Scott Dixon and Will Power have an opportunity this upcoming Indycar season to tie or pass Mario Andretti in different career categories. Dixon, who has won at least one race every year since 2003, needs one victory to tie Andretti’s career mark of 52 wins, second only to A. J. Foyt. It was a shock that he only won one race last season.

Power is four poles shy of tying Andretti’s career mark of 67 poles, first among Indycar drivers. Power won only one pole last season, at the second IMS road race. His single pole was more of a shock than Dixon’s single first place.

Other Storylines for 2022

How will Romain Grosjean fare with his new team? Can Grosjean have the same success as part of a larger team, Andretti Autosport, as he had with Dale Coyne? Can he keep pace with Colton Herta and Alexander Rossi?

Will we have a third OEM announcement by the time of the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500? If we don’t, it will be at least 2025 until Honda and Chevrolet have another competitor.

Will having 14 races on NBC significantly increase viewership? The deal with NBC is probably the best package Indycar has ever had. I hope it pays huge dividends. If not, there may never be another deal this good.

Can Beth Paretta finalize a deal for the Indianapolis 500? It would be a shame if 2021 was a one time effort. The credibility of the Race for Diversity and Change would suffer if her team is not at IMS in May.

Keep an eye on Ernie Francis, Jr. in Indy Lights as well. I hope he does well enough to get a shot the 500 in 2023. It is just as important to have African American representation in Indycar as it is to have a female presence.

Some predictions:

Season champion- I give a narrow edge to Colton Herta over Pato O’Ward in a tight yearlong battle.

Winners- Eight drivers will win races this season, with Herta and O’Ward winning at least three each. Scott McLaughlin may be the only first time winner in 2022.

Rookie of the Year- This is a tough contest to decide. Christian Lundgaard has better equipment, but David Malukas is more familiar with most of the tracks Indycar will run. I think Malukas will win, but it will come down to the final race.

On September 12 we can all look at this post again and have a good laugh. Thanks for reading my preview series. Now let’s go racing!