IndyCar has announced grid penalties for this weekend’s season finale from Nashville Superspeedway, and included is the current points leader.
Alex Palou is one of four drivers that have taken a new engine for this weekend’s event, and will have to start nine positions back from where they qualify.
Palou’s penalty is the most consequential, as he is the points leader heading into this weekend’s season finale.
He leads Will Power by 33 points, and will have to fend off the veteran’s challenge while starting from farther back than he would have liked.
The engine change does give Palou a fresh Honda power plant to work with, however, and Chip Ganassi Racing will not need to worry about conserving the life any longer than just this weekend.
Power does not have a grid penalty, and will look to use that advantage to his benefit.
Two other drivers were assessed penalties coming into the weekend, with Scott McLaughlin and Alexander Rossi both dropping down the grid for Sunday’s race.
Arrow McLaren was also forced to change Nolan Siegel’s engine after his spectacular crash in practice, which will also drop him down the order.
IndyCar gives drivers a nine place penalty for oval races as opposed to a six place penalty for road courses accounting for the decreased difficulty of making passes on the banking.
All three drivers will look to overcome their deficit for Sunday’s race, but with 206 laps on offer, there is plenty of time to make up the lost ground.
