The IndyCar season will conclude this weekend in California at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. This is one of the most exciting races of the season, and it has extra value. NTT IndyCar Series champion will be decided Sunday.
Three drivers have a chance of winning the award. Alex Palou is the front-runner, and it’s his title to lose, but anything can happen in IndyCar. The green flag in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is scheduled to wave at 3 p.m. ET.
The Current Points Standings
In IndyCar, drivers have two goals every season. The first is to win the Indianapolis 500, and the second is to be the NTT IndyCar Series championship.
Alex Palou is the current leader with 517 points. He is followed by Pato O’Ward and Josef Newgarden with 482 and 469 points, respectively. Palou has three wins under his belt with nine top-fives. If he finishes 10th or better, he automatically wins the NTT IndyCar Series championship.
O’Ward sits in second, and he still has a realistic chance to win, unlike Newgarden. Newgarden is mathematically in the running, but a lot would need to go his way. O’Ward has stated that it was a good season, but not good enough with one race left.
However, expect him to push hard to give his team a chance to win on Sunday. He said, “We’re here as underdogs. It’s the first time we truly challenged for a championship of this magnitude, with this amount of competitiveness. I mean, I don’t think it’s ever been this stacked. We’re up against multi-time champions. So I think it’s been a fantastic year, I have to say. I mean, I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish. Really proud of how we’ve grown. But we’re not there yet. We need to keep pushing, and we need to keep improving.”
The Course
The Grand Prix of Long Beach is an 85-lap, 167.28-mile race with many overtaking opportunities for drivers. There are 11 turns throughout the temporary street circuit that encircles the Long Beach Convention Center.
This race is similar to Nashville because it’s a weekend-long event with many practice opportunities for the drivers. Nevertheless, anything can happen on temporary street circuits, so do not automatically assume Palou will walk away as the champion.
Who Wins?
There are two bets you can make involving this race. The first is on the winner of the NTT IndyCar Series. This will belong to Palou unless he breaks down or crashes. Palou has been one of the most consistent drivers, so he will be the champion if he finishes.
You should not bet on Palou to win this race because he is in the best position to win the series. Palou has no reason to push hard if he can solidify a top-ten finish. On the other hand, Pato O’Ward needs to win to give himself a chance at the title.
A bet on him is safe because if he does not win, he will likely finish second in the series. This is not the goal of the Arrow McLaren SP driver. Other drivers to consider this weekend are Newgarden and Colton Herta.
Newgarden also needs a win if he wants a series title, but he would need O’Ward and Palou to drop. Herta is coming off a win when his car looked strong. If you are looking to bet online, choose Newgarden on BetUS Sportsbook.
Josef Newgarden finds a way to win, but Palou takes the series title.
