Here are the (unofficial) IndyCar iRacing Challenge points standings

By Apr 7, 2020, 7:00 AM EDT
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The IndyCar iRacing Challenge might be just for fun, but we thought it might be fun to calculate the points standings as if this were a championship operating on the same rules as its real-life counterpart.

It naturally revealed some weird twists that only could occur in the strange times brought on by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Two-time SuperCars champion Scott McLaughlin (who has yet to make his real-world IndyCar debut) leading the points standings for Team Penske?

Perennial contender Alexander Rossi and five-time series champion Scott Dixon (who missed the opener) ranked 22nd and 25th overall?

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If points actually were being kept in this six-race virtual race series, that’s how the standings would appear through two races at Watkins Glen International (click here for results) and Barber Motorsports Park (click here for results).

Just for kicks, we decided to tally the driver, Rookie of the Year and manufacturer standings for the iRacing Challenge in accordance with IndyCar’s official rules.

iRACING INDYCAR CHALLENGE POINTS STANDINGS

For the driver’s championship, IndyCar tallies points based on each driver’s finishing position, with the most points being awarded for finishing first. Additional points can be earned for winning the pole position (one additional point), leading at least one lap (only one bonus point will be rewarded regardless of how many laps a driver leads), and leading the most laps (two additional points).

Here’s a breakdown of how points are earned based on finishing position:

Here are the current IndyCar iRacing Challenge standings after two of six races:

1. Scott McLaughlin (R) – 83
2. Will Power – 76
3. Felix Rosenqvist – 69
4. Sage Karam – 63
5. Simon Pagenaud – 58
6. Josef Newgarden – 48
7. Oliver Askew (R) – 45
7. Scott Speed (R) – 45
9. Santino Ferucci – 44
10. Alex Palou (R) – 42
11. Dalton Kellett (R) – 38
12. Colton Herta – 34
13. Kyle Kirkwood (R) – 32
13. Graham Rahal – 32
13. Jimmie Johnson (R) – 32
16. Conor Daly – 27
16. Kyle Kaiser – 27
18. Sebastien Bourdais – 24
18. Robert Wickens – 24
20. Patricio O’Ward (R) – 23
21. Zach Veach – 22
22. Alexander Rossi – 21
23. Felipe Nasr (R) – 20
24. Marcus Ericsson – 17
25. Scott Dixon – 14
26. James Hinchcliffe – 13
27. Ed Carpenter – 12
28. Tony Kanaan – 11
29. Jack Harvey – 5

Points Earned at Watkins Glen:

1. Sage Karam – 54 (+1 for winning pole, +1 for leading a lap, +2 for leading the most laps)
2. Felix Rosenqvist – 40
3. Will Power – 36 (+ 1 for leading a lap)
4. Scott McLaughlin – 32
5. Oliver Askew – 30
6. Simon Pagenaud – 28
7. Josef Newgarden – 26
8. Santino Ferucci – 24
9. Kyle Kirkwood – 22
10. Conor Daly – 20
11. Dalton Kellett – 19
12. Kyle Kaiser – 18
13. Patricio O’Ward – 17
14. Graham Rahal – 16
15. Felipe Nasr – 15
16. Jimmie Johnson – 14
17. Alexander Rossi – 13
18. Marcus Ericsson – 12
19. Zach Veach – 11
20. Alex Palou – 10
21. Scott Speed – 9
22. Colton Herta – 8
23. Sebastien Bourdais – 7
24. Tony Kanaan – 6
25. James Hinchcliffe – 0 (Did not start)

Points earned at Barber:

1. Scott McGlaughlin – 51 (+1 for leading a lap)
2. Will Power – 40
3. Scott Speed – 36 (+1 for leading a lap)
4. Alex Palou – 32
5. Simon Pagenaud – 30
6. Felix Rosenqvist – 29 (+1 for leading a lap)
7. Colton Herta – 26
8. Robert Wickens – 24
9. Josef Newgarden – 22
10. Santino Ferucci – 20
11. Dalton Kellett – 19
12. Jimmie Johnson – 18
13. Sebastien Bourdais – 17
14. Graham Rahal – 16
15. Oliver Askew – 15
16. Scott Dixon – 14
17. James Hinchcliffe – 13
18. Ed Carpenter – 12
19. Zach Veach – 11
20. Kyle Kirkwood – 10
21. Kyle Kaiser – 9
22. Alexander Rossi – 8
23. Conor Daly – 7
24. Patricio O’Ward – 6
25. Marcus Ericsson – 5
26. Tony Kanaan – 5
27. Sage Karam – 9 (+1 for winning pole, +1 for leading a lap, +2 for leading the most laps)
28. Jack Harvey – 5
29. Felipe Nasr – 5

