IndyCar rolls into Mid Ohio this weekend, the 2.5 mile course has been in indycar since 1980, and every year bar one since 2007. It’s one of the country’s premier racing courses and loved by many! This race is also Graham Rahal’s home race, and he usually goes well around here, given the no 15’s road pace this year it looks like a welcome homecoming is in store!
The Championship Outlook
- Alex Palou 374
- David Malukas -60
- Kyle Kirkwood -61
- Christian Lundgaard -77
This is going to be a fascinating battle, Palou has been the road course king for several years but has recently seen uncharacteristic mistakes creep in while Lundgaard has now won the last events, is the Dane IndyCar’s best road racer? His last to first (first time in 25 years) suggests so, as he fights for his seat and jumps into the championship picture.
David Malukas in the Team Penske car should go well around here, that first win is long overdue, and he has some momentum behind him after another 2nd place finish. Kyle Kirkwood on the other hand is just trying to survive, Andretti is not up to it on road courses but he has been limiting the damage excellently.
My Pick: Christian Lundgaard
The boring answer is Lundgaard or Palou, but he has been the best on roads this year, seems really in his stride and coming off an amazing victory. Has has also done well in the past starting 2nd, finishing 3rd last year and having 3 top 10’s in four starts at Mid Ohio.
Dark Horse: Marcus Armstrong
Is he really a dark horse? He dominated Road America, i think he’ll be able to bounce back and what has impressed me this year is extreme consistency in the P6-10 position regardless of track in a MSR Honda which is probably the 5th best team on the grid.
Pressure is On: Scott Dixon
A lot has been said this week about the Kiwi’s future, a win here would prove the everyone he still has it but a slip up may derail his plans. Leading rumours suggest he is off to McLaren, my opinion remains he will retire. I believe this weekend will be a key part of how the narrative develops. He has won here 7 times including last year so the “Dixie Magic” is still very alive. It’s so impressive how he has remained this competitive for all these years, and his driver market situation will cause a frenzy of dominio’s to topple.
Steer Clear: Josef Newgarden
His stats here do not bode well, since winning from pole in 2021 he has just 1 top 10 and a best start of P14. He is also playing hurt which never helps, transitioning to right foot braking like this will kill any confidence or feeling he has in the car and as Hinch once said “running at 95% you will finish last.”
written by Carlos Faria // Media Credit: Penske Entertainment
