Laguna Seca in Monterey, California was the scene for the eighth race of the IndyCar season. Drivers prepared to turn 95 Laps (212 miles) around the 11-turn, 2.238-mile course which sees a whopping 180 ft in elevation changes. This track has produced some exciting racing, and some hot tempers in years past, so getting through turn one cleanly is paramount to having a successful race. 

Alex Palou led the field to green with Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood starting on the outside pole. After being dominant the past few weeks, none of the 3 Penske drivers started in the top six.

Alex Palou Turns Pole into Success at Laguna Seca

The two time IndyCar champion secured pole position and looked poised to take over the championship lead. Championship leader Will Power started 15th, leaving the door open for Palou. 

At the drop of the green, Palou got a good start but Kyle Kirkwood made a strong move to the outside to take the lead on the first lap. The Chip Ganassi driver would not let this get to him as he would remember the consistency that brought him championships in 2021 and 2023. 

As the race went on, the strategy looked not to favor Palou as it seemed like Herta and Rossi (among others) were on the preferred strategy. With cautions popping up periodically in the second half of the race, this helped Palou get back on strategy and take control of the race. Making a daring move into the corkscrew, he took the lead from Colton Herta and never looked back. 

Some late race drama brought Herta back into the hunt. Palou and Herta looked ready to duel all the way to the finish. Unfortunately, for Herta, his strategy put him into fuel saving mode while Palou could push much more aggressively. Going into the last restart, Herta had 51 seconds of Push to Pass (50 horsepower boost, drivers are given between 150-200 seconds of Push to Pass depending on the race). Palou only had 22 but Herta needed to save fuel to save a podium finish. This led to Palou cruising to the win by over two seconds.

This win catapults Palou into the championship lead as he looks for back-to-back titles and third in four years. He currently sits 23 points above Will Power with nine races remaining. 

Herta Enters the Title Picture

Colton Herta has had a roller coaster of a season coming into the Grand Prix of Monterey. Laguna Seca is Herta’s home track and he looked to put on a show for the hometown crowd.

So far this season, Herta has as many Podiums finishes as finishes outside the top 15. His struggles at Indy and Detroit have already been documented but he rebounded last week to finish just outside the top five.

Starting the race in fourth, Herta was looking to replicate previous success at Laguna Seca, having two career wins in Monterey. For much of the race, he looked to be on the favorable strategy, putting Palou on his heels strategy-wise. As mentioned earlier, cautions would completely shake up the strategy of the race. Herta, who thought he was good on fuel, was advised he needed to save fuel which would inevitably take him out of the running for the win.

Herta’s third podium of the season would move him into fourth (up from seventh after last week) in the season standings, just 68 points behind Alex Palou. 

Romain Grosjean Secures Best Finish for Juncos Hollinger Racing Ever

Back stateside from competing in the 24 hours of Le Mans, Romain Grosjean strapped back into the Juncos Hollinger Racing number 77 machine. The team has had multiple fifth place finishes throughout its time in IndyCar, but Grosjean looked to change that today. 

Rolling off the starting line in eighth, he quickly showed he was not afraid to make aggressive moves. Multiple times throughout the race, Grosjean made passes by out braking his fellow drivers and diving into turns. It was clear that he was doing everything in his power to wheel his ride to a podium finish. While would finish one spot shy of the podium, he still secured the best finishing position for his team in the teams history!

Storylines to look forward to:

• Santino Ferrucci and Romain Grosjean continue feud. Ferrucci and Grosjean seem to keep finding one another on track, whether it be a race or practice. Throughout the season both drivers have shown their displeasure towards each other in many sessions, sometimes even leading to the drivers receiving a penalty. Look for these two to continue their feud at Mid-Ohio in two weeks time.
• Will Power and Penske struggle mightily at Laguna Seca. Team Penske couldn’t seem to get out of their own way at Laguna Seca. Multiple uncharacteristic mistakes by each of the Penske drivers saw them be afterthoughts for most of the afternoon. Power started the afternoon off by going very wide and dropping all the way down to 25th. Power would rebound to finish seventh. Power and McLaughlin collided late in the race leading to the latter finishing 21st. Newgarden got a lucky break on a caution but couldn’t capitalize and winds up 19th.
• Championship is still wide open with many drivers still in contention. Alex Palou (see above) will leave Monetary with the lead in the season standings over Will Power (-23), Scott Dixon (-32), Colton Herta (-68), and Kyle Kirkwood (-75). With nine races remaining on the schedule, who will step up and challenge Palou and Chip Ganassi for the title in 2024?