WEST ALLIS, Wisconsin – It could have been a day that turned the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series Championship upside down. It could have flipped the leader of the series with the driver who appeared to be a lock for a second-straight championship.
Instead, it was, “Much ado about nothing.”
Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing entered Sunday’s second race of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s at the Milwaukee Mile with a 43-point lead over Team Penske’s Will Power.
Both drivers are fighting it out for their third career IndyCar championship.
Palou could have locked up the championship if he left Sunday’s race with a 55-point lead over Power with one race remaining, the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway on September 15.
Before Sunday’s race even started, a shock went through this old, venerable facility that has featured auto racing since 1903, IndyCar racing since 1939. This weekend was its first IndyCar racing on the Milwaukee Mile since 2015.
The shock came when Palou’s No. 10 DHL Honda was dead on the track before the race ever started.
The car had no power and no electricity. Early reports indicated a hybrid failure, and then was changed to a dead battery, and then after the race, speculation that it might indeed be a hybrid issue.
Regardless, Palou’s Honda was towed back to the IndyCar garage where Chip Ganassi Racing was able to fully recharge the electrical system and send Palou back into the race 28 laps down.
At that point, it appeared Power was in firm control of the championship. A top finish would allow him to wipe out Palou’s lead and give the Team Penske driver a slight edge heading the Nashville.
But 131 laps later came the aftershock.
Power’s No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet spun out of Turn 4 on its own. The spin slightly damaged the front wing and flat spotted the tires on Power’s Team Penske machine, sending him to pit lane.
After one pit stop to change all four tires, then another pit stop to change the front nose and wing, Power dropped two laps down.
He would ultimately get back on the lead lap near the end of the race and finish 10th.
It was a tremendous missed opportunity for Power as Palou finished 19th.
Instead of losing the points lead to Power, Palou only lost 10 points and takes a 33-point lead over Power into the final race of the season at Nashville Superspeedway.
Neither driver wanted to hear about “woulda, coulda, shoulda” after the race.
“Yeah, I just spun up … just spun up,” Power told NBCSports.com after the race in the Team Penske paddock. “Nothing more to it.
“I guess it just spun, got a bit of a bump and away she went.”
Power admitted it was a tremendous opportunity that slipped away.
“Oh, big time, big time,” Power said. “God, I had the opportunity there and gave it away again.
“It is still doable to win the championship at Nashville, but Alex needs to have so much bad luck.
“It’s tough for me. I could have been so much better.
“It’s so (expletive) tough.”
Palou, normally the coolest driver on the track who has an engaging personality and friendly smile, showed a rare sign of negative emotion.
His eyes were intense, but slightly watery, and his face a bit red, perhaps from the heat, or maybe from a bit of anger at how his big day slipped away before the start of the race.
“It could have been a lot worse, but it could have been a lot better as well,” Palou told NBCSports.com. “Obviously a sad day, but I managed to recover some points at the end by getting the car out.”
When asked what happened, Palou said he still doesn’t know.
“It just wouldn’t run, the car was shut down,” Palou said. “I don’t want to say because I’m not 100 percent. I would say battery, but I really don’t know.
“It was all out of our control. Everything ran perfectly after yesterday. We did our install lap this morning. The guys did an amazing job last night rebuilding the car to make sure everything was perfect today.
“Some energy, I don’t know if it was the hybrid or the battery, but something with energy didn’t allow us to run.”
The numbers still add up for Palou at Nashville Superspeedway. He simply needs to stay a few positions behind Power, and he will become the first back-to-back IndyCar Series champion since Dario Franchitti won three-straight from 2009-11.
“It’s hard work,” Palou said. “I’ve never been there. Some teams tested twice.
“We’ll see.”
Palou could be proud that Chip Ganassi Racing did not give up.
“We never give up and that is why the team wins so many championships,” Palou said. “We knew we were not fighting for the race when we were 20 laps down, but we could gain some positions there and didn’t give up.
“I couldn’t change anything that was going on.”
But Palou’s miserable day turned into a simple bad day when he came out of Turn 4 and saw Power’s spin on Lap 131.
“Will Power was good enough to screw up himself,” Palou said.
Immediately after the race, Power was asked about the moments leading up to the spin.
“It was like a faster than normal restart,” Power said. “Or maybe it was because I was starting back there. I was in second gear and just caught me by surprise.
“Did not expect that.
“I was really happy to keep it off the wall and not get hit by anyone.
“Yeah, we lost a lap changing that wing, so I don’t know what that was.
“Long shot now. God gave us a chance there and I kind of let it go. That’s the season, man, you just can’t have those mistakes. It’s going to be a bit hectic on those restarts. We were back there. So maybe it would have been better to stay out. I don’t know.”
Racing is a strange game sometimes.
Just when it looked like Palou would lose the lead and Power would be in control, Power’s spin put it back in Palou’s control.
“It’s a sport,” Palou said. “We tried everything. We were getting happier and happier getting more points, one point, one point.
“It was not a great day but could have been a lot worse, could have been a lot better obviously but on to Nashville.
“I’m very happy, but very sad and frustrated for the day that we had but when I wake up Monday, I’ll be a lot happier that we have a championship to win at Nashville.
“I’m pumped. I’m pumped because I have a chance to win another championship.
“I like the pressure. I enjoy the competition, having to do good. That is why we are here in this sport.”