Climb aboard with IndyCar’s Golden State warriors

09/09/2022 22:00

California’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca hosts what should be a classic NTT IndyCar Series title showdown this Sunday. Will Power is riding point in the championship standings, but four other drivers are looking to grab the glory in the Golden State.  With everything still to play for among the title contenders, and a long line of potential spoilers all looking to end their seasons on a high, the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey looks set to be an epic. Get ready for 95 laps and 212.61 miles of excitement, drama and tension on a track whose climbs and plunges make for a rollercoaster ride in more ways than one.    Taking you inside the action, 16 drivers will be carrying in-car cameras, and you can live-stream every one of them with the INDYCAR Mobile App Powered by NTT DATA. It’s free to download for fans worldwide, so if you’re not already onboard, take your viewing experience to a whole new level HERE. You choose who you ride along with, and you can switch drivers at any time. Can Will Power grab the podium he needs to secure a second championship? Will one of his closest chasers, Penske teammate Josef Newgarden or Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, take the win and a come-from-behind title? Or how about Laguna Seca phenom Colton Herta making it three wins from three starts in the hills of Monterey County? Grab a ride and find out.     These are the drivers who’ll be running live-streaming in-car cameras at a championship showdown that’s not to be missed. Pick your best seat in the house and enjoy the full-on action… WILL POWER, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet Best Laguna Seca finish: 2nd (2019) If Power finishes on the podium at Laguna Seca, there’s nothing Josef Newgarden, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, or Scott McLaughlin can do to keep him from winning his second NTT IndyCar Series championship. The Aussie (below) sits 20 points clear of Team Penske teammate Newgarden and Chip Ganassi Racing’s — not a comfortable gap by any means, but from 16 races in 2022, he’s finished in the top four a remarkable 11 times, including five thirds, two second places and a win. Another race like that and you could be riding along with the new champion.   JOSEF NEWGARDEN, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet Best Laguna Seca finish: 7th (2021) Finishing ahead of Will Power is only part of the story for Josef Newgarden. Even if Josef wins — which is what he’ll be pushing for, no doubt whatsoever — and grabs every bonus point available, his teammate still gets it done if he finishes third. Climb aboard with Newgarden and you’re guaranteed a spectacular ride — win or bust mode — but keep your eye on Power, too.   SCOTT DIXON, No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda Best Laguna Seca finish: 3rd (2019) Six-time NTT IndyCar Series champ Scott Dixon (below) has experienced just about every way to win a title. Coming from behind to snatch it at the last gasp? Box already ticked on that one. But just like Newgarden, keeping Will Power in his rear-view mirrors isn’t necessarily good enough. Still, Dixon’s been on brilliant form during the second half of the season, so a win and maximum bonus points isn’t a stretch — which should provide a great ride-along. After that, it would be down to Power…   MARCUS ERICSSON, No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda Best Laguna Seca finish: 6th (2021) The second half of the Swede’s 2022 campaign hasn’t reached the heights of the opening weeks, including that ice-cool Indianapolis 500 win. Indeed, he hasn’t been near a podium in the last eight races. But consistent top-10 performances have kept the Ganassi driver in the title frame, albeit 39 points down on Power. Nothing less than utter dominance, along with a dose of cosmic bad luck for the three guys ahead in points, will even come close to a chance at snatching the title — which will probably make for an impressively wild ride if you jump aboard.    COLTON HERTA, No. 26 Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian Honda Best Laguna Seca finish: 2 x WIN (2019, ’21) Herta is the guy they all have to beat at Laguna Seca. He’s won on the NTT IndyCar Series’ last two visits (below, 2021), and another win for the Andretti Autosport driver would sure make Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon’s days more complicated in their pursuit of Will Power. And if this is Herta’s last IndyCar race before making the move to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri in 2023, that’s just extra motivation for him to exit on a high. Hitching a ride with Colton might just be the most exhilarating seat in the place.  ALEX PALOU, No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda Best Laguna Seca finish: 2nd (2021) Out of the title race and still without a 2022 race win, soon to be ex-champ Palou can just go for it on Sunday. Nothing to lose (well, apart from sixth in points to Pato O’Ward — as if that’s going to be top of his mind…), but a lot to gain if he can finish with a win before (probably? Maybe?) moving his helmet bag to Arrow McLaren SP for 2023. Yes, another driver who’ll definitely be worth riding along with.    ALEXANDER ROSSI, No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda Best Laguna Seca finish: 6th (2019) After six seasons and eight race wins — including that rookie season Indy 500 victory in 2016 — this is Rossi’s final race with Andretti Autosport. As another driver with nothing much to place for in the points (unless passing Herta for eighth in the standings and highest-finishing Andretti driver really floats his boat…), the 30-year-old Californian can kick out the jams and go all-out for a winning sign-off. And worth getting onboard with? Totally!   GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda Best Laguna Seca finish: 4th (2021) If you’re looking for a dark horse at Laguna Seca, step forward Graham Rahal. Just like in Toronto, the IMS road course, and last weekend in Portland, the RLL team leader is entirely capable of entering the race day picture by stealth, on-point strategy, and a mega move or two. First podium of the season on the cards? Climb aboard and find out in real time. HELIO CASTRONEVES, No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda Best Laguna Seca finish: WIN (2000) Colton Herta aside, Castroneves is the other past Laguna Seca Indy car winner in the 2022 field. Amazingly, that win came 22 years ago, with Team Penske in the 2000 CART season! That the 47-year-old Brazilian is still racing at the highest level in North American open-wheel racing and, on his day, is still fast on a road course is testament to his continuing drive and motivation. His full season with MSR hasn’t been loaded with highs, but if he can grab a solid top-10 — and maybe more — that’s a positive to take into the off-season. And, of course, he’d be happy to have you ride along. CONOR DALY, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet Best Laguna Seca finish: 16th (2021) It wasn’t so long ago that Daly was looking like ECR’s best bet for a top-10 finish pretty much every weekend. In recent races (as in, everything post-Indy 500), his progress has well and truly stalled. But the Hoosier has shown he can mix it up at the sharp end on road courses — especially in qualifying — so maybe this is the weekend to start putting things back on track before a pause and reset?   PATO O’WARD, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet Best Laguna Seca finish: 5th (2021) Last year, O’Ward was fighting Alex Palou for the championship coming in to Laguna Seca; this year, it’s a battle for sixth in the standings, with the duo separated by a single point. As noted for Palou, too, that’s hardly the motivating factor for the Mexican ace this weekend. Like so many other drivers in the field, his Laguna Seca mission begins and ends with chasing a win. Will a ride-along with Pato be spectacular? Hey, it couldn’t be any other way…   ROMAIN GROSJEAN, No. 28 Andretti Autosport Honda Best Laguna Seca finish:  3rd (2021) Back to the scene of one of his most exciting drives of his 2021 rookie season (below), Romain Grosjean is still looking for a defining performance in 2022. Just two top-10 finishes in the last eight races shows how the Andretti Autosport driver’s momentum has waned in the dog days of summer. But if he can rediscover the barnstorming vibe that carried him to second last year, he could be one to watch — and certainly one to climb aboard with.  FELIX ROSENQVIST, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet Best Laguna Seca finish: 5th (2019) With an influx of new drivers heading Arrow McLaren SP’s way in 2022 (Rossi for definite; Palou if a court-involved tug-of-war goes his way), Felix Rosenqvist has been doing a lot this season to show he belongs at a team aspiring to make IndyCar’s “big three” a “big four.” A win’s proved elusive so far, but if he can qualify in the top six, then evade any title fight-related craziness, one of those podium steps cold be on the cards.     JACK HARVEY, No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda Best Laguna Seca finish: 15th (2021) On the one hand, it’s a season that probably couldn’t end soon enough for Harvey. On the other, joining the dots at Laguna Seca and being in a position to fight for a second top-10 finish of the season would at least send him into the off-season on a positive note. The transition to RLL hasn’t been pretty, with the No. 45 team and driver both way better than the results suggest, but could this be a weekend that finally delivers more than disappointment?          CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD, No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda Best Laguna Seca finish: Rookie After a disappointing weekend in Portland, Lundgaard finds David Malukas breathing down his neck in the battle for Rookie of the Year honors. Only five points separate the pair, but expect the impressive Dane to do what he’s been doing all season on the road courses: getting up to speed amazingly quickly, aiming for the sharp end, and letting the rookie scrap take care of itself.    JIMMIE JOHNSON, No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda Best Laguna Seca finish: 17th (2021) A final chance of the season for Johnson (below) to tune his road racing smarts as the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champ completes his sophomore IndyCar season. As always, the focus is on gaining experience and making laps, ready to come back stronger, but if he can deliver a top-15 finish in the process, that would be a decent way to head into the off-season. Climbing aboard might not get you on the podium, but it will be an interesting ride.  The 2022 Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey goes green at 3:30pm ET on Sunday, Sept. 11. All 16 in-car race cameras will be available for live-streaming on the INDYCAR Mobile App. And for the double-screen experience, watch live race coverage on NBC or Peacock, starting at 3:00pm ET.  Make sure you sign up for the INDYCAR Mobile App Powered by NTT DATA, the official mobile app of the NTT IndyCar Series. In addition to live in-car race cameras, it features live timing and scoring, live driver and pit crew radio transmissions, live points updates, and INDYCAR Radio Network audio streaming during all track activity.  Add in exclusive content, video highlights, spotter guides, easy access for playing the INDYCAR Fantasy Challenge Driven by Firestone, plus loads more great features, and it’s your essential deep dive into the NTT IndyCar Series.  It’s free to download and access, so don’t miss out — CLICK HERE to get started.