From Newgarden’s Bizarre Season To Palou Clinching: What To Know About Laguna Seca

NTT INDYCAR SERIES: From Newgarden’s Bizarre Season to Palou Clinching – What to Know About Laguna Seca

Published Jul. 25, 2025, 5:55 p mnl168net register.m. ET

Bob Pockrass – FOX Motorsports Insider

MONTEREY, Calif. — When a track features a section called the “Corkscrew,” you can bet it’s located in wine country and requires some serious skill to navigate. Such is the case for the racetrack situated around 90 minutes south of San Jose.

Fans will watch the cars tackle The Corkscrew during the NTT IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Monterey on June 23, 2024, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, CA. This weekend, the green flag drops at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where INDYCAR drivers will race for 95 laps on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on FOX. The 11-turn, 2.238-mile track was a regular on the circuit in the 1980s and 1990s, making its return in 2019 after a 15-year hiatus. Since then, in the five races held, Alex Palou and Colton Herta have each won twice at Laguna Seca, with Scott Dixon securing one win. The track was repaved in 2023.

Here Are a Few Things You Need to Know This Weekend:

Alex Palou Can’t Clinch, But …

While Alex Palou cannot clinch the title this weekend, he’s currently 99 points ahead of Pato O’Ward after dropping 30 points to him last week in Toronto. To clinch the title, Palou must finish 162 points ahead of O’Ward, with three races still remaining after this weekend, and the maximum points achievable in a weekend is 54. However, there’s a catch.

Each driver earns five points for starting a race. This means if Palou can maintain a 147-point lead over O’Ward, all he has to do is start the final three races. To achieve that, Palou would need to secure maximum points—by winning the pole and the race—while O’Ward would have to finish at the back of the pack.

“You never know what can happen,” Palou said Friday morning. “We’ve experienced weekends where you could lose 30 to 35 points to your closest competitor 777mini casino login register. We can’t afford weekends like that.” He added, “Although it can happen, we’ve been really fortunate with our strategies and races this year. We need to aim to get back on form and perform well during the race.”

Pato O’Ward Keeps the Pressure On

Pato O’Ward is determined to keep the competition close. “I think I can do it,” O’Ward stated. “Is it going to be easy? Not at all. But we’re trying to make this an interesting contest for everyone while keeping ourselves in the game.”

Newgarden’s “Bizarre” Season

Josef Newgarden expressed that he initially feared he had broken his hands during the crash in Toronto after Jacob Abel’s car ended up on top of his. “I don’t know what you do,” Newgarden said. “On a street course, if someone’s wrecking into the wall, you have little time to react. Sometimes, you just can’t do anything.” He added, “Maybe I shouldn’t be back there, but you never know when you’ll find yourself in that position.” Newgarden, who has faced multiple challenges this season, currently sits 16th in the standings.

“This season has been bizarre,” Newgarden reflected. “I can’t even describe it. It is what it is. jaja santiago siblings I can only control what I can control, as can my team. I doubt this situation will last forever, but I honestly don’t know what will happen next. If it does remain like this, though, it’s been quite the ride.”

Rinus VeeKay Rides a Wave of Momentum

VeeKay recently scored his first podium finish of the season by finishing second in Toronto—his best finish since 2021 and the first podium for the Dale Coyne Racing team since 2023. “That was a fantastic podium,” VeeKay mentioned. “It’s been a long time coming, but our qualifying performances have been poor. We often found ourselves starting from 18th place or lower, making it challenging to reach the podium.” He noted, “We needed to qualify well in Toronto and managed to qualify ninth, which positioned us well for an alternate strategy to improve our standing.”

Look Out for Kyffin!

Kyffin Simpson, Palou’s teammate, also comes into the weekend with positive momentum after achieving a career-best third place in Toronto. Moving up from 21st in the standings last year as a rookie to 14th this year marks a significant improvement for him.

“Everything’s falling into place for us,” Simpson shared. “We still have work to do on the ovals, but we’re looking good on road and street courses.”

Santino Ferrucci Ready to Race

Santino Ferrucci missed the recent race in Toronto, as his team opted not to rush a backup car and he was tending to a bruised hand. However, he traveled 1,700 miles from Texas to California in his fifth-wheel mobile home, arriving in the paddock on Thursday and indicating he’s ready to race. The team has furnished a protective piece for his hand.

“It’s to ensure I don’t hit my hand and re-injure it,” Ferrucci said. “I’ve regained about 90 to 95 percent of my strength. I can definitely feel it, but I’ll be fine to race. I’m ready and pumped to be back on the track here in Laguna.” Ferrucci currently ranks 12th in the standings for A.J. Foyt Racing.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports broadcasting tv news script example. With decades of experience covering motorsports, he has attended over 30 Daytona 500s and has worked with ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine, and The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming race at Laguna Seca?

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