SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

(Photo by James Black/Penske Entertainment)
Alex Palou delivered a dominant performance in his No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing NTT DATA Honda to win the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey NTT INDYCAR SERIES on the 2.238-mile WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday. It was a superb drive by Palou that had him 30 seconds clear of second-place finisher Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet) at the end of the race. Will Power (No. 12 Team Penske Verizon Chevrolet) finished third and won the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship (more below). Watch the race highlights here. 

(Photo by Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment)
By finishing third on Sunday, Will Power, driving the No. 12 team Penske Verizon Chevrolet, won his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship. Power, 41, from Toowomba, Australia, survived varying tire strategies and challenges from rivals to finish third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and clinch his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship, adding to his 2014 title. The championship came just one day after Power set the INDYCAR SERIES career record with his 68th pole, breaking a tie with fellow legend Mario Andretti. “Man, I had to drive the thing today,” Power said. “It was on the edge, very loose. Man, what a relief. What a relief to get that done." Power, won just one race this season, but this was his series-leading 12th top-five finish in 17 races – three more than any other driver. Power and Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda) also were the only drivers to finish every lap this season. That consistency was part of a mental shift this season by Power to take what the car offered each race and not overdrive into mistakes. The newfound, Zen-like focus proved pivotal. “From the beginning (of the season), it was just playing the long game, not necessarily going for the big wins and all that,” Power said. This was the 17th INDYCAR SERIES championship by a Team Penske driver, extending the team’s record. Power beat teammate Josef Newgarden to the crown by just 16 points. Christian Lundgaard earned series Rookie of the Year honors with his fifth-place finish in the No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing PeopleReady Honda. Lundgaard ended with an 18-point gap over David Malukas, who finished 13th today in the No. 18 HMD Honda. Palou will split $10,000 with his Chip Ganassi Racing team and his chosen charity for his victory as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge. 

(Thank you to INDYCAR Media)

(Photo by Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment)
Roger Penske and Will Power celebrate after winning the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship.

(Photo by Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment)
Mario Andretti congratulating Will Power after Power broke Mario's longtime record for pole positions with his 68th on Saturday.

(Formula1.com)
Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) won the 2022 Italian Grand Prix under the Safety Car, with pole-sitter Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) finishing runner-up, as Red Bull denied Ferrari a home victory at Monza. After the paddock paid their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, the mixed-up grid lined up behind Leclerc and fellow front-row starter George Russell (No. 63 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team), both eschewing the general consensus of medium tires to begin on new softs, along with Verstappen, Williams’ debutant Nyck de Vries (No. 23 Williams Racing) and Esteban Ocon (No. 31 BWT Alpine F1 Team). From P7 on the grid, Verstappen made it into the top three by Lap 4 and took P2 off Russell a lap later. The Dutchman then led as, during a Virtual Safety Car (for Sebastian Vettel’s DNF on Lap 12), Leclerc pitted from softs to mediums. Verstappen extended his first stint and swapped for mediums on Lap 26, relinquishing the lead back to Leclerc, who then pitted a second time for soft tires on Lap 33. The Monegasque driver had a tire advantage over Verstappen, but a 20-second deficit to claw back by Lap 53. The Dutchman seemed assured of a comfortable victory until a Safety Car on Lap 48, for the stationary No. 3 McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo. That allowed the top five to pit for softs anticipating a restart. Ricciardo’s car seemed immovable, however, and the ticker reached Lap 53 and the checkered flag with the field behind the Safety Car – giving Verstappen a slim but altogether comfortable victory over Leclerc and allowing Russell to retain the final podium place. Watch the video highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)

(Trans Am)
In his first TA class start of the 2022 season, Justin Marks won the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Franklin Road Apparel Classic at Watkins Glen International in a rain-filled event where the new Pirelli 18-inch rain tire made its impressive debut. Marks (No. 5 Franklin Road Apparel Camaro) started the race from the pole and led every treacherous lap in the wet. Second-place finisher Chris Dyson (No. 20 GYM WEED/ALTWELL Ford Mustang), who has led the point standings since the season opener at Sebring International Raceway, officially clinched the 2022 TA championship. After laying down a new track record in yesterday’s sunny qualifying session, Marks took the green flag under rainy conditions. He instantly opened up a gap on Dyson, which he maintained until the first caution flag of the day waved on lap four. When green-flag racing resumed, Dyson challenged for the lead, but Marks once again pulled ahead of the field with significant speed. The restart on lap 20 gave Dyson one final chance to make the pass for the lead, but Marks’ speed was too great, and Marks pulled out to gap Dyson, who was also now struggling with an obstructed view from windshield fog. With the clock winding down, Marks maintained his lead for the final four laps and crossed the finish line to earn his first-ever Trans Am victory in his ninth-career start. Dyson and Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang) rounded out the podium in second and third, respectively. "Winning is better than losing, isn't it?" said Marks to his young daughters in Victory Lane. “This is awesome. My car was great right off the truck. These Franklin Road Apparel guys at Showtime Motorsports built a really, really great racecar that was prepared super well. I have not driven a TA car at Watkins Glen before, so it was great to be able to get into the car in that first test session and have it just work immediately. These are my favorite racecars in the world. I’ve driven a lot of cool stuff, but there’s nothing that quite compares to Trans Am. We’ve got to get the word out to the world about how amazing this series is, and I’ll certainly do my part. I’m honored and humbled to be able to have a great weekend here.” At the conclusion of the event, Dyson had accrued enough points to clinch his second-career championship in the Trans Am TA class. “We’ve had a lot of good days here, and today was certainly one of the more exciting ones,” said Dyson from the podium. “Justin [Marks] put on a clinic out there. I’m so happy to be here with ALTWELL and GYM WEED joining forces with the series in addition to being on our car. We’re just trying to grow this thing, and if we can keep having weekends like this together, with the competitive fight we have up front, I think this series is just going from strength to strength right now. I’m proud to be here and proud to be a champion.” 

(Trans Am)
Chris Dyson (No. 20 GYM WEED/ALTWELL Ford Mustang) won the 2022 Trans Am Series Championship, his second career Trans Am title. 

Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG