Palou Driving a Honda is 2021 IndyCar Series Champion

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on NTT IndyCar Series Long Beach Grand Prix

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The new NTT IndyCar series champion Alex Palou earned his first title with a composed, calculating drive to fourth place Sunday in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Colton Herta won the race. Palou became the first Spaniard to win a championship and is now Chip Ganassi Racing’s second consecutive title winner. Once again the pace car was on the track many times for crash induced yellow flags,

Several crashes marred the Long Beach race – consistent with the season – as several IndyCar drivers demonstrated the idiocy of making moves that were almost always likely to hurt theirs and other driver’s chances. Reigning 2020 champion Simon Pagenaud finished fifth with a decent run. Other drivers in contention weren’t so lucky or level headed. Josef Newgarden finished second and Scott Dixon, the six-time and reigning champion, finished third. Palou took the championship by 38 points over Newgarden.

Contact with another car in Turn 2 of Lap 1 knocked O’Ward out of contention. O’Ward was close to becoming IndyCar’s first Mexican champion, However, Palou did not crash out. O’Ward was spun from behind by Ed Jones just after the race started while running eighth. O’Ward was furious on camera afterwards. “It’s not the first time he’s hit us,” O’Ward said. He returned to competition and was able to secure third in the standings. (IndyCar – Honda Takes Manufacturers’ Title at Laguna Seca; Penske’s Newgarden, Pagenaud One-Two in 2019 IndyCar; Chevrolet Runs IndyCar and NASCAR at the Brickyard)

Simon Pagenaud, 2020 IndyCar series champion and 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner, will join Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) for the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, driving the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda. Pagenaud will team with four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves in the No. 06 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda. It’s the first time MSR will field two full-season cars.

MSR, based in Pataskala, Ohio, has grown its presence in the series continuously since its series debut in 2017 with a one-off entry in the Indianapolis 500. The team earned its first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory when Castroneves won the Indy 500 for the fourth time in May.

Frenchman Pagenaud, 37, joins MSR for his 11th full IndyCar season, which included the last seven seasons at Team Penske. Pagenaud earned the 2016 series title and 11 of his 15 career IndyCar wins with Penske, including the Indianapolis 500. Pagenaud took the 2019 Indianapolis 500 victory after starting from the pole. He was the first polesitter to win the Indianapolis 500 since Helio Castroneves in 2009. Pagenaud also scored a third-place podium finish in the 2021 edition at the Brickyard. (Helio Castroneves Sets Record-Tying Fourth Win at Indy 500)

Pagenaud is also strong in  sports car racing, amassing podium finishes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. The 37-year-old Frenchman finished second in the 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona; Pagenaud also took third-place finishes in the 2017 and 2020 Petit Le Mans. He also participated in European endurance races, including the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans, which he almost won.

  Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on NTT IndyCar Series 2021 Long Beach Grand Prix

Simon Pagenaud, 2020 IndyCar series champion and 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner, will join Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) for the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, driving the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda. Pagenaud will team with four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves in the No. 06 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda. It’s the first time MSR will field two full-season cars.

Meyer Shank Racing will run the 2022 race season equipped with two-full season INDYCAR entries with the returning support from primary sponsors AutoNation and SiriusXM, as well as continued partnerships with CAP fixtures, Rocky Fork Co. and Roberts Service Group.

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