Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...
The MotoGP championship lead did not switch hands, but it did tighten up, and the Moto3 championship was claimed. David Alonso clinched the Moto3 crown with his tenth victory of the season in Motegi. It was Alonso's third consecutive victory. Every winner at Talladega this weekend scored their first victory of the season, and accidents did happen. Two teams, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports filed an anti-trust lawsuit against NASCAR. Race of Champions is teasing it might be back. Let's see where that goes. There was an endurance race at Indianapolis, but the main series that calls Indianapolis home was on my mind, and I was thinking about points.
Should IndyCar Award More Points for a Victory?
During the final days of the IndyCar season, I was wondering if IndyCar needed to "Palou proof" its championship.
Until his battery failed on the pace laps for the second Milwaukee race, it appeared Álex Palou would not only lock up his second consecutive championship but lock it up with a race to spare and after 15 years with every championship going undecided into the final race, IndyCar was looking at the second consecutive year with a dead-rubber season finale to cap off its season.
As much as we should appreciate driving brilliance, brilliance doesn't draw the crowds. That might be unfortunate to hear, but people are not showing up to recognize clinical greatness. We do that when it is too late and wish we had done so earlier.
It also doesn't help when Palou's greatness is rather consistent. What Palou does is incredible, but no one is showing up to watch someone finish fourth or fifth every week. It wins a championship, but no one shares stories about how great it was to see someone finish fifth.
If Palou was dominating, truly dominating, winning seven, eight, nine races a season and doing something we have done seen in decades, that might be one thing, but the suffocating nature of finishing fourth or fifth and making it difficult for the competition to claw any points back who cannot match Palou's consistency and he never has a bad day is not sexy. It is efficient, but it isn't why people tune in.
Winning should matter, and we remember winners. We celebrate A.J. Foyt for winning 67 races in a career and his most memorable season was when he won seven consecutive races to open a season and ten of 13 races in 1964. Al Unser, Jr.'s 1994 season is not only remembered because he won the Indianapolis 500 with the most historic car of the last 30 years but because he also won half the races that year. Juan Pablo Montoya left an impression for winning seven races as a rookie while winning the championship.
Championships are good, but claiming a championship with two victories isn't really all that awe-inspiring. Palou is one of the best in IndyCar, but his style isn't enough to impressive outsiders.
This year's championship did go to the season finale, but despite two drivers having a shot at the championship in Nashville, this finale didn't really generate a buzz. The title was between Palou and Will Power, two drivers both looking for their third championships and they had each won the title in the previous two seasons. Power has been a name for a long time. It was a generational meeting for the championship, but it didn't really draw the viewers.
The race was against an NFL Sunday, but that hasn't stopped people from tuning in before, at least more than the 483,000 viewers that NBC drew for Nashville. It was slightly down from Laguna Seca the year before, 528,000 viewers for a dead-rubber on NBC, which was actually better than 507,000 viewers for the 2022 Laguna Seca season finale when the championship was undecided. This finale was also an oval race at Nashville, something that we are always told are more exciting and what people want to see.
People want to see the unknown, but they also don't want to see the inevitable. It was Palou vs. Power, but it felt inevitable it would go to Palou.
Palou had to finish ninth or better to clinch the championship, something that felt like a cinch for the Catalan driver to accomplish. It also felt inevitable because Power basically had to finish first or second to win the title. The only way Power could win the championship by finishing third was with at least three bonus points scored and that would mean Palou had to finish 25th or worse with no bonus points scored.
There was a path for Power to claim the championship, though a rather narrow one.
What should IndyCar do to make the championship more undecided in the finale?
IndyCar did double points and it was met with backlash. A playoff is out of the question. A natural way to do it is to increase how many points are paid for a victory.
There is nothing chiseled in stone that a victory must be worth 50 points. There is nothing that says second-place must be worth 80% of a victory. If you want drivers to care about winning, make winning worth more. If you want winning races to truly decide a championship, make winning worth more.
This was not a season where Palou was crushing the competition. He only won two races. Entering the season finale, Palou was going to at best create a four-way tie for most victories this season. Power had three victories and had a shot at the title. Scott McLaughlin and Patricio O'Ward each won three times and their title hopes were extinguished before arriving to Nashville.
This was the second time in three seasons the championship did not win at least three races. Power won the 2022 title with only one race victory. Prior to this period, every champion since 2002, regardless of if it was CART, Champ Car, the Indy Racing League or post-reunification, had won at least three races.
Here is my thought: Increase the points for first-place to 75 points. Also, increase the bonus points for the most laps led to three bonus points.
