Handicapping The IndyCar Pocono 500

Will Verizon IndyCar Series point leader Josef Newgarden increase his lead this weekend? [John Wiedemann Photo]

by Allan Brewer

The 2017 IndyCar series continues with a Final Four of raceways equally split between oval and road course. This weekend’s visit to the tri-oval at Pocono Raceway north of Philadelphia commences with two Team Penske drivers best-poised to contest the IndyCar championship: first-year Penske driver Joseph Newgarden and the veteran Penske jockey Helio Castroneves. Right behind these two contenders sits Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, and in his wake follows the third Penske driver and defending IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud.

From the outside Newgarden looks a strong bet to take the checkered flag first in Pennsylvania. He has consistenly been in the hunt at Pocono in the past and now has Penske power beneath him to push him further toward the winners’ circle. A similar argument can be made for Dixon at Ganassi, who always finds a way forward on this race track.

Until he proves otherwise, Pagenaud must wear the mantle of a superior road-course racer who lacks the pace to win at the big oval tracks including Pocono. And though he has the car and team to contend for a win, Castroneves seems snake-bit at the 500-mile distance, often teasing for a win but always coming up slightly short.

Due to its long distance of 500 miles the Pocono race lends itself more to the best team and strategy than it does pure speed, which would play into both the Penske and Ganassi teams’ hands. Given that both of these consistently great teams specialize in the marathon events it is hard to conceive an upstart from out of the top four drivers gaining a victory this weekend.

Allan Brewer

Allan Brewer covers IndyCar and other racing series for RacingNation.com. Allan is a fixture at the race track, armed with keyboard and camera, eager to take you inside open-wheel sport where the news is being made. He comes to RacingNation.com with multiple professional awards from the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AWWRBA). He began his motorsports writing career at FastMachines.com; and solely published IndyProRacer.com and A1GP.com, two award-winning websites for open-wheel racing’s junior leagues, prior to becoming IndyCar correspondent at Motorsport.com. He has also covered Formula 1, NASCAR, Formula E, the Indy Lights Series and its predecessor Indy Pro Series, NHRA events and major auto shows. His major interest outside of competition is automotive technology and its application to the cars we drive every day on the public highways.

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