Alex Palou would need to finish ninth in Nashville to secure his third IndyCar title and is now on track to start 10th or worse.

Palou is taking a sixth engine with him – four are permitted per season. This is his second engine penalty this year. On an oval track, the penalty is a nine-place grid penalty.

In theory, that means he’s almost certain to start from 10th or worse. Other cars getting an engine change after practice could see him start a little higher – so far, Alexander Rossi, in his final race for McLaren, and third title contender Scott McLaughlin are the only other drivers to have received a penalty.

“Si,” Palou said when asked by The Race if he had to switch to a new engine – IndyCar is expected to make an official announcement on Saturday morning before practice begins.

“I don’t like it!” he continued, “but it doesn’t change anything. We still have to qualify as well as we can and we still have to perform. It doesn’t make it easier or more enjoyable, but it is what it is. Hopefully we can get some really good horsepower, be fresh and have the best engine for the race.”

Palou has suffered similar penalties several times before, but never in a title race, so this is new territory for him.

Power predictably said that pole would make things easier for him here, especially given the penalty for Palou. But it doesn’t change much for Power either – he will have fought very hard for pole and the bonus points that come with it anyway.

“I’m under pressure, but just as much pressure as I need,” said Power, who had been singing Bon Jovi at another station in the bullpen before coming over to talk to The Race.

“It’s not that I feel comfortable, I never do. In 2022, I was ultra-focused on the job, knew the task and thought about it. That’s what I did.

“It’s an unconscious pressure that’s always on you. I really notice it when people sign a new contract and the pressure goes away, but then they don’t perform as well.

“As much as you hate the pressure, it’s good for you. It depends on your personality, but it’s a good thing, you can be happy that you have it.”

In some ways, Powers’ task is simple: to have any chance of winning the title, he has to finish in the top three.

Scott McLaughlin is the third wheel in this title race, as Palou only has to start this oval race in Nashville to knock McLaughlin out of the race.

McLaughlin has posted a flurry of humorous social media posts over the past two weeks, encouraging Palou to engage in activities that could incapacitate him, like eating sushi or skydiving. Palou said he found it funny.

The pictures of the championship final, taken before the weekend, were taken on the seventh floor of the Nashville Underground bar, and McLaughlin joked that he would have been tempted to finish Palou off if he had the chance.

The oval element creates a lot of uncertainty – especially on a track that has not been used by IndyCar since 2008. In addition, this weekend will be only the second time in IndyCar’s oval history that replacement tires will be used.

However, there is a risk of rain over the weekend, particularly on Saturday when practice and qualifying take place. The track has floodlights and IndyCar is expected to use them if necessary over the weekend.