The summer swing for the NTT IndyCar Series continues this weekend on the streets of Toronto.
After Sunday’s event on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile course, the series makes a quick turnaround for a July 22-23 doubleheader at Iowa Speedway.
With three races in the next two weeks, points will be at a premium. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou carries an impressive 110-point advantage into Toronto over teammate Scott Dixon.
As the winner of the last three IndyCar races, nobody’s been able to stop Palou.
Here are some storylines to watch this weekend.
Quick Facts
Most Toronto Wins: Michael Andretti (7)
Qualifying Lap Record: Gil de Ferran, 57.143, 110.565 mph, July 16, 1999
Most Lead Changes: 9, July 15, 2018
IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship driver Tom Blomqvist will make his IndyCar debut this weekend aboard the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda, filling in for Simon Pagenaud who has not been cleared to compete since his accident at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Can Palou Be Stopped?
The question the entire paddock has been asking since May continues to surge on through July.
After his victory in the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis in May, the 2021 IndyCar champion has been nearly unbeatable. Even after a pit road incident during the Indianapolis 500 two weeks later, Palou managed to salvage a fourth-place result.
Since then, the Spaniard has been perfect, scoring three consecutive victories, with his most recent one at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
With COVID-19 canceling the Honda Indy Toronto in 2020-’21, Palou’s first start at Exhibition Place street circuit came last season. After starting 22nd, Palou marched forward to a solid sixth-place result.
Until his winning streak ends, Palou continues to be the class of the field with eight races remaining in the season.
Dixon’s Toronto Success
If any driver is going to cut into Palou’s points lead, it’s Dixon. The six-time IndyCar champion’s track record in Toronto is nearly unmatched. In 14 starts, the Kiwi has an average finish of 6.8 along with four victories.
Dixon is also the most recent winner in the Great White North. With eight races left until a champion is crowned, the 42-year-old’s charge for a record-tying seventh title began two weeks ago in Mid-Ohio.
While Palou stole the headlines, Dixon quietly finished runner-up to take second in the points.
Is It Time For A McLaren Breakthrough?
Since the addition of Alexander Rossi into the Arrow McLaren stable this past offseason, the standard for the team had been raised.
Alongside Rossi, Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist are expected to compete for wins and titles. Though as the season has progressed, hoisting the Astor Cup at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (Calif.) has become a more difficult task.
O’Ward is fifth in points, though his season has been hit or miss. Three runner-up results have been positive, but two costly crashes have hampered the 24-year-old driver.
Rossi’s season as of late has been promising with six consecutive top-10 results, though with only one podium on the season, eighth in the standings.
It’s been feast or famine for Rosenqvist as well. When he isn’t involved in an on-track incident, the Swedish driver hasn’t finished worse than ninth.
Though with three DNF’s and bad luck, Rosenqvist is 13th in the standings.
Rosenqvist’s chances of a title are slim to none, though for Rossi and O’Ward, a string of podiums tied in with a victory could reignite their title hopes.
In two starts on the 11-turn street course, Rosenqvist hasn’t finished outside the top five. O’Ward’s lone Toronto start last season brought a respectable 11th-place finish, while Rossi has two podium results in five Toronto starts.
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