to 16th is enough. 

It remains the flaw of a playoff system. This is still a ten-race aggregate to determine the championship, but Denny Hamlin had a 89-point lead over Ryan Blaney in second decreased to 25 points. Blaney made up nearly 75% of his deficit. Hamlin was 303 points ahead of Larson after the regular season. Simply by making the playoffs, Larson's deficit was decreased to 55 points. Making the playoffs was a 248-point bonus to Larson, 81.848% of his deficit was erased. 

What is fair alternative? 

Could the deficits just be halved at the end of the regular season and rounded up if it falls on an odd-number? Everyone would be closer, but it would still be proportional. Everyone is gaining back half, but not all of it. The regular season champion would still have a decent cushion in this case with Hamlin. In that case, we would have seen the following...

1. Denny Hamlin: 2,100

2. Ryan Blaney: 2,055 (-45)

3. Tyler Reddick: 2,033 (-67)

4. Ty Gibbs: 2,032 (-68)

5. Chase Briscoe: 1,976 (-133)

6. Christopher Bell: 1,965 (-135)

7. Kyle Larson: 1,948 (-152)

8. Chase Elliott: 1,948 (-152)

9. Joey Logano: 1,941 (-159)

10. Chris Buescher: 1,925 (-175)

11. Daniel Suárez: 1,924 (-176)

12. Carson Hocevar: 1,923 (-177)

13. William Byron: 1,919 (-181)

14. Bubba Wallace: 1,912 (-188)

15. Austin Cindric: 1,902 (-198)

16. Ryan Preece: 1,897 (-203)

How would the standings look after the last eight races if this was the initial reset?

1. Hamlin: 2,368

2. Larson: -24

3. Blaney: -54

4. Reddick: -85

5. Briscoe: -85

6. Bell: -86

7. Logano: -121

8. Gibbs: -138

9. Cindric: -213

10. Hocevar: -222

11. Elliott: -237

12. Byron: -237

13. Wallace: -243

14: Suárez: -268

15. Preece -279

16. Buescher: -287

Hamlin would still have control but Larson would be keeping Hamlin honest. That regular season would still be carrying Hamlin as he has only two top five finishes in the lat eight races and he has to won since that three-race winning streak concluded at Pocono. 

We would actually have more drivers still mathematically alive for the championship with eight to the current total of seven. There would be a legitimate chance of the championship lead changing hands after Martinsville. 

It is something to be considered, but NASCAR's championship format issues stem from constant tinkering. It is done one way, a loose thread is pulled and then it is changed. Then after two or three years of trying something slightly different, another thread is pulled and another change occurs. 

NASCAR could make the change above and have the deficits halved after the regular season, and then we will have a season where the top driver from the regular season wins four of the first five postseason races, scores on average 72 points per victory, and gains on average 32 points on the rest of the field, and we could be seeing a title clinched with three races remaining. Then how will people feel? 

This year has been good. Every playoff race had tense battles and drivers going for the victory. As much as some feared drivers would be points racing, winning is worth too much to settle for such a practice. Even if there still feels like a flaw and a 26-race portion of the calendar not carrying enough weight, this season feels like a massive step forward from recent seasons. The champion is going to be someone who finished at the front regularly, not someone who had an average finish worse than 17th but had timely victories. 

November Preview

Many championships are coming down to the wire, but MotoGP deserves attention because there are possibly four races left, if not only three races left. The championship lead just changed hands and there wasn't even a grand prix run. 

Marc Márquez took the championship lead with his sprint victory at Phillip Island while Jorge Martín's accident dropped him to second, ten points off the top spot, and Martín was declared unfit for the grand prix due to an arm injury. 

The grand prix didn't happen and that saved Martín up to 25 points in the championship. A Márquez victory on Sunday would have put Martín behind the eight-ball. Instead, Martín remains firmly in the fight. 

One hundred and 48 points remain on the table. Mathematically, seven riders are alive for the championship. 

Marco Bezzecchi is 50 points back. Pedro Acosta is 102 points back with Ai Ogura 106 points behind, Fabio Di Giannantonio is 113 points off the top spot, and Raúl Fernández remaining alive at 129 points off the championship lead. 

It feels even and with only ten points separating the top two, it could not be much more balanced with four races remaining. Bezzecchi feels like a threat even though he is 50 points back. 

Sepang is this weekend, and the Qatar round scheduled for November 8 appears to be going ahead despite the Middle East conflict and riders expressing security concerns. Portimão and Valencia close out the season on November 22 and November 29 respectively. 

Removing Qatar is a 37-point swing in the championship battle. Remove that round entirely and Di Giannantonio and Fernández are eliminated from the championship regardless of what they do at Sepang this weekend. I don't think any rider can count on those points until the Qatar round has happened. Whether it does or it doesn't, this championship is likely going to the wire and it is just a matter of how tight will the battle be and how many riders will be in the fight?

Other events of note in November

FIA World Endurance Championship concludes from Monza. 

Super GT finishes up at Fuji. 

Super Formula season rounds up at Suzuka.

The "Asian" Le Mans Series is about to begin at Circuit Paul Ricard!

