Palou wins race, Power takes championship as IndyCar season wraps at Laguna Seca.

Josef Newgarden could only shake his head after Sunday’s IndyCar series finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“We tried today, for sure,” he says. “Alex was tough to catch.”

Impossible might be a more accurate description. Alex Palou led 67 of the 95 laps. And after claiming the lead for the second time of the day with 22 laps remaining, he waved goodbye to the rest of the field and opened an astonishing 30-second gap over Newgarden.

Even Palou appeared surprised by his performance in the NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

“We were strong in warm up, but I didn’t know it was that strong,” he remarks.

While the win belonged to the young Spanish driver, the day—and the season—went to Will Power. The 41-year-old Australian veteran entered the day needing third place or better to ensure the season points title. After leading in the early stages, Power’s Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet began to struggle with grip. Yet Power clung to third spot, holding off a charging Felix Rosenqvist.

It was Power’s second career IndyCar season championship, the other coming in 2014. It also capped a weekend in which he eclipsed the legendary Mario Andretti by capturing his 68th career pole position.

“What a great weekend all around,” Power says, adding that it wasn’t an easy ride.

Newgarden, who was one of five drivers with a mathematical chance to win the championship on Sunday, muscled by Power on lap 46 to put his Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet into second.

Power admits that watching his teammate streak away was a nervous moment.

“Josef and I were on the same tires and he pulled 12 seconds on me,” Power points out. On the final set of tires, however, his car calmed down. “The car was really good in the last stint. It started to look good with 10 [laps] to go.”

For Newgarden, the outcome raised a question of what might have been. During Saturday’s opening qualifying session, the Knoxville, Tennessee native spun his car in the Corkscrew and became wedged. Unable to return to the track, he started Sunday’s race 25th in a 26-car field.

“It was just a mistake,” Newgarden says of the incident in qualifying. “I turned in too early. The spin was the nail in the coffin.”

Still, through tire strategy and a series of passes using the whims of the Corkscrew to his advantage, Newgarden passed 24 competitors on the undulating 11-turn, 2.2 miles circuit.

“We came up short,” he says, adding “I’m elated for the 12 car [Power].”

Despite the 30-second gap, Palou also faced some challenges. A grid penalty for an unapproved engine change bumped him from fifth starting position to 11th.

“We struggled a bit during the whole weekend, and I don’t know what happened today,” he notes. “The grip level [at Laguna Seca] is so low, you never feel you have a good car.”

While other drivers struggled with tire degradation at points during Sunday’s race, however, Palou was able to get more pace.

The win was the first on the season for the 2021 series points leader.

Rosenqvist, the Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet driver, finished fourth. Christian Lundgaard in the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda entry rounded out the top five, collecting Rookie of the Year honors in the process.

“You only get one shot at the rookie championship,” Lundgaard observes. “We did the job today.”

The other three drivers who came into the day with a shot at the season title could not cut into Power’s points advantage. Scott McLaughlin (XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet) crossed the line in sixth. Marcus Ericsson (Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) wound up ninth and Scott Dixon (PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) took the flag in 12th.