+++
.
Every year for decades now, the IndyCar season comes to the finale with the championship as yet unresolved. Such is the case again this season, as five drivers arrived at Laguna Seca with the hope that in a few days they will come away as the 2022 Champion, as we do…
The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey
.
.
.
.
The venue for the race is one of North America’s most famous tracks, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, nestled in the hills near the site of old Fort Ord Army base on California’s Monterey Peninsula. Built in 1957, the 2.238 mile track has 11 turns and an elevation difference from start to finish of 300 feet. One of those turns may be the most famous turn in American racing - The " Corkscrew" at Turns 8 and 8a, where the bottom drops out as cars lose altitude on their way back to the front straight and the start / stop line and pit-in entrance. (The Corkscrew is circled in red in the pic above, at the top). Laguna Seca, which sees lots of SportsCar and motorcycle races as well as open wheel, is a difficult track to master, but mostly because it hasn’t been repaved in a long time, making the level of grip very, very low. It’s scheduled for a new surface sealing in the off-season, but that won’t help the IndyCar drivers who will be on it, this weekend.
.
.
.
.
The 2022 championship chase is down to five drivers, in order of points:
1 - Will Power, Team Penske, 523
2 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 503
3 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 503
4 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 484
5 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 482
.
.
.
In addition to crowning the 2022 IndyCar Champion, the Road to Indy will also crown the 2022 Indy Lights Champion, this weekend. The current points leader is Sweden’s sophomore Linus Lundqvist for HMD Motorsports, who is 103 points ahead of veteran Matthew Brabham for Andretti Autosport. Linus needs only to score points in the 1st race of the series double-header, this weekend, to WIN the title.
.
Linus Lundqvist - on his way to the title
.
.
.
Fans in attendance will get to see the Indy Lights race on Saturday and Sunday while the IndyCars will race on Sunday. In between now and then will be practice and qualifying for both series. Let’s GET THIS GOING!!!
.
.
.
M