Formula One has a few races, Mexico, Brazil and Las Vegas. 

More Causal Calendar Conversation: IndyCar 2027

We have had a few days since the 2027 IndyCar calendar was released, and we have already discussed it. That was mostly bigger picture surrounding the circumstances of an evolving schedule but one that largely remains no different from IndyCar schedules over the last decade or so. We know what IndyCar has done, what it says it wants to do but has not done, and how it feels to see the same thing over and over again.

However, we can address what the 2027 calendar will be in a more causal form and set aside philosophical issues... mostly. Think of it as a first impressions except a few days late and with more consideration. 

1. There is no way IndyCar races in Barcelona for the next ten years, the reported length of the contract. 

When has IndyCar had any commitment last that long? 

Let's just think about since reunification. 

Of the entirely new venues to join the IndyCar schedule since 2008, only Barber Motorsports Park has lasted more than a decade. São Palou hung around for four years. Baltimore made it three years. NOLA Motorsports Park and Circuit of the Americas were each only around for a year. Nashville's street course lasted three years before downtown construction moved the event to Nashville Superspeedway for the last three years. Thermal Club hosted two races, an exhibition and a points race. 

That's it. The 2026 season saw three inaugural events held, and one is already gone. Time will tell on the staying power of the other two. Besides those three events from this past season, seven entirely new venues joined the IndyCar calendar in the last 18 years, and only Barber lasted at least five years, and it is the only one still around today.

History tells us Barcelona will not last that long. 

It is easy to be skeptical of a IndyCar schedule because many races don't get off the ground let alone last, especially fly-away events. Barcelona sounds good now, but after a year or two, if attendance is not fantastic and sponsors lose interest, it could be a deal where both sides are looking for an out. 

2. There is a greater than 0% chance Barcelona does not happen in 2027. 

This is IndyCar. Something can go wrong. We are a long way from July 18, 2027. Don’t celebrate until July 19.

Prepare for the riot when it does.

3. July is a tough time for this race. It is warm in Barcelona in the summer. Even if it was an evening race, it would be warm. What kind of crowd will like to sit in the heat for a series they really are not aware of and a bunch of drivers who are complete unknowns including the local hero? 

This race made more sense in April or early May, which is a busy period for IndyCar, but we know the dates are there. 

I wonder how long this race will last period, but especially during summer. It works for 2027, but many potential IndyCar venues in North America are probably better suited for a July date, especially if they could be paired with existing venues in scheduling. 

In 2027, Formula One is off the weekend IndyCar will be in Barcelona. There will likely always be a Formula One off-week in July every year moving forward, but who is to say that off weekend will not move around. How much can IndyCar chase that off date and have the Barcelona race move from mid-July to the first weekend of July to the last weekend of July? 

Put on your tinfoil hats because Formula One could sabotage this race simply by moving its races around so the one off-weekend in July is different every year. 

Don’t forget that Barcelona will return to the Formula One schedule in 2028, and then alternate with the Belgian Grand Prix running 2030 and 2032 as well. The Belgian Grand Prix will be July 25, 2027. Is Barcelona really going to run IndyCar and Formula One on consecutive weekends?

With Formula One's current schedule structure and clustering races from specific parts of the world, April and May are more accommodating to an IndyCar European vacation. Formula One is still in the Asia-Pacific and races in North America at that time. IndyCar likely would not have to worry about having a Formula One race on the European continent challenging it for attention.

I would venture to think the timing of this Barcelona race will change at some point before it leaves the IndyCar calendar, whether that exit be in a year or two or in eight or nine years towards the end of this contract. 

4. We must acknowledge how close IndyCar was to receiving glorious praise for its 2027 calendar. 

If IndyCar had found a way to keep Nashville Superspeedway and move it to the weekend of May 2 while adding a fly-away race in Barcelona, or if IndyCar had found a way to tack itself on the NASCAR weekend at Texas Motor Speedway that same weekend in May, or IndyCar could have found any oval to run the weekend of May 2, I think this calendar would have been widely celebrated.

Essentially every race would be retained except Washington, D.C., which was long believed to be a one-off event, and IndyCar would have found a way to add an international race in a noteworthy and legitimate location. I don't know what else you could ask for. 

There are always going to be those numbskulls who will not allow themselves to find happiness unless Michigan, Pocono, Chicagoland, Kentucky, Richmond, Loudon, Texas and Homestead are added to the IndyCar schedule at once. IndyCar is not adding eight oval races to its schedule when it has only five at present, nor is the schedule going from 17 races to 25 races in a year. However, those grounded in reality could see complete calendar retention plus an international race as a big success. 

5. It makes you wonder why IndyCar didn't try and find one oval race to run on the first weekend in May to at least cover its backside and at least look good. IndyCar must have known losing an oval race, even if it was Nashville, was going to draw considerable scorn. Nobody was going to view it as a success. If IndyCar kept the same number of oval venues and added Barcelona, I don't think people would be this dissatisfied. 

IndyCar could not have found the money to organize one more Nashville race? This is where everyone gets frustrated because IndyCar can spend $35 million on a one-off race that was essentially a vanity project, but it cannot spend a few million to keep a race on the calendar, keep all the tracks on the schedule from one year to the next, and at least prevent people from getting upset over the feeling of a lost event? 

