Can Scott Dixon win a seventh title?

Happy Labor Day. The Grand Prix of Portland gave Indycar what it wanted, a tight three way battle for the championship at Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca next Sunday. Five drivers are mathematically eligible to win the title, but I think only Will Power,Josef Newgarden, and Scott Dixon have a realistic shot.

Portland’s spot on the schedule makes it kind of a stepchild. Fans are more interested in how it sets up the season finale the following week. I think that and the Labor Day weekend placement on the calendar hurt the attraction of the event.

Yesterday’s crowd wStaras decent, not great. Based on the scarcity of fans at the ntrack Saturday, it was a great turnout. Inhad a sense that there were fewer food vendors at the track than there were on my last visit in 2019. My friend who attended last year’s race, confirmed ny suspicions.

Portland has never been one to have a lot of fan activities or concerts. Perhaps these things may help attendance. I didn’t get a sense that the city as a whole embraces the event. It’s too bad. Portland is a fun city with lots of neat little neighborhoods I enjoy exploring.

Cleaner Start

Indycar finally listened to the drivers and allowed the pole sitter to accelerate at the exit of turn 12. The result was a lack of the traditional chaos in the first turn. The pack was bunched up as tyhey entered the tuirn, but theres was enough separation for everyone to get through cleanly. Whether that made the overall race better, i’m not so sure.

Poor Jimmie Johnson. He drove one of his cleansest races of the year and gets hit out of nowhere by Rinus VeeKay while VeeKay was trying to lap him. Despite all his road course struggles this year, Johnson’s car is still in the Leader’s Circle for 2022.

I’m heading to Seattle to check a bucket list city off my to see list and watch a Mariners game. I’ll stiil keep up with all the latest McLaren signings and firings. Thanks for following along this weekend. Next weekend is going to be wild.