There is one certainty this weekend in the Verizon IndyCar Series, a driver with Team Penske will be crowned the champion at the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma.
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Only Power and Simon Pagenaud are mathematically eligible to win the title, with Pagenaud holding a 43-point lead over Power in his pursuit of his first title.
El piloto francés Simon Pagenaud saluda durante las presenctaciones antes del inicio de la carrera del serial IndyCar en Sonoma, California, el domingo 18 de septiembre de 2016.
Roger Penske has sponsorship locked down for three of his IndyCar teams next season, with Menards signing on for 10 races with Simon Pagenaud to drive the bright yellow colors of the home improvement store. The 2016 Verizon IndyCar season is the speedster’s second with Team Penske and seventh in the IndyCar racing series. He did it in dominating fashion by winning the season finale Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, where he needed only a smooth finish to put a wrap on this breakthrough season. Power, in the No.12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, was running second to Pagenaud until a clutch malfunction stopped his auto on track on Lap 36.
Pagenaud led by 44 points, a comfortable but not an insurmountable total given that double points are awarded in the season finale. Now free of the worry that his teammate would jump him on strategy at the first available opportunity, the #22 Penske team ran a three-stop strategy to perfection, outrunning a quick Graham Rahal all while saving fuel en route to a win with an impressive 76 of 85 laps led.
“It’s really an honor to be working with a guy like that and he’s a super-nice guy”. I then started to think, I can go race, have fun, unleash the beast inside and just go for the race win.
During last week’s IndyCar Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, however, Power’s chance to win the champions’ Astor Cup was in question after he made contact with Charlie Kimball’s auto and crashed into the guardrail bordering the track.
“My whole career has been about this day, reaching this level”, Pagenaud said.
“To get third in the championship, this season is over, it’s sad, but I can’t wait for next year to start already”, Castroneves said. “Four race wins. I won a 500-mile race (at Pocono)”. What a race. So much emotion right now to be honest its’ hard to find the words.
GOODBYE TARGET: Scott Dixon didn’t give sponsor Target the send-off it had hoped after 27 years in IndyCar.
Dixon is trying to maintain a streak of finishing third or better in the standings every year since 2007.
MONTOYA MOVING ON? If Sunday was the final race for Montoya driving for Penske, he closed out his tenure on a strong note.
He has accumulated two top five results including a career best finish of third in 2014. He won the season-opener in St. Petersburg, Florida, but had a significant drop-off the rest of the way. Ryan Hunter-Reay was sixth in the No. 28 DHL Honda for Andretti Autosport (1:16.9132, 111.632 mph).
Overall for someone who’s one of the longest-tenured drivers in IndyCar he knows a lot of his stuff, and the things he doesn’t know he’s at least in the ballpark of.
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“Next season we’re coming back stronger than ever”, Castroneves said with a big smile after Sunday’s race.
