Winning the race guarantees them 51 points, which means in that scenario they’d need Power to finish around 20th without Newgarden and Dixon finishing in the top four or five. “But we’re a shot, and I’m looking forward to it,” Portland race winner McLaughlin said. And yet, there are as many twists and turns in these races as there are at this track. Drivers in championship contention have won 12 of the 16 races this season. Herta has won the past two races at the track, both from the pole. Castroneves is the only other driver in the field to have won a series race at Laguna Seca, and that was in 2000.

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