Herta Wins Nashville; Palou Wins Third Championship In Four Seasons

Source: Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment / other

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It was supposed to be a dramatic contest between the two drivers duking out for the NTT IndyCar Series championship. The Big Machine Grand Prix certainly had drama, but it was not among Alex Palou and Will Power as many had hoped.

The championship, this season, was decided not by a last-lap pass or a better strategy… but a busted seatbelt.

Alex Palou needed to finish 9th or better to secure the championship. That was before Will Power, just seven laps into the race had to put because his seatbelt came loose.

“I was just driving down the back straight and I felt a pop,” Power said. “I figured it out and said ‘Man, I’m going to have to pit.’ We’re going to have to send that back to the manufacturer. That was strange. You have engine failures and transmission failures. Today I had a seatbelt failure.”

Choosing his safety over the championship fight Power pulled into the pits so his crew could fix his seatbelt and send him back out five laps down. The move meant Palou would simply have to finish the race to win the title and that’s just what happened.

“We just had to keep on going,” Palou said. “I’m super proud of our guys, and I’m really glad we were able to bring the championship back home. We won two races, it’s been hectic towards the end.”

Palou is now the second-youngest driver to ever win three IndyCar championships. Only Sam Hornish, Jr was younger when he won three titles in the mid-2000s.

“The guy never broke a sweat,” said team owner Chip Ganassi. “Ever since he won his first race at Alabama a few years ago, it’s been smooth sailing since then.”

The drama of the race revolved around those fighting to win the race itself. It was a fight among several drivers which included Cotlon Herta, Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward, And Kyle Kirkwood.

Kirkwood started on the pole and held the lead for the majority of the race’s opening stanza. A caution 50 laps in for Felix Rosenqvist losing a tire brought with it Newgarden’s ability to get to the lead. Kirkwood had just pitted and was caught out due to the caution’s bad timing. Newgarden took over the race midway through.

A few more cautions would find O’Wayd in the lead on the 147th lap. On a different strategy, he would pit ten laps after a restart putting Colton Herta in the lead. Having never won on an oval before, Herta was not about to let the opportunity slip through his fingers.

Pitting one final time under green with 30 laps left, Herta found himself back in a fight with O’Ward on fresher tires and more fuel. Lap traffic would be the final test of their dual. Weaving and bobbing amongst the slower, lapped cars, O’Ward finally ceded the lead to Herta when Herta used Sting Ray Robb as a buffer to clear O’Ward for the race-winning pass.

“The whole race I was getting my passing done in the corners,” Herta said. “I had to use every bit of the track to make that pass. We knew we were going to have a hot rod in the race and we finished second in the championship. Hoping to do better next year.”

Josef Newgarden held on for a third-place result.

The victory is Herta’s ninth career IndyCar win and his second this season. As mentioned, the unfortunate happening for Power along with the victory had Herta finishing second in the points, which is his highest result in the season standings ever.

With the conclusion of the Big Machine Grand Prix, the NTT IndyCar Series season comes to a close with many changes, as always expected to take place among the teams ahead of next season, and even others that have yet to be made.

Stay tuned.

Herta Wins Nashville; Palou Wins Third Championship In Four Seasons  was originally published on wibc.com