Driver performance summary at Mid-Ohio

Leaving Iowa Speedway, Juan Pablo Montoya’s wrist hurt a lot more than the result of his first DNF of the Verizon IndyCar Series season.

Though the Team Penske driver placed 24th because of a Lap 10 single-car crash in Turn 2, in which he sustained a bruised wrist, Montoya’s championship points lead didn’t incur much of a dent as a few challengers incurred mechanical issues.

With three races remaining, Montoya’s margin is 42 points over the surging Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Three-time series champion Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing is 48 points arrears, and Helio Castroneves of Team Penske is 54 points out of first.

Thirteen drivers remain eligible for the title entering the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 2. The top seven, which also includes reigning series champion Will Power, Sebastien Bourdais of KVSH Racing and Andretti Autosport’s Marco Andretti, are exempt from elimination.

"Unfortunately, we are coming off a disappointing result in Iowa as we get ready for the final three races of the year," Montoya said. "But to expect that we would be able to go through the season without a bad race was unreasonable. Now, having said that, our day wasn't nearly as bad as it could've been at Iowa. We only lost 12 points to second place.

"We know we have our work cut out for us between now and Sonoma, but this Hawk Performance Chevy team has answered every challenge that we've been faced with this year. Mid-Ohio is a place where I've won before, so I know what it takes to be successful there. There are guys in the Verizon IndyCar Series that run really well at Mid-Ohio, so we need to bring our 'A game' this weekend."



The 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has been the most beneficial to Dixon’s title charges in recent years with five victories among seven podium finishes in the past eight years. In three races at Mid-Ohio, Montoya won in his 1999 championship season.

The ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway, which Montoya won last year, is Aug. 23 and the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma is Aug. 30. The finale carries double points (100 to the winner, 80 for second, 70 for third, etc.).

Championship points statistic -- The driver who has led the championship with three to go has failed to claim the title in four of the past six seasons. Dario Franchitti in 2011 and Power in 2014 are the exceptions.

Largest 1-2 differential since 2013 -- The 42-point difference between Montoya and Rahal is the largest with three races left since 2013, when Castroneves led Dixon by 49 points. Dixon went on to claim his third series title.