It was right there for IndyCar, but it was too much to overcome? It would have been last minute, but we saw a street race go from hypothetical to reality in about eight months and we long believed such an exercise required over a year to get off the ground. Organizing one oval race could have easily been done in comparison.

6. Since 2012, IndyCar has been somewhere between four and six oval races in a season. In 2021, there were four oval races at three circuits. This is where IndyCar has been for a decade-and-a-half. I don’t understand how anyone can be concerned and act like this is new. This has been the norm. One going away with another not replacing is a net-loss, but another one could come around in 2028, and we will be back to five oval circuits and possibly six oval races if one of them remains a doubleheader. 

Losing Nashville and losing one oval fall cannot cause the-sky-is-falling panic. This has been the norm for a long time. Don’t act like it hasn’t been. 

7. I don't see how Nashville returns to the calendar. I don't see how going on hiatus for an indefinite period of time will lead to a successful event returning. The new stadium is due to open next year. It was built entirely on the parking lot IndyCar used for its paddock. The current stadium is bound to be demolished, which likely means another year, and redevelopment plans could see the site of the current stadium become a park and housing, neither of which would be ideal for a street race.

It is hard to see how any race in downtown Nashville could be reorganized before 2029 or 2030.

If the Music City Grand Prix wanted to be downtown, it probably could have developed a plan and returned either this past season or for this upcoming season. There is some course that could have been developed that avoided the stadium construction and allowed a race to take place. 

If we are being honest, the only way a downtown street race is taking place in Nashville is if the promoter finds a way to use the convention center, which is right downtown and a stone's throw from where part of the original street course was, to be the paddock area. Even then, I am not sure a suitable course can be developed entirely on the west side of the Cumberland River. There aren't many suitable roads on that side of a river for a street race in downtown Nashville. There is Broadway, but you cannot use much of that considering how big of a thoroughfare it is for tourists. IndyCar was only going to use part of it on the 2024 redesign. The rest of the roads on that side are pretty narrow.

The best option is something akin to the current Detroit course, and we know how much Detroit is celebrated. I think this is one event that is just going to be gone, and it is disappointing because it would have been fantastic to see IndyCar race on such a location and have it as a season finale. It is truly the event IndyCar was hoping for in its finale and it just fell short of becoming a reality.

8. I still cannot get over the blindness from IndyCar that all it needed was one race to avoid a month gap in spring, and the rest of the schedule is pretty evenly balanced. Yeah, I keep going to it. It is such an obvious thing to clean up and there is no way it cost too much to rectify. 

The 2027 season will have three consecutive race weekends, a week off, and then alternating race weekends before the month break. Come May, it will be five consecutive weekends at the racetrack between the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Indianapolis 500 practice and qualifying, the Indianapolis 500, Detroit and Gateway. Once IndyCar hits summer, it will have a week off after the five-week slog, but then it will be back-to-back races, alternating race weekends and off-weekends over the next seven weeks before a back-to-back to end the season with one of those weekends being a doubleheader. 

That is a pretty good schedule. There are only four instances of consecutive race weekends. When you think about how 2026 worked out, next summer will be a breeze even with the travel. There is a week off before and after Barcelona and then and off-week between Portland and Markham, and and off-week between Markham and Milwaukee. 

It is a sensible schedule... and all IndyCar needed was one race in spring so there wasn't a glaring hole. Come on!

9. One thing I heard this summer on Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s podcast this summer when discussing races and some being night races and others not being and how that affects attendance was as simple as people just want to be comfortable at an event. No one wants to go to a race in the scorching sun. 

I would like to see IndyCar adopt that ethos when it comes to scheduling. Nashville should have been in a time better than July. That race wasn’t even going to be a night race if it ran as scheduled this past July. It was going to be a twilight race and still be rather warm. 

Late-April or early-May would have been a better spot for Nashville, and considering IndyCar’s current dilemma, it appeared to be a no-brainer. That should still be the case if the Music City Grand Prix is able to return as a street race, and that should be the case for every possible race moving forward. 

If Homestead is on the radar, it should not be considered as an August date, the same way running Loudon in April should not be in considered. A race shouldn’t just be added and act like mission accomplished. Put a race on the schedule best suited for the event and will attract people. If you give them good weather that is nine-tenths of the battle of drawing a crowd. 

10. Beyond Barcelona, the lack of Nashville and a lost oval event, it is the same IndyCar calendar we have been staring at for almost two decades. There were no other changes. Portland didn't move to March. Road America didn't become the finale. We were so close to nothing happening with the calendar, which would have still annoyed many, but it is hard to get too angry over losing nothing. 

We are all going to be fine. We are going to see the same races we have always seen. We are going to have an oval race and then wonder why it is months until the next one. Detroit is going to be a mess. Álex Palou is going to win five times. Maybe the Markham circuit will be done on time this year. It is going to be a season just like many before it. You will not be surprised at all. 

Musings From the Weekend: Hola, Phase Two!

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

MotoGP's final grand prix at Phillip Island was cancelled due to poor weather preventing the medical helicopter from leaving the circuit. Moto3 and Moto2 races were also cancelled. At least we got a sprint race where Marc Márquez took victory and Jorge Martín suffered a forearm injury while battling Márquez for the lead. Márquez takes a ten-point lead into Sepang next week. Elsewhere, NASCAR was in Talladega and the championship could be clinched next week at Martinsville, Formula One was in Austin and the championship could be clinched next week at Mexico City, and IndyCar answered the question, "Where is Phase Two?" The full 2027 IndyCar schedule is here. Where do you think we would begin this week?

Hola, Phase Two!

On Friday, IndyCar's latest best-kept secret became public in an announcement from Barcelona. With series champion Álex Palou present, the series confirmed it will race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 2027 with a race announced for July 18. The deal reportedly is a ten-year agreement to bring IndyCar to Catalunya. It will be IndyCar's first fly-away race since 2013, and it is American open-wheel racing's first venue to Europe since 2007.

About three hours after the announcement from Barcelona, the remainder of the 2027 calendar was confirmed. 

There are a few changes, nothing was added into the opening half of the calendar, which was announced during the "Phase One" announcement back in August, and a smattering of people are upset about the lack of oval races, especially as another oval track has fallen off the schedule.

So... you know... same as it ever was in IndyCar.

We already knew the season would begin with three consecutive races at the start of March from St. Petersburg to Phoenix on the NASCAR weekend to the second Arlington race. Barber Motorsports Park will run the first Sunday in April with Long Beach occurring two weeks after that. There will be a month between races with the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 15 before the Indianapolis 500 on May 30 and Detroit the week after that. 

Between Phase One and Phase Two, Gateway and Road America announced, accidentally and intentionally respectively, their races on June 13 and June 27 respectively. 

What Phase Two has confirmed is a summer that is largely unchanged.

July 4th will be spent at Mid-Ohio. Two weeks later will be Barcelona. Two weeks after that will be Portland. Two weeks after that, IndyCar's second international trip to Markham. Two weeks after that, two races at Milwaukee. A week after Milwaukee will be the season finale from Laguna Seca on September 5. The good news is the races are spaced out.

The only change is Barcelona in and Nashville Superspeedway leaves the schedule as Music City Grand Prix promoters wanted to turn their focus to the event returning to a downtown street race. Washington, D.C. is also absent after being long suspected as a one-off event. 

Look... I am older, I have been around, everything hurts, this is an IndyCar schedule. It is no different from many IndyCar schedules before it. There is nothing to be overly upset about. It wasn't that long ago we had three ovals on the schedule with one being a doubleheader, and we all survived. The core of the schedule is still there, and now there is an international race. 

If you had been told on Carb Day this past May that IndyCar would have a European race in 2027, majority of the fanbase likely would have been thrilled. The problem is Nashville ran into its own issue with a promoter no longer fancying an oval race 45 minutes outside the city as an alternative event in the area, and another oval falls off the schedule with none to replace it. 

So... you know... same as it ever was in IndyCar. 

I have been in the mob, and now I am outside of it, perhaps because sanity and reason has washed over me. IndyCar could use a few more oval races, but for the better part of the last two decades ovals die because crowds dwindled and most were in front of empty grandstands. Texas Motor Speedway didn't go away because it was doing too well. There weren't 10,000 people there the last few years. 

It is an unfortunate cycle for IndyCar oval events. An IndyCar oval race is a promising first year but with room for growth, the second year is flat or slightly less and then a decline occurs that either leads to a exit after year three or a slower decline that sees an oval get a few more years. Milwaukee this year wasn't spectacular after two strong years before, and some of that might have been the weather this year, but it could have always been the lost of steam after a strong start.

I might be outside the mob, but I am realistic about the oval issues, and I am not a part of the other mob saying "Fans need to support ovals." The same 15,000 people cannot attend a half-dozen oval races spread across four time zones. If IndyCar is promoting better viewership and more interest in the series, it must be able to attract crowd from the local areas that can support these races. 

Nashville, Tennessee has about two million people living its the metropolitan area. IndyCar cannot draw out 35,000 locals for its one visit to town? That isn't a lot of people and Nashville Superspeedway only holds 40,000 people for the NASCAR Cup race. IndyCar might only need 30,000 to sell out the race. 

IndyCar cannot speak out both sides of its both and say viewership is up and more people who were previously not engaged with IndyCar are now watching, and yet cannot find anyone new to the audience to support its races, especially oval races. 

Formula One has added two races in the United States over the last five years, and those races don't have the same 100,000 people attending them who have been Formula One races in this country for the last 25 or 30 years. Those people are new. Those people started watching in 2019 or 2020 or 2021 and now they are spending $3,500 for three-day tickets. Those people were out there and there are still people out there like them who will engaging with something that feels worthy of their attention. 

Formula One could add a race anywhere in this country and 150,000 people would be there on race day. IndyCar adds a race and it cannot even break 15,000 people but it fingers will point the failure to the people who already watch IndyCar on a regular basis for not showing up when the race is two time zones over. 

