By RACER Staff August 19, 2022 12:00 PM

By RACER Staff | August 19, 2022 12:00 PM ET

It’s the third to last race of the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series and the final oval of a hectic season as World Wide Technology Raceway plays host to an increasingly tight and tense championship battle on Saturday night.

Starting in early-evening sunlight, but finishing after darkness falls, the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 is guaranteed to deliver some title-chasing twists and turns over 260 laps of the egg-shaped, 1.25-mile track just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis and its iconic Gateway Arch.

Taking you inside the action, 14 drivers will be carrying in-car cameras, and you can live-stream every one of them with the INDYCAR Mobile App Powered by NTT DATA. It’s free to download for fans worldwide, so if you’re not already onboard, take your viewing experience to a whole new level HERE.

You choose who you ride along with, and you can switch drivers at any time. Can three-time WWTR winner Josef Newgarden add a fourth and slash the 22-point gap to points leader and Penske teammate Will Power? Will Pato O’Ward take his first victory at the Illinois track and push his way into the title frame? Or how about Jimmie Johnson stealing the headlines with some more oval magic? Hitch a ride and find out.

These are the drivers who’ll be running live-streaming in-car cameras at World Wide Technology Raceway. Pick your best seat in the house and enjoy the show…

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: 3 wins (2017, 2020 R2, 2021)

Same as Iowa Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway is one of those tracks where, if you want to win, first you have to beat Josef Newgarden. The Team Penske ace has three wins from his six WWTR starts, including 2021 (below) plus two more top 10s, and his form at Iowa a few weeks ago suggests he’ll be dialed in and primed to add a fourth win at the last oval of the season. Climb onboard and you might experience a Newgarden masterclass.

COLTON HERTA, No. 26 Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian Honda

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: 4th (2020 R1)

We could lazily start with the usual “Colton Herta has yet to win an NTT IndyCar Series race on an oval” and dampen expectations from there… But Herta’s WWTR form says this could be the weekend where that all changes. Three top 10s in his first three starts there and a very competitive showing last time around, when he had the nerve to pass Josef Newgarden for the lead and was out front for a combined 101 of 268 laps before a driveshaft failure ended his day, show he’s got the chops to make it stick this weekend. A fun one to ride along with? We think so.

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: 10th (2018)

It’s odd to think that Graham Rahal’s best WWTR finish is only 10th, and his last four starts have delivered nothing higher than a non-running 18th. We believe that can all change on Saturday. As RLL’s 2020 fortunes improve by the week, Rahal is on something of a roll, too, with four top 10s in the last seven races. Iowa showed the No. 15 program isn’t a million miles away on the shorter ovals, so how about we stick our neck out and put him down for a top-5 and maybe more? Could be a good one to hitch a ride with.

HELIO CASTRONEVES, No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: 1 win (2003)

Helio’s WWTR win goes all the way back to 2003 and the days when the series was still all-oval. The track returned to the schedule in 2017, with the Brazilian finishing fourth in his last full season at Team Penske. He hasn’t started at WWTR since, but a full-time NTT IndyCar Series return with Meyer Shank Racing means he gets another crack at it this weekend. His 2022 campaign is yet to really take off, but the final oval of the season could provide a boost for this four-time Indy 500 winner (below).

CONOR DALY, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: 5th (2017)

Don’t bet against Daly being at the sharp end this weekend. He’s lost a little momentum in recent races, but his WWTR record — four top-10 finishes in five starts, including fifth in 2017 — says this could be the place to put some buzz back into his season. With oval-savvy Ed Carpenter Racing behind him, could another top-5 finish be on the cards? Ride along and find out.

ALEXANDER ROSSI, No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: 2nd (2018)

With his victory drought at an end, thanks to his win on the IMS road course two races ago, the in-form Rossi can just enjoy the last three races of his Andretti Autosport career before making the switch to Arrow McLaren SP. He wasn’t so much of a factor at Iowa Speedway, but the 2016 Indy 500 winner knows his way around an oval and came within 1.3117s of a WWTR victory in 2018, his three-stop “economy drive” strategy showing he’s not afraid to roll the dice. Could be an interesting choice for chauffeur.

PATO O’WARD, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: 2nd (2020 R2 & 2021)

We’re putting O’Ward in the “driver most likely to give Newgarden a run for his money” slot. The AMSP driver is probably the hottest driver on ovals right now, with a second and a win in Iowa (below) coming off the back of a runner-up finish in the Indy 500. His WWTR record is impressive, too — third, second and second in his three NTT IndyCar Series starts there. Can he go the final step on Saturday? Hitch a ride and find out.

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: 4th (2021)

The Team Penske sophomore has been on a tear in recent weeks, taking a win and two other podiums in the last six races and hauling himself to within 58 points of teammate and championship leader Will Power. With 2022 wins on the streets of St. Pete and the Mid-Ohio road course, he only needs an oval victory to complete the set, and WWTR might just be the place. He was fourth here last year, and an Iowa Race 2 podium confirms his current momentum. Sure, there’s the small matter of having to match and raise Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward, but anything’s possible. Hitching a ride comes recommended.

ALEX PALOU, No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: 12th (2020 R2)

A race-ending tangle with Rinus VeeKay at WWTR last year, hot on the heels of a mechanical DNF on the IMS road course, made Alex Palou’s run to the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series title a closer-run thing than it should have been. This time around, the Spaniard (below) doesn’t just need to stay out of trouble, but to pull out the stops for a first win of the season if he wants to stay in the title conversation. He’s another guy who’s yet to win on an oval. Maybe jump onboard and see if that changes?

FELIX ROSENQVIST, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: 7th (2020 R2)

After eight top-10 finishes from the last 10 races, don’t bet against the Swede making it nine from 11. But what are the chances of making it to the rarefied air of the top 5, or even higher? Iowa showed how he can be a contender on the shorter, more frenetic ovals, and building on that could deliver a big weekend. Having Pato O’Ward in the engineering trailer can only be a plus, too.

ROMAIN GROSJEAN, No. 28 Andretti Autosport Honda

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: 14th (2021)

WWTR was the scene of Grosjean’s oval initiation last season (below), and with just a day’s testing under his belt the French rookie put on an impressive show with Dale Coyne Racing. Now with Andretti Autosport, but still searching for a season-defining result, could this be his oval breakout weekend? Based on some of the lines he was running last year at WWTR, he should be good value for a ride-along.

JACK HARVEY, No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: 10th (2021)

A relief for us, and likely a bigger relief for Jack Harvey, is that we can finally change the record… The star-crossed Brit landed his first top-10 finish of the season on the streets of Nashville last time out. OK, that in itself doesn’t turn around a whole season, but the confidence boost it brings, plus RLL’s ongoing uptick in form, points to a more productive end to the season. Last year’s 10th-place finish at WWTR with Meyer Shank Racing is something to build on; repeating the feat would be more than solid.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: Debut

After an excellent performance in Iowa, including a teammate-battling fifth in Race 2, expect Jimmie Johnson to put in another strong performance in the environment he knows best. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champ only added ovals to his IndyCar adventure this season, but when he says he’s hoping to be battling for a podium at WWTR (below), you’ve got to take the man seriously. We’ve got a feeling that the No. 48 car will be a very exciting choice to grab a ride with.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD, No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

Best World Wide Technology Raceway finish: Rookie

As the Dane looks to put more space between himself and David Malukas in the Rookie of the Year race, WWTR might not be the most obvious track to do that. But as the newly re-signed RLL driver has already shown at Iowa, the hurly-burly of sub-superspeedway ovals doesn’t faze him, and a recent test on the 1.25-mile track will be a help, too. It’s a weekend with “potential top-10 result” written all over it, and maybe more…

The 2022 Bommarito Automotive Group 500 goes green at 6:30pm ET on Saturday, Aug. 20. All 14 in-car race cameras will be available for live-streaming on the INDYCAR Mobile App. And for the double-screen experience, watch live race coverage on USA or Peacock, starting 6:00pm ET.

Make sure you sign up for the INDYCAR Mobile App Powered by NTT DATA, the official mobile app of the NTT IndyCar Series. In addition to live in-car race cameras, it features live timing and scoring, live driver and pit crew radio transmissions, live points updates, and INDYCAR Radio Network audio streaming during all track activity.

Add in exclusive content, video highlights, spotter guides, easy access for playing the INDYCAR Fantasy Challenge Driven by Firestone, plus loads more great features, and it’s your essential deep dive into the NTT IndyCar Series.

It’s free to download and access, so don’t miss out — CLICK HERE to get started.

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