IndyCar: Final 2024 standings if Penske scandal never happened
As a seasoned IndyCar enthusiast with over a decade of following this thrilling sport, I must say that the 2024 season has been nothing short of dramatic! The recent revelation about Team Penske’s indiscretion at St. Petersburg has certainly shaken up the standings and added an unexpected twist to the narrative.
Approximately six weeks into the 2024 IndyCar season, which commenced on the streets of St. Petersburg, it emerged that Team Penske had violated the rules by continuing to use their push-to-pass overtake system in the season’s inaugural race, whereas this feature was deactivated for all other teams during restarts, leaving them at a disadvantage.
Because he utilized it three times, Josef Newgarden lost his season-opening victory and 53 out of the 54 points associated with it, keeping just the point he received for legally securing pole position the day before. After being caught using it once, Scott McLaughlin was disqualified from third place and all 35 points that came with it.
Drivers who placed behind Newgarden and McLaughlin were moved up in the rankings due to their positions, earning them additional points. As a result, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward advanced to first place, clinching victory in the race.
In the race, only Will Power from Team Penske failed to collect any points. Initially placed fourth, he could have moved up to second position, earning eight points. However, since team No. 12 unfairly accessed the system when they shouldn’t have, Power was penalized by losing ten points. As a result, despite his potential gain of eight points, he ended up losing two instead.
IndyCar aimed to prevent a scenario where Power’s eight-point advantage could potentially be secured due to his team’s rulebook infractions, ultimately leading to him winning the championship in the end.
In a surprising turn of events, Alex Palou from Chip Ganassi Racing saw significant advancement due to this unforeseen development, moving up from sixth to fourth position and earning an additional four points. This put him 39 points ahead of McLaughlin, mirroring their final difference in the 2024 championship standings exactly.
If McLaughlin hadn’t been involved in a scandal, he would have become the champion this year since both he and Palou had an equal number of wins – three and two respectively.
But that’s not the only change the standings would have seen.
Joseph Newgarden ended up in the eight spot in the rankings, marking his poorest performance since 2014 when he was still racing for Sarah Fisher. Had it not been for certain circumstances, he would have placed fifth, which would have extended his streak of top five finishes in the championship to nine years in a row (although this would have equaled his lowest placement since joining Team Penske in 2017).
Here is what the top 10 in the final 2024 IndyCar championship standings actually look like.
Alex Palou leads the standings with a total of 544 points and no penalties applied.
Here is what they would have looked like if not for the scandal, if we assume that all other things remain equal.
Scott McLaughlin has a total of 540 points, with no penalties applied.
2025 finds me geared up for another adrenaline-filled season of IndyCar racing! Once again, the vibrant streets of St. Petersburg will serve as our starting point, hosting the IndyCar season opener. Known as the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, this race will herald a new chapter for IndyCar, broadcast live on Fox, with the exact time yet to be announced, but set for some point in the afternoon on March 2nd. Over the course of the year, I’ll be competing in a total of 17 races, each one promising thrilling moments and intense competition!
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2024-09-17 17:32