And quick sidebar, why does every IndyCar race live-and-die by the walkup crowd? This isn't a Formula One or NASCAR issue. It shouldn't come down to weather, and whether or not 5,000 to 8,000 people decide they feel like they want to go to a race within 48 hours of it taking place. IndyCar must get to a place where the demand is there and people want to go and know they will be going six months or more before it happens. That is what makes a race an event. People are planning to do it months in advance, not waiting and seeing if they are free that weekend or if the weather is going to be hospitable. 

Any councilor would look at the relationship between IndyCar and its regular followers as a severely damaged relationship, and no one within the series wants to address it. If it was an intimate relationship, it would be advised to cease the cohabitation immediately. 

This is what an IndyCar schedule has been essentially since 2012. It isn't bad. There are holes. It is frustrating the series does not do more to fill the craters and set it up more for success. Fixes are always pushed 18 months down the line and we are always back where we started 18 months later. It would be nice if the series showed more proactiveness. IndyCar has taken on promoting more of its events, see buying Long Beach and setting up Milwaukee, but no one else is stepping up to help with the remaining issues. As much as the series might not want to acknowledge it, the remaining problems will only be solved when the series steps up and addressed them on its own.

There does feel like lost momentum after Washington, D.C. where an event attracted 100,000 some-odd people each day and now there is no race in that area in the country. I know a fair number of people were there because it was free, but there must be at least 40,000 people who attended that would travel and buy a ticket to Richmond and then another 15,000 people who weren't at Washington, D.C., but who live in the area and would also go to Richmond. 

Even if it was a place holder, Richmond makes sense for the first weekend in May, two weeks after Long Beach and two weeks prior to the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. It might cost a pretty penny to rent out, but IndyCar already spent $35 million for Washington D.C. A Richmond race must cost a tenth of that, and it could have kept five oval circuits on the schedule while filling a month gap. Yet, the opportunity was missed. 

Of course, easier said than done, but it feels like something that should bother the series and IndyCar should step up and address it. Yet the track record told us it wouldn't do a thing and it didn't do a thing. We cannot be surprised, but we can continue to feel disappointed. 

For all the talk of growth, it is hard to see. Yes, we have an international race and a trip to Europe and a world-class city in Barcelona, but simultaneously an oval race has been lost. Growth is adding to what you already have. This is another case of net-zero change for IndyCar. One event enters and another leaves. An event fell off the schedule because the promoter grew tired of the challenge. If Nashville Superspeedway was successful and making money for the Music City Grand Prix promoters, it would be on the schedule in 2027. It wouldn't be spinning it as focusing on returning the race to downtown Nashville. They are in the money-making business, and the money wasn't in Lebanon, Tennessee. 

Maybe we need to properly frame whatever metrics IndyCar is using in terms of growth because entering 2027 the series feels like it is exactly where it has been for the last 15 years. It could be worse but let's not confuse it for being better than ever before even with a European trip planned next summer. 

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Marc Márquez, but did you know...

Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix, his ninth victory of the season.

Chaz Mostert and Broc Feeney split the Supercars races from Surfers Paradise.

Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Cup race from Talladega, his third victory of the season. Sammy Smith won the Grand National Series race and Truck race from Talladega, and Smith became the first non-Cup driver to win the lower NASCAR national touring series races in the same weekend at the same track since Greg Biffle won at Phoenix in 2001.

Coming Up This Weekend

Formula One spends the holiday weekend in Mexico City, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli could clinch the championship.

MotoGP hopes the weather cooperates in Malaysia.

NASCAR's penultimate weekend will be in Martinsville, and Kyle Larson could clinch the championship.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Chip Ganassi Racing's 2026 Season

We have reached the end of our IndyCar Wrap-Up series, and for the fourth consecutive year, we are ending with Chip Ganassi Racing. Álex Palou made history and became only the second driver to win four consecutive IndyCar championships. With this title, Chip Ganassi Racing moved into the all-time lead in championships. For all the history that was made, it was a sliding-door season for the team, as much change is awaiting this group for 2027.

Álex Palou

What else must be said? It was not the same level of domination we saw in 2025, and Palou did not win the Indianapolis 500, but he was firmly in control of the championship almost from the drop of the green flag. Palou did have bad races. He had some unlucky breaks, but his form was too strong for those to be any cause for concern. 

What objectively was his best race?

Palou led in IndyCar victories for another season as Palou won six times, and he became the third driver in IndyCar history to win at least six races in consecutive seasons joining Mario Andretti and Sébastien Bourdais. Palou won at St. Petersburg, Barber Motorsports Park, Long Beach, Detroit, Nashville and Portland.

What subjectively was his best race?

Barber was Palou's most dominant race, leading 79 of 90 laps and winning by over 13 seconds. For a moment, it looked like Palou was in danger of losing the lead through pit cycle to Christian Lundgaard, but Palou's team nailed the stop and he drove off into the sunset. 

What objectively was his worst race?

Contact with Rinus VeeKay on a restart ended Palou's Phoenix race after 21 laps and he was classified in 24th position.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Washington, D.C. was a race where nothing went right for Palou and the #10 Ganassi team. Where do we begin? Palou started on pole position but lost the lead immediately when Kyle Kirkwood had the better start. Not the end of the world as Palou was still second. 

Then Palou clipped Mick Schumacher's tire in the pit lane and it led to a penalty, knocking Palou down the order. On the next pit stop, the crew had an issue with the left front tire, costing Palou more time. He attempted to go off strategy to somehow get back to the front before clipping a barrier and damaging his left rear suspension. Repairs were made, but Palou was 20th.

Gateway should be mentioned because Palou lost a potentially victory when he ran out of fuel under caution entering his pit box. This issue cost him a lap, and took him out of the running for a stellar finish.

Alex Palou's 2026 Statistics

Championship Position: 1st (631 points)
Wins: 6
Podiums: 7 
Top Fives: 12
Top Tens: 15
Laps Led: 673
Poles: 8
Fast Sixes: 11 
Fast Twelves: 13 
Average Start: 3.611
Average Finish: 6.555

Scott Dixon

We are accustomed to Dixon making history, and each season he seems to do something new or something few had accomplished before. This was not a special season for Dixon in a good way. He looked good to start, but he was not quite the top runner we are familiar with seeing. Dixon never got to the level we expected. He had his worst season in over 20 years. The winning streak ended. This ended up being Dixon's final season at Ganassi

What objectively was his best race?

Dixon had one top five finish the entire season. It was third at Long Beach.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is really Long Beach and that was his only respectable race all season. Dixon spent the entire race in the top five and leaped into a podium position through the final round of pit stops. 

What objectively was his worst race?

A hybrid issue took Dixon out at Detroit and he was classified in 24th after he was potentially going to finish in the top five.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It is every race from the Indianapolis 500 onward. Dixon wasn't good this year, and it was something we were not accustomed to seeing. He struggled for speed. Anything that could go wrong did go wrong. Considering how he was running, the unfortunate breaks didn't cost him much. If all the races went without blemish, Dixon may have another two or three top ten finishes, and that is it. It likely would not have got him a position better in the championship, nor would it have gotten him a victory.

If we must pick out one race, Nashville did not look good. Dixon started fifth, but was shuffled backward quickly. Then he hit Alexander Rossi on the back straightway and it led to a penalty. What was hopefully going to be a positive day and possibly a victory was 18th, seven laps down in the final results.

Scott Dixon's 2026 Statistics

Championship Position: 12th (331 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 6
Laps Led: 79
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 6
Average Start: 11.667
Average Finish: 13.333

Kyffin Simpson

The forgotten Ganassi driver, Simpson was hoping to build on a 2025 season where he had more impressive results than anyone expected. It wasn't a case Simpson was a factor everywhere, but on certain weekends he stood above most. That was the case in 2025, and it remained the case in 2026. There were still races where he did as well as you expected, but there were others where he was competitive.

What objectively was his best race?

Simpson picked up two top five finishes this season. The first was his best result of the season. He was fourth at Road America. Simpson did benefit when Christian Rasmussen broke down and brought out a caution, elevating Simpson up the running order after starting 19th.

What subjectively was his best race?

A four-stop strategy allowed Simpson to finish fifth in Washington, D.C. The cautions fell in Simpson's favor that put him on the same cycle as the leaders, and he was able to turn a 23rd starting position into a top five result.

What objectively was his worst race?

Did you know Simpson was running at the finish of every race this season? A mechanical issue cost him at Gateway, but he was able to see the checkered flag, though in 21st.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Hitting a tire in pit lane at Arlington led to a penalty, and the best he could do was 20th. Simpson also had a nondescript weekend in Milwaukee, competing in two races, being mentioned zero times and having finishes of 16th and 19th.

Kyffin Simpson's 2026 Statistics

Championship Position: 13th (327 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 8
Laps Led: 4
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 4
Average Start: 15
Average Finish: 12.944

An Early Look Ahead

We are about to enter a new chapter in Chip Ganassi Racing history not because Scott Dixon is leaving but because of everyone behind the scenes. 

Performance director Chris Simmons and race engineer Ross Bunnell are both leaving the team to join Arrow McLaren. Palou's engineer Julien Robertson is reportedly considering retirement. Chip Ganassi Racing has not become the most successful team in IndyCar history on its drivers alone. The minds on the timing stand and at the shop are immeasurable to this team's success. Three of them could be gone in one offseason. 

It isn't going to sink Ganassi, but it could be a greater challenge to find speed. Palou could be facing a learning curve. Christian Lundgaard is entirely new to this team and he might not be stepping into as sure of a situation as he first thought he was getting. Simpson could become the red-headed stepchild. 

Conventional wisdom would tell us Ganassi will be ok. Bunnell was loaned out to Meyer Shank Racing for the previous two seasons anyway. It is really two people that are changing, two important people, but it is not a complete upheaval within the shop. Mike Hull is still in charge, there are plenty of great minds ready to step up and the team likely has succession plans in mind, but we cannot be surprised if Ganassi isn't as sharp as we are accustomed to seeing in recent years. 

It could still be a successful year, but it just might not be a year where the team wins seven or eight races, pulls out a few races through pit cycles and leapfrogging the leader and there could be days where the team is struggling for speed and none of the three cars can find it. Dare I say it might not even be a championship season in 2027 for this group?

