Today’s question: Josef Newgarden is the unquestioned recent king of oval racing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. With the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland this Sunday serving as the final road course race this season, who is the current best driver on those kind of tracks?

Curt Cavin: At first glance, this is one of the more difficult questions to get a handle on since it would seem any of the top six drivers in the standings, plus Josef Newgarden, would be a good selection. The top six drivers in points – Alex Palou, Colton Herta, Scott Dixon, Will Power, Scott McLaughlin and Pato O’Ward – have claimed all 13 of the road course wins over the past two seasons. But following a deep dive into the performances, Palou is the answer. He has won seven of those 13 races and nabbed four poles. Last year, he won five of the seven road course races and finished third at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca after clinching the season title. In five races this year, he has two wins, a second, a fourth and a fifth. So, maybe it’s not really a difficult question.

Eric Smith: I agree with Curt here. I tried to make a case for Colton Herta, who has five of his eight wins on natural road courses and seven of his 14 NTT P1 Awards, but there’s just not a path where Herta is superior to Alex Palou. While Herta has a 5.4 average finishing position on these tracks this season, Palou boasts a 2.6 average. Herta has won on three natural road course venues compared to seven different tracks for Palou if we include The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge. I do think Herta should be mentioned among the elites, but no one can top Palou.

Paul Kelly: We have rare consensus in Inside Line: The answer is Alex Palou, of course. Besides the impressive numbers Curt and Eric posted above, here’s the stat that seals it for me: Ten of 11 of Palou’s career victories in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES have come on natural-terrain road courses, with his win on the streets of Detroit in 2023 as the only exception. Palou has been in the series just five seasons, and he already has won on every road course on the 2024 schedule, including The Thermal Club, which hosted an exhibition this year and joins the points-paying races in 2025. That’s nuts for just five seasons. Four of Palou’s six career NTT P1 Awards also have come on road courses. With all apologies to Roger Miller (look it up, kids), Palou is INDYCAR’s King of the Road.