Will Power wins the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series championship

On Sunday afternoon, the NTT IndyCar Series concluded the 2022 season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey.

Will Power came into the race 20 points up on Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon, while Marcus Ericsson and Scott McLaughlin were in the running, but they needed a lot of help for a chance to win. Power needed to finish in the top five to win the championship.

For some drivers, it was a chance to prove they belonged in the series. While some drivers have found new homes for 2023, others are looking for a ride.

On the opening lap, Will Power held off several championship contenders looking to take the lead away from him. Meanwhile, Pato O’Ward, who started fifth, jumped to second place exiting off turn one. Will Power led the opening 15 laps before making his first scheduled pit stop.

After everyone made their stops, Will Power was back in the lead. However, Alex Palou was scorching through the field. On lap 27, he took the lead from Power and drove away. Not long after he got the lead, the caution came out when Callum Ilott’s car stalled at the exit of pit road at turn two.

Once the race resumed, Palou quickly pulled away from the field. Meanwhile, Josef Newgarden, who started in 25^th place, passed Will Power for second place and was over eight seconds behind Palou. On lap 68, Palou made his last pit stop, and Josef Newgarden took the lead for five laps before Palou got it back. Newgarden’s pit crew got him out in five seconds, and he was able to get in front of Power for second place.

On lap 83, Colton Herta and Marcus Ericsson were fighting for ninth place, and Ericsson briefly went sideways before getting the car back under control. Upfront, Alex Palou led 67 laps and won the race by 30.3812 seconds over Josef Newgarden for his first win of the season.

His last win came at Portland in 2021. It will be interesting this offseason to see where Palou races next year as the lawsuit between him and Chip Ganassi continues. Meanwhile, Will Power finished third to win his second IndyCar championship by 16 points over Newgarden. His first title came eight years ago at Fontana in 2014.

The rest of the top ten finishers were Felix Rosenqvist fourth, Christian Lundgaard fifth, Scott McLaughlin sixth, Romain Grosjean seventh, Pato O’Ward eighth, Marcus Ericsson ninth, and Alexander Rossi tenth. There were seven lead changes and one caution for three laps. Chevrolet won the manufactures, and Christian Lundgaard won Rookie of the Year.

“Let me tell you. In the offseason, my wife said to me, “I believe you are gonna beat Mario’s record, and you’re gonna win the championship.” She said that to me, and it actually gave me confidence that I could do it. The fact that she said that. That’s how much confidence I have in her gut feel. She said those words, and I just couldn’t believe that came true,” said Will Power. “I just knew I had to absolutely get the most out of those stints and not lose any more positions. 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.”

“We struggled a bit some races, especially the last couple of races, but today was awesome. Strategy was on point. It’s good to finish a season with a win. We had some power there and good fuel mileage,” said Alex Palou. “We struggled a bit during the whole weekend, and I don’t know what happened today, but everything clicked.”

“I hate to say it, but in a lot of ways, it’s been a really tough year,” said Josef Newgarden. “It’s going to be a welcoming offseason. We’ve had a lot of highs, but we’ve had a lot of lows, and just riding the roller-coaster this year has brought me to a breaking point. I’m proud of the team. This is a big day for everybody to win the championship, and huge congrats to Will (Power) and the entire team.”

Finishing Order: