Palou clinches third IndyCar title as Herta passes O’Ward to win finale · RaceFans

Alex Palou secured his third IndyCar championship regardless of ending a lap down within the season finale in Nashville.

Colton Herta scored his second victory of the 12 months because the curtain fell on the 2024 IndyCar season by passing Pato O’Ward with 5 laps to go.

Any intrigue over the end result of the championship ended after 12 of the 206 laps of Nashville Superspeedway. Will Energy, the one driver mathematically able to beating Palou to the title, had already dropped again 5 locations when he arrived within the pits unexpectedly early.

Disastrously, the Penske driver’s seat belts had labored unfastened. His automotive sat within the pits for what felt like an eternity, and he ultimately completed seven laps adrift.

Palou took tenth place, securing the title with relative ease. The Ganassi driver, who made his IndyCar debut in 2020, due to this fact efficiently defended the title he gained final 12 months, changing into the primary driver to win consecutive titles since Dario Franchitti in 2011. He has now gained three of the final 4 IndyCar championships.

Kyle Kirkwood led the opening phases of the race, rebuffing the advances of Josef Newgarden. Nonetheless Felix Rosenqvist behind them crashed out early on attributable to a deflating tyre, prompting a rush for the pits by which Kirkwood dropped again to tenth.

Two extra warning intervals, triggered by Katherine Legge and Marcus Ericsson respectively, remodeled the battle for the lead of the race. David Malukas led into the closing laps, hoping to eke his gas out within the occasion of a late warning interval, to no avail.

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As he pitted, O’Ward moved into the lead of the race with Herta in sizzling pursuit. The Andretti driver was clearly the faster of the 2, however O’Ward skilfully manoeuvred his manner by visitors to maintain his rival boxed in.

He ran out of tips once they bore down on Sting Ray Robb, nevertheless. The pair dived both facet of the Foyt driver and Herta brilliantly captured the lead with shades of Mika Hakkinen’s 2000 Belgian Grand Prix-winning cross on Michael Schumacher, albeit this time with a McLaren driver on the receiving finish.

Newgarden ended his season with third place after passing group mate Scott McLaughlin, who caught a snap of oversteer because the pair went side-by-side. Kirkwood separated them on the flag in fourth.

Santino Ferrucci took sixth after being ordered to relinquish a place for trespassing beneath the yellow line. Malukas, after his late pit cease, got here in ninth behind Marcus Armstrong and Linus Lundqvist, whereas Conor Daly accomplished the highest 10 after one other stable flip for Juncos Hollinger.

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