Things will be fine. Palou is going to win a handful of races, and he is still the championship favorite. I don't think it is a guarantee he will repeat what we have seen over the last two years. This could be the opening the rest of the grid was hoping for. 

Timing could not have been less ideal for Lundgaard, joining this team as it is about to face its biggest shakeup possibly ever in team history. It should be an opportunity for him to flourish and challenge Palou. Instead, there will be questions over the makeup of this team behind the scenes. 

It does feel like Ganassi has the best 1-2 combination on the grid. Lundgaard is stepping up a level and if he reading from the same hymn sheet as Palou, Lundgaard should make up some ground. It doesn't mean Lundgaard will surpass Palou. Though he ended 2026 with a good Milwaukee weekend, everyone suspects Lundgaard still has improvements to make on ovals. It should bring Lundgaard closer to Palou and maybe it tips a victory or two into the Dane's favor. 

Next year will be different. Ever since June and the announcement Dixon was leaving, we have all been trying to process what that will look like and adjusting to the idea of Dixon racing elsewhere. It has been a quarter-century since Ganassi didn't have Dixon in its lineup. Ganassi still has an ace though. This isn't a team transitioning without a leader. Palou has been #1 for the last three seasons, lawsuit and all. 

Ganassi has its drivers for the present and future. This change could not have come at a better time. We will fine out if the team is setup to weather whatever changes come next, and they are coming. 

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Andretti Global's 2026 Season

The penultimate IndyCar Wrap-Up takes us to Andretti Global. With a new addition to the driver lineup, expectations were high for Andretti to find its way back to championship form. Overall, it was a pleasant seasons for the group, though not perfect. It did not end in a championship. The team did see an unexpected turnaround from a driver many thought would be dismissed once the 2026 season was over. Instead, the lineup will remain unchanged for 2027.

Kyle Kirkwood

After having his best season in IndyCar in 2025, Kirkwood was hoping for more in 2026. The 2025 season started strongly and it looked like Kirkwood was one of the fewer drivers who could challenge for the championship. Then his second half was rather unimpressive. In 2026, he had a more balanced season, and it led to even better results... just not a championship.

What objectively was his best race?

Kirkwood won a pair of races, and both were inaugural races. At Arlington, Kirkwood drove from seventh to first and he passed Álex Palou in the process to take the victory in the final stint. At Washington, D.C, Kirkwood started second to Palou, but Kirkwood got the jump at the start and went on to lead 128 of 147 laps. After an offensive victory in Arlington, Kirkwood had a defensive victory in Washington, D.C., holding off all challengers.

What subjectively was his best race?

It will hard to be look pass Washington, D.C. because Kirkwood was near-flawless in the inaugural event, and one we may never see again. It was Kirkwood's finest day with heightened attention on IndyCar. Kirkwood passed Palou early, he drove away for a good portion of the race, and when cautions packed the field together, Kirkwood withstood the challenges from Scott McLaughlin and Christian Lundgaard. 

Arlington should be mentioned because Kirkwood was incredible and he had a stellar car. Running down Palou is fantastic no matter who it is. 

What objectively was his worst race?

At Markham, Kirkwood clipped the inside barrier in turn three, just like Louis Foster had earlier in the race, and it sent Kirkwood into the outside barrier. Kirkwood was on the verge of turning around a 22nd-place starting position into a top five result prior to the contact with the barrier.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Markham is probably the worst race, but the Indianapolis 500 should be mentioned because he was 16th at the finish, but Kirkwood was moving forward. The way the cautions fell and pit strategy working for the likes of the Meyer Shank Racing, Santino Ferrucci Romain Grosjean, Takuma Sato and Nolan Siegel among others up the order. Without those strategies working, Kirkwood probably finishes in the top ten.

Kyle Kirkwood's 2026 Statistics

Championship Position: 2nd (545 points)
Wins: 2
Podiums: 6 
Top Fives: 10
Top Tens: 15
Laps Led: 220
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 9 
Average Start: 10.889
Average Finish: 6.777

Marcus Ericsson

Ericsson's first two seasons at Andretti Global were rather disappointing, and 2025 was a concerning step backward, even if it wasn't entirely on the driver. Some hope was lost that Ericsson could be a productive member of the Andretti Global organization. Everyone thought he was destined for dismissal. Ericsson saved his job with elevated results, and helping Andretti Global rise up the pecking order.

What objectively was his best race?

Ericsson ended a 63-race winless streak with victory in Markham after Ericsson erased nearly a six-second gap in the final 21 laps to take the lead with five laps remaining before winning by over seven seconds to Romain Grosjean.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is Markham. Andretti Global was thought to have bungled the strategy having Ericsson pit so late in the race under green flag conditions, but it allowed Ericsson to go harder with fresher tires and take advantage of drivers that had ten to 15-lap older tires. Ericsson still had to navigate a rather unknown circuit and pass a handful of competitors to take the victory. 

Arlington and Gateway should both be recognized. Arlington saw Ericsson score his first career pole position, and though he did not win, Ericsson spent the entire race in the top five and finished fourth. Gateway might have been Ericsson's best race in IndyCar, leading the most laps, but Josef Newgarden got the better of Ericsson though the Swede kept Newgarden honest to the checkered flag and Ericsson was second. 

What objectively was his worst race?

A hybrid issue at Long Beach ended Ericsson's race after 38 laps.

What subjectively was his worst race?

For how well Ericsson's season went, he had a few results escape him. 

At the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, a mechanical issue on his final pit stop ended his race while he was running ninth. At Road America, he was in the running for a top five finish before being shuffled back and going on a few off-track excursions. Ericsson was issued an avoidable contact penalty for contact with Scott Dixon at Mid-Ohio, relegating Ericsson to 21st in the final results. 

Ericsson was 54 points behind Scott McLaughlin for sixth in the championship. I am not sure flipping those three results equal greater than 54 points, but it could have padded his top five and top ten finish totals. 

Marcus Ericsson's 2026 Statistics

Championship Position: 7th (429 points)
Wins: 1
Podiums: 2
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 12
Laps Led: 151
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 5
Fast Twelves: 9
Average Start: 9.889
Average Finish: 10.1667

Will Power

After over 15 years at Team Penske, Power made the switch to Andretti Global for the 2026 season. Power was leaving Penske on a high, and there was hope a new circumstance could vault him upward. That was not the case, and Power had a rocky start to his Andretti tenure. Results did see an uptick in the final portion of the season, and a victory may have slipped through his grasp.

What objectively was his best race?

On five occasions did Power finish third in 2026: Arlington, Road America, Portland, Markham and Washington, D.C.

What subjectively was his best race?

Power looked his most competitive at Markham. Despite starting 25th, Power was moving forward immediately. He looked like a driver capable of winning, but the way the cautions fell took the advantage away from Power. He made his final pit stop with 31 laps remaining, and the difference turn out to be Ericsson being able to stop ten laps later.

What objectively was his worst race?

A gearbox failure ended his Indianapolis 500 after only 91 laps, placing him 29th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

There are two. At Detroit, Power was having his best race of the season before contact with Scott McLaughlin ended Power's day. Both drivers should have been in the top five. Neither were classified better than 19th. 

In the Milwaukee race that started on Sunday, Power was leading when the final pit cycle began. The pit stop was clean. If Power doesn't speed, he emerges from the pit lane in first and he likely wins this race. I would say Milwaukee was worse than Detroit. Milwaukee was set to be a victory. Detroit was a really good day, but at best it would have been a podium finish.

Will Power's 2026 Statistics

Championship Position: 11th (368 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 5
Top Fives: 5
Top Tens: 7
Laps Led: 98
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 6
Average Start: 12.611
Average Finish: 13

An Early Look Ahead

This is one of the few teams that is not changing its driver lineup for 2027, and it should help this group. Everyone should be better. Kirkwood was already better in 2026 when he really needed to make a step after how 2025 ended. Ericsson completely saved his career with this season. I am not sure anyone expected that. Power had plenty of growing pains, but he showed progress.

For many years, the Andretti organization has felt like a team that makes one step forward and then falls two steps back. It hasn't really built upon anything. Things feel different under new management. The investments the team made ahead of 2026 should set it up for a better 2027 and a real chance to achieve more. 

Kirkwood is the leader. For the better part of the last two seasons he has been the one driver to regularly hang with Álex Palou. The only problem is Palou is still able to best Kirkwood more times than not. It feels like Kirkwood had a slight advantage on street courses, but Palou has the clear upper hand on permanent road courses, and ovals may be even. Kirkwood's biggest issue is Palou's worst days are seventh or eighth and Kirkwood's worst days are still somewhere between 15th and 20th. How does he fix that? 

Based on the rest of the competition, Kirkwood is one of the top drivers. He just happens to be racing in the age of Palou where he is unfathomably clear of the rest of the field. 

Ericsson ended 2026 with seven consecutive top ten finishes. He seems to be back to where he was when he was at Ganassi. In 2023, Ericsson had one victory, four top five finishes and 14 top ten finishes. In 2026, Ericsson had one victory, four top five finishes and 12 top ten finishes. This is where Ericsson has been when he is at his best in IndyCar. It is a good place to be. Not many are better, but a few are and the very top is not quite within reach.

Power was his best and worst in 2026. At his best, he was competitive and maybe should have won a race. At his worst, he coughed up results through his own mistakes and the pace continues to fade as his qualifying form is not close to where it once stood. 

Can this team win the championship? 

It will take a lot to overtake Palou, but Kirkwood has the ability to do it if flawless. It would require Kirkwood being on the podium at every street course and finishing ahead of Palou in nearly all of those occasions, winning at least one or twice on road courses and averaging a sixth-place finish on ovals. That is asking a lot but it is not unthinkable that Kirkwood could be at that level.

Power is technically the last driver to beat Palou for a championship, but Power's 2022 season will not get it done in 2027. At his peak, Power could give Palou a run for his money. That time is not now.

As for Ericsson, he has never finished better than sixth in the championship. It is a stretch imaging Ericsson could be the one.

There is one clear contender for this team. Every year, Kirkwood has improved his championship position. He has one spot to go and a long way to reach the top.