Double points IndyCar finale makes Newgarden lead 'uncomfortable'
IndyCar leader Josef Newgarden says he is not "very comfortable" heading into the final round with a 41-point margin over prime rival Alexander Rossi given the series' double points system
Usually an IndyCar race win awards 50 points, but the bigger score available for Laguna Seca later this month means Andretti Autosport driver Rossi can still overcome his Penske rival by winning with Newgarden outside the top five.
At Portland last week both drivers suffered disappointing qualifying sessions - Rossi lining up seventh, Newgarden 13th - but they recovered to finish third and fifth respectively.
"We just need to have a better weekend in Laguna," said 2017 champion Newgarden.
"Obviously, it's still going to be quite tough with the double points.
"If it wasn't double points I think it would be a lot easier, but double points is going to make it difficult.
"Sixty [points lead] would have been better. Well, really 70. Seventy would have been nice. Heck, 90. Ninety would have been lovely!
"No, it's honestly not enough with double points. It's just not. I don't think we're very comfortable."
Newgarden, who has scored four wins this year to Rossi's two, said he does not expect any team to arrive at Laguna Seca with an advantage because it is a new venue for most of the drivers and many current personnel.
A test on the Thursday before the race, which will be the first at Laguna Seca to feature Indycars since 2004 (pictured above), effectively turns the finale into a four-day event.
"Because we have test days there coming up before the race weekend, it kind of equals out for everybody," he said.
"I don't think anyone has an advantage.
"With it being new, I don't know that that helps us. It brings more unknowns. I think it's more of a variable that it's a brand new circuit essentially because it's been so long since we've been there.
"New car, new tyres - it's all different from last time. It's essentially a new circuit. We don't really know what it's going to bring.
"I don't think that helps us; I think it's a wildcard if anything.
"We'll just take all the time we can to get better and talk about it and research it and just try and be prepared for when we show up.
"The Thursday helps a lot. We've got a full test day there before the weekend. That kind of gives you a lot of time to get in the mode that you need to be for the finale."
Previous article
SPM's Schmidt thinks Ericsson "pretty pissed" at F1 Spa events
Next article
Montoya's memories of a lost rival and rising star
Indy500: Starting grid
IndyCar: Colton Herta takes victory at St. Pete
Barber IndyCar: Lap 1 Crash
Barber IndyCar: Palou wins at Birmingham
Why Grosjean's oval commitment shows he's serious about IndyCar
One of motorsport’s worst-kept secrets is now out in the open, and Romain Grosjean has been confirmed as an Andretti Autosport IndyCar driver in 2022. It marks a remarkable turnaround after the abrupt end to his Formula 1 career, and is a firm indication of his commitment to challenge for the IndyCar Series title
Why IndyCar’s longest silly-season is still far from over
OPINION: The 2021 IndyCar silly season has been one of the silliest for many years, as many talented drivers remain in play – with new pieces to the puzzle being added all the time. Here's what we know so far about who will end up where in 2022
Why IndyCar's generational shift isn't as stark as it appears
OPINION: The rise of two drivers racing only their second full-season IndyCar campaigns to head the points with four races to go has led to some observers doubting the credentials of the old guard. But they haven't faded away, there's merely a deeper talent pool that is helping to make this season one of the best in recent years
The F1 champion who became an Indy king in his second career
Emerson Fittipaldi’s decision to go racing with his brother led to him falling out of F1, but he bloomed again on the IndyCar scene. NIGEL ROEBUCK considers a career of two halves
The lasting legacy of a fallen Indycar rookie
Jeff Krosnoff was plucked out of obscurity to become a respected and highly popular professional in Japan, and then got his big break in Indycar for 1996. But a tragic accident at Toronto 25 years ago cut short a promising career and curtailed his regular team-mate Mauro Martini's passion for racing
The two key areas where Dixon needs to re-assert his authority
OPINION: Having been Chip Ganassi Racing's IndyCar focal point for the best part of a decade, Scott Dixon has been so far outgunned by new team-mate Alex Palou in 2021. After finishing behind the Spaniard at his traditional happy hunting ground at Mid-Ohio, Dixon has work to do to assume his traditional position in the team and the standings
The winners and losers of IndyCar 2021 so far
At the halfway point in the 2021 IndyCar Series season, we've had seven winners in eight races, spread between five teams – none of them Team Penske. In this unusual season, even by IndyCar standards, who’s excelling and who’s dragging their heels?
Castroneves: How I kept it under control to make Indy 500 history
Helio Castroneves’ overwhelming vivaciousness outside the cockpit belies a hardcore racer who knows how to plot his moves – and then recall it all. A day after his fourth Indy 500 win, he explained his tactics
