It feels so good to be home, welcome to Canada! It’s always an exciting time of year when IndyCar is in town, though with the move from Toronto’s exhibition place to Markham, Ontario it feels strange. This has been one of my favourite stops on the calendar forever, apart from home race bias the atmosphere looks phenomenal and it has produced some really great moments. This year, we move to Markham, the new 2.19 temporary street course will play host to a 90 lap thriller in the first of back-to-back inaugural races!
The standings
Alex Palou holds a stranglehold on the grid with 110 points in hand, he could miss these next two races and still be leading. This weekend could be one more nail to secure him the title, and if history tells us anything, although he has never won in Canada he has done well and on new circuits is pretty strong. His closest competitor is Kyle Kirkwood who will be praying back to back street courses give him a shot at the title, or at the very least consolidates p2 in the championship
My Pick to win: Will Power
Power came into Portland with high expectations, but Andretti’s historical struggles and the season thus far left us wondering when it would come together. A 4th place finish gives me confidence and given this is Andretti’s track type, I imagine it will be Power V Kirkwood for the win
A Darkhorse: Louis Foster
RLL is usually strong on street courses, teammate Rahal sits 8th in street points whilst Foster is P11, his progression has been strong and let’s not forget this car/team WON in Toronto in 2023 with Christian Lundgaard behind the wheel.
Pressure is on: Scott McLaughlin
It has been a troublesome year for the thirsty three’s as they’ve been quiet all year, and he has struggled to match his team Penske teammates, of breakout star David Malukas & oval king Josef Newgarden. But Scotty sits 6th in street points and hopes to turn things around in Canada.
Steer clear: Marcus Armstrong
It’s heartbreaking to watch Armstrong’s slide, ever since his gut punching loss in Road America it all seems to have gone arie, MSR is strong on street courses but momentum is not on the Kiwi’s side after his 2nd consecutive dnf and it has been 4 races since his last top 10.
written by Carlos Faria // Media Credit: Penske Entertainment
