Simon Pagenaud wins 1st IndyCar title in banner Penske year

“I just went and raced, and I won one. Gearbox problems had killed off Power’s hopes and crowned Team Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud as the 2016 series champion.

Pagenaud led by 44 points, a comfortable but not an insurmountable total given that double points are awarded in the season finale.

“If it’s a straightforward race it’s going to be pretty tough to beat Simon”. The 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion can not be counted out in the championship hunt.

Dixon started the day tied for third in the standings and trying to keep his streak of finishing third or better in the standings every year since 2007. “Not the right one (the Indianapolis 500), but still a 500-miler”.

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) – Simon Pagenaud gave Roger Penske an IndyCar championship to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the most storied organization in motorsports.

“It taught me a lot”, Pagenaud said. I can’t find the words.

“I’m very excited to get to battle it out on the track”, Pagenaud said.

Pagenaud entered the race with a 43 point advantage over his Team Penske teammate Will Power, of Australia, the only other driver remaining in the hunt for the title. Castroneves edged Ed Carpenter Racing’s Josef Newgarden (who many observers tip to join the Penske team next year, replacing Montoya) for third place in the points chase.

Power then went off track, and Dixon slowed to shake his fist at the Aussie driver as he went past.

“It’s really an honor to be working with a guy like that and he’s a super-nice guy”.

“It was great teamwork and today was proof of that”, Castroneves said.

The race for third place is just as competitive with several drivers in the hunt. “Obviously we always see the good days, but Gil de Ferran told me if you can have a bad day and nobody notices, that’s how you do a really good job – and that’s how you win a championship”.

Johnson has struggled for much of the second half of the season and you have to wonder if the magic with crew chief Chad Knaus has come to an end. Indy 500 victor Alexander Rossi also ran maybe his best race of the year – and that includes his lucky Indy win – finishing fifth, but he ran out of fuel just short of the finish line while running fourth, which allowed Andretti teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay to squeeze by.

“If it’s a straightforward race, it’s going to be very hard to beat Simon”, he said. The 67-year-old Force, a 16-time season champion, powered his Chevy Camaro Funny Car to a 3.946-second run at 324.05 miles per hour to beat No. 1 qualifier Tommy Johnson Jr.in the final.

Although he fell just short of winning Rahal was pleased with his effort.

Behind the Penske’s on the starting grid will be Graham Rahal and Ryan Hunter-Reay in fifth and sixth.

A side note to the season-ending race is whether or not Helio Castroneves will win a race in 2016 and snap a long winless string, dating back to 2014. (11) Mikhail Aleshin, Honda, 85, Running 12.