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS

IndyCar’s Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the top finishing rookie in the series standings. Here are the current standings:

1. Scott McLaughlin – 83
2. Oliver Askew – 45
2. Scott Speed – 45
4. Alex Palou – 42
5. Dalton Kellett – 38
6. Kyle Kirkwood – 32
6. Jimmie Johnson -32
8. Patricio O’Ward – 23
9. Felipe Nasr – 20

ENGINE MANUFACTURER STANDINGS

Engine manufacturer championship points will be awarded to the top two finishing full-season entrants for each manufacturer in a race using the same points structure as used for entrant and driver points. Five points will be awarded to the race-winning manufacturer while one point is awarded to the engine manufacturer that qualifies in the pole position at all races except the Indianapolis 500 (which is not part of the iRacing Challenge anyways).

Here are the current standings:

1. Chevrolet – 196
2. Honda – 132

Ford Mustang GT3 test has Austin Cindric dreaming of Daytona: ‘I want to drive that car’

By Mar 22, 2023, 2:30 PM EDT
Cindric Ford GT3 test
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Austin Cindric wasn’t the “mystery” test driver behind the wheel of the new Ford Mustang GT3 at Sebring International Raceway, but the Team Penske driver desperately wanted to be.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, an amateur sports car driver himself, made the big reveal via a Tuesday tweet that provided the first video evidence of the GT3 Mustang on track.

“I’ve watched the video in question about a million times,” Cindric said Wednesday during a Ford Performance Zoom news conference to promote NASCAR’s first road course weekend of the season at Circuit of the Americas. “Definitely exciting times for sure. I want to drive that car. It suits my experience level and also the relationships that I have.”

Ford will enter the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next season with its GT3 Mustang, entering a two-car factory effort (that will be managed by Multimatic) in GTD Pro and making customer cars available in the GT Daytona category.

That increases the likelihood of seeing more NASCAR drivers crossing over to IMSA. Cindric has been the only full-time Cup driver in the Rolex 24 at Daytona the past two years, but Ford Performance global director Mark Rushbrook has said the GT3 Mustang will provide more opportunities.

Ford has used its GT4 Mustang as a NASCAR driver development tool in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Harrison Burton and Zane Smith combining to win the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in January.

“We’re excited about the Next Gen car and the new architecture there and the similarities between that car and GT3 and even GT4 cars,” Rushbrook said at the announcement of the Ford GT3 program in January 2022 at Daytona. “We think it’s a great opportunity and to do be able to do that in a 24-hour race and get NASCAR drivers even more time is something we need to consider taking advantage of that opportunity.”

Given his sports car background, Cindric probably still would be in the Rolex 24 regardless. He has eight IMSA starts since the 2017 season opener at Daytona, racing a Lexus RCF GT3 and Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT category. The 2022 Daytona 500 winner made his second LMP2 start this year with Rick Ware Racing.

But Cindric’s preference naturally would be in a Ford, particularly with sports car racing enjoying convergence and crossovers in both GT and prototype racing.

“It’s an exciting time in GT racing, just as it is now for prototype racing with a lot of new regulations and manufacturers building new GT3 cars,” he said. “And also the opportunity with WEC (the World Endurance Championship) and Le Mans and how that all lines up for that category of car. It’s definitely an exciting time. I want to be as much of a part of that as possible.”

Though those odds seemingly will increase with multiple Ford entries in the Rolex 24 field next year, Cindric said NASCAR drivers still have to put in the networking to land rides as he has in recent years.

“Now how (the GT3 Mustang) relates to specifically NASCAR drivers and how often they want to be in the Rolex, could it be an influence? Absolutely, as far as the tie-in with the manufacturer,” Cindric said. “But the challenge and the drive and the logistics of getting an opportunity for a race like the Rolex 24 will be just as challenging as it always is to find your one-off ride for the race. At least from my experience, that’s what I still anticipate.”

It turned out the “mystery” test driver wasn’t from NASCAR (Farley revealed the driver to be 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Joey Hand after a fan asked whether it was Joey Logano).

But Cindric believes there could be more Cup drivers — and perhaps himself — behind the wheel of Mustang GT3s in the future.

“There’s definitely more of a pathway than I think there would be before as far as Ford drivers are concerned,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity to drive that thing. It’s obviously a great looking car. That’s the first box you’ve got to check. And it’s cool (to have) a guy like Jim Farley, no doubt he’s a racer just as much as he is steering the ship for Ford. It’s cool to see he’s just as excited as the rest of us about it.”