Townsend Bell with Greg Jennings

for Verizon

It doesn’t sound that long ago but a lot has changed in the last five years. Back then the ice buckets were the hottest challenge, and flossing was something you did in private — not on social media. It was also the year that Verizon became the title sponsor of IndyCar. Since then, the Verizon IndyCar Series has made an exciting return to its roots, embracing what made IndyCar great in the first place. All that effort and attention to detail is about to culminate in perhaps the greatest season of open-wheel racing in a generation.

I’ve been around IndyCar racing for 20 years. And while you won’t find my face on the Borg-Warner Trophy, I do know what it’s like to pass for the lead at the Indy 500 (It’s absolutely fantastic by the way). For the last half decade I’ve watched this sport as a competitor from the cockpit, as a broadcaster from the booth and as a fan from the stands. And from each perspective I see the same thing: IndyCar is unapologetically reclaiming its identity.

At its core, IndyCar has always been about three things: fast, loud and mind-bending performance. Everything else is just gravy. For a while the series was chasing that gravy (with a fork no less!) Not anymore. The executive leadership team of INDYCAR has found stability through consistency. A reliable schedule, unified TV partner, bankable drivers with loyal teams… and consistently louder, faster and better performing (and looking) cars… it all adds up to IndyCar returning to its prominent place in the American motor sports scene. No wonder tv ratings for the series have increased 38% over the last four seasons.

The Indy 500 is and always will be the big dog — the most important race on the planet. That can be both a blessing and a curse. Its aura has been strong enough to carry the series through some challenging times. But its uber-high profile in spring can overshadow the battle to crown a champion in the fall. Now people around the world are tuning in to IndyCar in September as well as May, because this year’s IndyCar title is still up for grabs.

The top four drivers coming into the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Sonoma this week (September 14 to 16, 2018) are a big part of that. We have four-time champion Scott Dixon, the defending champ Josef Newgarden, the reigning Indy 500 winner Will Power, and Alexander Rossi — a guy who has recently been knocking on the door of champions with a sledgehammer.

Rossi first caught our eye as a rookie in 2016 when he managed an impossible fuel strategy to coast across the yard of bricks to win the 100th Indy 500. This season, the Andretti team has had him fast everywhere. Rossi’s three wins this season — at Long Beach, Mid-Ohio and Pocono — came on three totally different tracks. And he’s been coming on stronger as the season has progressed. Bad luck, with an ill-timed yellow flag, scuttled a strong run in Portland, but the California kid comes into his home state only 29 points off the lead for the final race.

Will Power was also on an upward trajectory. The 2014 IndyCar champ has run third, second and first coming into September. But a gearbox issue dropped him to a 21st-place finish in Portland, putting his title hopes in the “long shot” category. Still, there are two times the points on the line this week in Sonoma. And it was Power who won the only other double points race on the schedule back in Indianapolis on Memorial Day weekend.

As for Will’s Penske teammate Josef Newgarden… when he’s running, well he’s practically untouchable. Like Rossi, Power and Dixon, Newgarden’s got three wins, but those are his only three trips to the podium this year. (By comparison, Rossi and Dixon have eight apiece and Power has seven.) Josef has also had some headscratchers this season. (Detroit and Texas come to mind.) He is tied with Power, 87 points behind. With the possibility of 90 points on the table in the final, his chances to defend his title are mathematically still alive. A lot will depend on which Josef Newgarden shows up in Sonoma.

Then there’s Scott Dixon. While the Iceman only finished out of the top 10 twice this season, he hasn’t been the dominant force we’ve seen in the past. He has been masterfully manufacturing enough to maintain the points lead but has never showed the pace of Rossi and Power. And he might have used up all of his luck in Portland, after he got tangled up in a five-car pileup in the opening seconds of the race — and unbelievably came away without a scratch — the miracle on dirt! I’d advise the Kiwi not to clip his fingernails this final week because they might be the only things that allow him to keep his grasp on the points lead and earn him a fifth IndyCar championship.

A walk-off home run… a last-second buzzer beater… a Hail Mary touchdown… a golden goal. There is nothing better in sports than to have an entire season come down to the final few moments of completion to decide a champion. The stage is set for IndyCar to have one of those classic moments. And if this Sunday, your eyes are fixed on social media, watching some granny learn the latest internet dance craze while dumping a bucket of ice water on her head instead of on Sonoma, you my friend are going to miss it.