Photo courtesy of James Black | IndyCar
The NTT IndyCar Series heads to its final oval of the 2022 season for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois just outside St. Louis, Missouri.
This final oval represents the 15th of 17 races in a season where the championship points races could not be any tighter.
Team Penske No. 12 driver Will Power leads the championship battle with 450 points, six more than six-time IndyCar champion, Chip Ganassi Racing No. 9 driver Scott Dixon.
Dixon’s two wins this season allowed him to pass Mario Andretti for second on the all-time IndyCar wins list with 53. Power, who sits fifth on that list with 41 wins, will look to tie Michael Andretti for fourth.
Power’s championship hopes will have a much clearer view than most as he will start on pole. Power’s 67th career pole also put him level with an Andretti on an all-time list, tying him with Mario Andretti for the most poles in IndyCar history.
Speeding into the record books.
See the moment where @12WillPower drives his way into #INDYCAR history.@WWTRaceway // @Team_Penske pic.twitter.com/dC2WSszGAo
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) August 19, 2022
Dixon will start sixth alongside teammate and defending champion Alex Palou in Row 3. Palou currently sits fifth in the championship standings with 417 points, 33 points behind Power.
Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson is third in points, 12 points behind Dixon and six behind Power. His view of a championship run will be as good as Power’s, as he will start in the front row in second.
Team Penske No. 2 driver Josef Newgarden will be the first car on Row 2, starting in third. His season-leading four wins this season have him in fourth in the championship race with 428 points, trailing Power by 22 points.
Newgarden will start next to Penske teammate No. 3 Scott McLaughlin who will start fourth. McLaughlin, last year’s Rookie of the Year, began the season with a win at St. Petersburg and added to his tally with a win at Mid-Ohio.
McLaughlin sits sixth in points with 392, 58 points behind Power.
The race at the 1.25-mile track will be 260 laps long, totaling 325 miles.
The Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at World Wide Technology Raceway is set to begin on Saturday, August 20 at 6 p.m. ET. The race can be watched on USA Network and listened to on SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the IndyCar app powered by NTT DATA.
Starting Lineup:
