2022 IndyCar Series: Will Power Wins the Closest Title Fight Since 2003

Counting its 111th official championship season in American open-wheel racing, 2022 was the 27th year run under IndyCar Series sanction. Will Power, driving for Team Penske, won his second title, his first since 2014, in the final round at Monterey. Christian Lundgaard of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was named Rookie of the Year.

It was the closest title fight since 2003, with five drivers still in contention heading into the last round. Chevrolet also took the engine manufacturers' championship for the first time since 2017, and the series returned to Toronto after two seasons away because of the pandemic.

What was the season set up to deliver?

The season arrived with Alex Palou as the reigning champion after three wins in 2021, and Helio Castroneves as the defending Indianapolis 500 winner. Castroneves had returned to a full-time IndyCar seat for the first time since 2017. The series was also on a clear timeline: 2022 was planned to be the final year for the 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged V6 package that debuted in 2012, with a 2.4-liter hybrid formula due in 2023.

That plan slipped. The hybrid formula was delayed to 2024, which meant the existing engines had to carry the series one more season. Tyres were the other visible change. On 22 April 2022 Firestone announced a new environmentally friendly tyre made from guayule rubber, which needs less water than conventional natural rubber. It debuted at the Pit Stop Challenge before the Indianapolis 500 and was later used as the softer alternate at the Music City Grand Prix.

Power's second title came down to a single round, and it was decided by strategy and consistency as much as by speed.

Which drivers and teams changed for 2022?

The biggest driver move was Simon Pagenaud leaving Team Penske after seven seasons to join Meyer Shank Racing full-time. Castroneves moved to Meyer Shank Racing's No. 06 entry, and Ryan Hunter-Reay left Andretti Autosport after 12 seasons. Romain Grosjean stepped in as Andretti's full-time driver in the No. 28 car.

Other seats changed hands in the autumn. Takuma Sato left Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing after four seasons and joined Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing. Jack Harvey moved to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's No. 45, while Christian Lundgaard signed a multi-year deal for the No. 30 car. Sebastien Bourdais left A. J. Foyt Enterprises to race full-time for Chip Ganassi Racing's IMSA team, and Kyle Kirkwood, the 2021 Indy Lights champion, took the No. 14 car for the full season.

Teams also reshaped their line-ups. Meyer Shank Racing expanded to two full-time entries, and McLaren Racing bought a 75% majority stake in Arrow McLaren SP. Team Penske downsized to three full-time entries. Chip Ganassi Racing added a fifth car at the Indianapolis 500 for Tony Kanaan, and Dale Coyne Racing ended its partnership with Vasser Sullivan after five seasons. Carlin ended its IndyCar operation and formed a technical alliance with Juncos Hollinger Racing.

The calendar was reshaped too. St. Petersburg moved into February to open the season, the earliest start since 2000, while Texas became the second race on 20 March. Long Beach returned to its traditional April date, and Iowa Speedway came back to the schedule after a break. Texas and Detroit each ran as single races rather than doubleheaders.

How did the opening rounds set the tone?

The season began at St. Petersburg in February, the earliest opener since 2000. Scott McLaughlin took his maiden pole and maiden win there, holding off Alex Palou and Power. Texas followed, where Felix Rosenqvist took pole before being passed by McLaughlin. Josef Newgarden then won by 0.0669 seconds.

At Long Beach Colton Herta took pole with a new track record, but he crashed into the wall at turn nine on an in-lap. Newgarden won the race, his second in a row, and took the championship lead. Alabama was won by Pato O'Ward after Callum Ilott beached his car and brought out a caution, while Newgarden finished 14th.

The Indianapolis road course produced a wet race in which a group of drivers pitted for rain tires at the right moment. Will Power took pole for the GMR Grand Prix on a damp track, while Herta, Pagenaud and Power pitted for wet tyres. Juan Pablo Montoya hit the wall, and the final caution of the race came out on the way to the flag.

What happened at the 106th Indianapolis 500?

Scott Dixon took his fifth Indianapolis 500 pole, with Palou and Rinus VeeKay alongside him on the front row. The two Chip Ganassi drivers swapped the lead repeatedly as they saved fuel, but VeeKay crashed out of third during the race and Ilott crashed out during the second round of stops. Palou had to stop under yellow and dropped back.

Dixon was then sent to the back of the field with a speeding penalty at his final stop. Ericsson, who had run with the leaders all afternoon, took the lead from O'Ward shortly before a red flag for Jimmie Johnson's crash. He kept it on the restart and won, with O'Ward and Tony Kanaan behind him.

