Where to watch IndyCar, NASCAR, and F1 this weekend.
Last weekend, Max Verstappen took a major grid penalty and easily won from 14th at his sort-of home race in Belgium anyway. In theory, his job should be easier when he starts from pole in his other home race tomorrow.
In practice, Verstappen will have to contend with an unusually tight field. Both Ferraris qualified within a tenth of the reigning champion, while Lewis Hamilton will start a surprising fourth after a lap within 3/10ths of Verstappen. On paper, that's the first three-team race of the season. The entire top seven qualified on the same second, including Lando Norris in a McLaren that has seemed lost all season.
If Will Power and Josef Newgarden can stay in the top three this weekend, their jobs become much easier in that title-deciding race. If both falter, they instantly open the door for three Chip Ganassi Racing drivers in Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, and Alex Palou. Scott McLaughlin and Pato O'Ward, meanwhile, will need both strong finishes and some serious struggles from those in front of them to stay alive for a title next weekend.
Under the current knockout playoff rules, the focus of the first two rounds is very much on who might be eliminated, not on who is actually succeeding. Heading into Darlington, those names to watch are just about everyone from ninth on back.
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