Alex Palou trying to clinch IndyCar title with strategist Barry Wanser sidelined last two races

PORTLAND, Ore. – With a 74-point margin and just two races to go, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou has a comfortable lead in the NTT IndyCar Series championship entering Sunday's Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland.

The driver from Spain doesn’t need to change his routine as he has found the proper ingredients to grab control of the title race all the way back to winning the 2023 GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on May 13.

Since then, he has left the rest of the NTT IndyCar Series competitors in his exhaust fumes with a near-flawless season. The only other driver in 2023 championship contention is six-time champion teammate Scott Dixon.

INDYCAR AT PORTLAND: Details, schedules, start times for Sunday’s race

Palou has enjoyed an outstanding relationship with his engineer, Julian Robertson, and his race strategist, Chip Ganassi Racing team manager Barry Wanser.

But for the final two weekends of the season, the voice in Palou’s ear from the timing stand will be team manager Mike O’Gara.

He is stepping in to help as Wanser is attending to his health in Indianapolis.

Wanser was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer. The cancer was caught early and is very curable, according to Wanser. He had surgery on Aug. 30 and is focused on continued treatment and recovery.

O’Gara moves from calling race strategy for Marcus Ericsson to Palou for the final two races of 2023.

That made Friday’s practice session at Portland International Raceway important for the No. 10 Dallara-Honda team as Palou and O’Gara worked together for the first time.

“First of all, I’m just trying to fill in and not screw up,” O’Gara told NBC Sports. “CGR as a whole is super strong. The 10 car is a super strong car with Julian Robertson and all the support there. It’s a well-oiled machine and I’m trying to be a smart part of it to help bring the championship home for the team.”

According to O’Gara, every driver needs a little something different on the radio. He learned that through his extensive IndyCar and IMSA experience, especially in sports cars with multiple drivers in a 12- or 24-hour endurance race.

“We’ll spend the first couple of sessions working on what Alex needs, what information he needs,” O’Gara said. “With the support with Julian on the stand and Alex’s demeanor, he is so easy to work with, I can just tell him the things he needs to go finish the championship.”

Palou has confidence in O’Gara taking over for the final two races of the season. He called the strategy for Ericsson in last year’s impressive victory in the 106th Indianapolis 500.

“It’s not what you would prefer, but it’s for Barry’s health and something he needed to do as quick as possible,” Palou told NBC Sports of the sudden change.

At Chip Ganassi Racing, the team concept is so important, the pieces on each racing team are fairly interchangeable.

“The procedures are the same across the board,” O’Gara said. “When we add a car, or have a new driver, they know how we operate. Each car has its own nuance, what info the driver wants, how often he wants to be spoken to, (and) I have to tweak that a little bit the way I call strategy on the radio exactly to how Alex Palou wants.”

O’Gara believes the personalities of Ericsson and Palou are quite similar despite different backgrounds because both are very calm on the radio.

“Sometimes a driver wants to hop in the car and not be told much,” O’Gara said. “Some drivers want some contact from the stand every lap. Sometimes, drivers want intervals who is ahead and behind, and other drivers want silence, so they can focus. I think their demeanor in the car is very similar.

“I have to learn simple things like counting him down into the box. Does he want a ‘5, 4, 3, 2, 1?’ Does he want to know what car he has to come around to get into the box?

“It’s simple things like that, that could make a big difference in the race when things are so tight.”

Though Wanser won’t be at the race or Ganassi's shop, he has been texting and emailing O’Gara to offer his assistance.

“Hopefully for Alex, it will be a very small blip, and he can focus on what he needs to,” O’Gara said.

Entering this weekend’s race, a Chip Ganassi Racing driver will win the championship. The only question remaining is whether it is Palou or Dixon.

“Amazing accomplishment for the team,” O’Gara said. “I’m happy to be a very small part of it.

“It highlights our ‘One Team’ philosophy that we have tried to do for years and years here.”

Palou isn’t ready to claim the championship until Dixon is mathematically eliminated. If he leaves Portland with a 54-point lead over Dixon, then he will have his second IndyCar Series championship.

Palou, however, channeled his inner Lee Corso and said, “Not so fast, my friend.”

“I would prefer to have a lot more,” Palou told NBC Sports. “We are in the best position we can be. The bad thing is Scott Dixon is chasing us. I know he will have a great team around him and a fast car. It will be tough. We will focus on our race, get the most points, and bring the championship home.

“I would say Scott Dixon is the worst driver you can have chasing you. If it was someone else, they might not handle the pressure. But Scott was in a bad position last week in the first stint and ended up winning and he was in a bad position at the Indianapolis road course and he ended up winning.

“When everything goes well for him, he wins. When everything goes bad for him, he makes it stick.

“He is obviously the worst driver to have in this position.”

Follow Bruce Martin at @BruceMartin_500