How did the mid-season rounds shape the title race?

The middle of the season belonged to Newgarden and his oval form. Newgarden took pole at Detroit and led early, but Power built a five-second lead at one point and then held off Rossi in a grandstand finish to win by just over a second. Dixon finished third. Rossi took pole at Road America, and Newgarden won the race ahead of him, his third win of the season, which moved him to third in the standings, 32 points behind Ericsson.

At Mid-Ohio, O'Ward took pole, but McLaughlin passed him in the pit lane and won. Palou used an undercut to take second, and Power, who had spun at the start of the race, rose from 27th to third. Power's charge put him within 20 points of Ericsson in the championship. At Toronto, Colton Herta became the first driver with more than one pole in 2022, but Dixon held the lead through the restarts and cautions to win his 52nd race and draw level with Mario Andretti on the all-time winners list.

The Iowa double-header was dominated by pole sitters who did not always stay in front. Power took a double pole, but Newgarden won the first race by over six seconds from O'Ward and Power. The second race went to O'Ward after Newgarden's right-rear suspension failed on lap 235 and sent him hard into the barriers.

The Gallagher Grand Prix on the Indianapolis road course was a turning point. Rosenqvist took pole, and Rossi won, his first victory in three years, while Lundgaard took his maiden series podium. Power's podium there gave him the championship lead by nine points. Rossi was penalized 20 points soon after the race when his car was found to be illegally ballasted.

How was the title decided at the finale?

The closing stretch began with Dixon winning the Music City Grand Prix at Nashville after a late red flag. McLaughlin then took the pole for the penultimate race at Portland and won from the front. Dixon finished third there after starting 16th and climbing to sixth by the restart. O'Ward and Palou dropped out of the title race, while Power kept pressure on through the closing rounds.

Five drivers still had a chance heading into Monterey. Power took pole there, and Palou won, with Newgarden second and Power third. That result was enough for Power to take the championship, his second title and his first since 2014, and it gave Newgarden the runner-up place. Palou finished fifth in the standings.

What happened to the drivers below the top?

Several drivers had disrupted seasons. Jack Harvey was injured in practice at Texas on 19 March and was not cleared to continue, so Santino Ferrucci stepped in, and Callum Ilott was not cleared for Detroit after a hand injury from the Indianapolis 500, which brought Ferrucci back into the car.

Ferrucci's emergency drives were not his only unusual assignment. He had driven the Indianapolis 500 for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing in 2021, and his 2022 spells showed how much the grid relied on stand-in drivers. Tatiana Calderon drove A. J. Foyt Enterprises' No. 11 on road and street courses, while J. R. Hildebrand took the oval events. The No. 11 car did not compete at Toronto because outstanding payments from its primary sponsor had not been resolved.

Max Chilton ended his IndyCar career in February after six seasons. Jimmie Johnson returned to Chip Ganassi Racing's No. 48 for the full season, having previously raced only on road and street courses. Conor Daly took Ed Carpenter Racing's No. 20 full-time, while Carpenter himself was confirmed for every oval event from 3 March, after the team added a third part-time entry.

What were the final standings?

Power's title came from consistency and a series of strong finishes rather than a single dominant run. Newgarden finished second in the standings. The points system awarded one point to the pole winner at every race except the Indianapolis 500, plus one point for each driver who led a lap and two extra points for the leader of the most laps.

Engine change-outs before the required distance cost ten points, and the manufacturer championship used a separate system. Chevrolet's engine title came from the points scored by its full-season entries, and the manufacturer that won each race received five bonus points. The Indianapolis 500 had its own bonus structure, with one point for the fastest Saturday qualifier and two for the pole winner on Sunday.

Why does the 2022 season matter?

Josef Newgarden's season showed what the oval form could deliver. He won at Texas, Long Beach, Road America and the first Iowa race, and he added the Bommarito 500, but a title still eluded him. Power's second title came from strong results in the closing rounds rather than from that oval run alone.

The 2022 season set up the next chapter for the series. Its tight title fight and its close results showed how much depth the grid had, and Lundgaard's rookie season gave RLL a useful young driver for the years ahead. The schedule also returned to Toronto and Iowa, and the Detroit race moved back downtown, and that move made this year's Detroit race the last one on Belle Isle.

The hybrid delay meant the 2.2-liter engine package stayed in use for another season. The delay also kept the current engine package in use.