As the NTT INDYCAR SERIES prepares for not only the second half of the 2024 season but also the introduction of the new hybrid systems, here at Paddock Eye, we thought we would take a look at how things are shaping up in the championship ahead of the Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course.
It comes as no surprise that Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou is leading the championship right now. The defending series champion took a dominant victory last time out at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, becoming the second repeat race winner of the season after his teammate Scott Dixon. As a result of his victory, Palou heads to Mid-Ohio with a 23-point lead in the championship over second-placed Will Power, while six-time Series champion Scott Dixon is 32 points behind Palou.
This season, six winners from three teams have been seen in the eight points-paying races. Two teams showed a huge improvement in 2024 compared to last season: AJ Foyt Racing, which is seeing the benefits of its technical alliance with Team Penske, and Juncos Hollinger Racing, which last time outscored its best result to date, with Romain Grosjean coming home in fourth place.
Regarding who has been disappointing this season, you would have to look at Josef Newgarden. Winning the Indianapolis 500 this year has been the highlight of his season; however, outside of that, the Team Penske driver has struggled and, as a result, finds himself with 181 points, 104 points behind leader Palou.
Arrow McLaren has also had a tough season. Despite winning the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg presented by RP Funding in March, the team has endured a tough time this season, with Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi in sixth and seventh place, respectively. Despite this, Rossi did score his first podium of the season last time out at Laguna Seca, where he finished third behind Colton Herta.
Arrow McLaren, through no fault of their own, had the added complication of having a revolving seat in the No.6 Chevrolet after David Malukas, who they signed over the off-season, suffered a broken wrist while mountain biking and was forced to miss the first eight events. They had Callum Ilott and Theo Pourchaire in the seat before signing Nolan Siegel for the rest of the season and into 2025. David Malukas has found a new home with Meyer Shank Racing alongside Felix Rosenqvist.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out with the new Hybrid system. Many in the paddock feel that it won’t make any significant difference to the order.
Speaking to Paddock Eye last week ahead of the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, Bobby Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing expressed his disappointment at his team’s lack of hybrid testing, but he is not concerned that this will affect the team’s performance for the rest of the season.