This makes a victory worth 50% more than it is now, and it makes second-place worth only 53.333% of a victory. There is a big incentive to go for a victory over finishing second.
The increase in bonus points also makes the maximum a nice round number. Why is the current maximum points total 54? Make leading the most laps worth three points that way if a driver leads the most laps from pole position it would be a maximum of 80 points. It would also make the most points that could be made up in a race 75 points, another easy number to understand, much easier than 49.
Increasing the points payout for a victory, opens the door. More must be done to clinch the championship early. It is unlikely a bunch of fifth-place finishes will be enough.
Let's apply it to this season. Every race winner would be getting 25 more points. Each driver that led the most laps would get an additional point.
Adjusting the points, Palou would still be the championship leader entering the season finale, but he would only be nine points ahead of Power, instead of 33. McLaughlin would be realistically alive as McLaughlin would only be 23 points behind Palou, instead of the 50 points he was trailing by and would be eliminated as soon as Palou started the Nashville race.
Two of the drivers that would enter the finale tied for the most victories would each have a great shot at the championship. And it wouldn't be the case of having to finish first or second just to have a prayer.
Power could win the championship with a third-place finish and Palou finishing seventh. Power could win the championship finishing 15th and Palou finishing 25th. It wouldn't necessarily take Power needing a great day and Palou having his worst day for the championship to swing. Both drivers could have good days but for one driver it not be enough.
Of course, Power had his seatbelt issue and that kept him from ever really competing for the championship in the finale, but the door opens up. Inevitability dissipates, and there would have still been the third option in Scott McLaughlin. McLaughlin could win the championship with a race victory, regardless of where Palou or Power finished. McLaughlin could finish fifth and take the championship in the scenario where Power finished 15th and Palou finished 25th. There would be plenty of possibilities to watch for.
With these points-paying adjustments, Palou would have claimed the title by 12 points over McLaughlin. Any change in the system would make everyone race differently, but in the case of Nashville, McLaughlin would have had greater incentive to go for the victory. It would have been a more compelling finale to watch if a driver who could end the season with the most victories had a shot at the title as two of his championship rivals struggled.
The drivers that have won the most should have a shot at winning the championship. You need to make success in the first 16 races standout. People remember winners. That is who we celebrate and spray champagne for. Consistency is good, but winning should carry a little extra weight when it comes to deciding a championship. It is not perplexing as to why a driver who has won the most races in a season has a chance at the championship. That makes sense. There is nothing wrong in leaning into making it more likely the drivers that win the most have a better chance at the title.
Philosophy aside, with IndyCar entering a new television partnership, it is important to keep the series compelling. Making winning worth more only benefits the series and increases the incentives for drivers to take first over second or third or fourth. Palou should be commended for how he has won championships, but increasing the worth of a race victory would go a long way to making a more compelling championship each season. A race victory should feel momentous toward a championship, more so than finishing fourth or fifth for three consecutive races.
IndyCar should not be afraid to evolve and increase the reward for winning. Good finishes will still be good finishes, but there is nothing wrong with incentivizing finishing first even more.
Champions From the Weekend
You know about David Alonso, but did you know...
Charlie Weerts clinched the Intercontinental GT Challenge championship with a victory in the Indianapolis 8 Hour in the #31 Team WRT BMW with Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde.
The #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche of Adam Adelson and Elliot Skeer clinched the GT World Challenge America championship with a runner-up finish in the Indianapolis 8 Hour.
The #7 ACR Motorsports Porsche of Kay van Berlo and Curt Swearingin clinched the GT4 America Pro-Am championship.
Johnny O'Connell clinched the GT America championship.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about the Indianapolis 8 Hour, but did you know...
Francesco Bagnaia won MotoGP's Japanese Grand Prix and the sprint race. The grand prix victory was Bagnaia's eighth of the season. Manuel González won the Moto2 race, his first career victory. Moto3 race.
The #68 Smooge Racing Toyota of Tyler Gonzalez and Corey Lewis and the #89 RENNtech Motorspots Mercedes-AMG of Matheus Leist and Michael Auriemma split the GT4 America races from Indianapolis. Justin Rothberg swept the GT America races.
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. won the NASCAR Cup race from Talladega. Sammy Smith won the Grand National Series race. Grant Enfinger won the Truck race.
Coming Up This Weekend
IMSA concludes the season at Petit Le Mans.
The Bathurst 1000.
NASCAR runs around the Charlotte roval.
Super Formula will race at Fuji.
World Superbike will race at Barcelona.
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup runs at Barcelona.
