Today’s question: David Malukas, Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Lundgaard are within 17 points of each other in the race for second place in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings. Which one of those drivers can produce the strongest title challenge to leader and reigning champion Alex Palou?

Curt Cavin: I think it’s Malukas, but it’s close. Three races will be on ovals, and while Kirkwood is the only one of the three with an oval victory, Malukas is having a better oval season this year, so I give him the edge there. Malukas also has significantly improved on the road courses, so he shouldn’t lose much ground to Lundgaard (winner of two such races) in the three races that remain. The wild-card races are the new street circuits in Markham, Ontario, and Washington D.C., but I figure Kirkwood will have the edge at those. Bottom line: This is a great question because I view Malukas (photo, top, center) having the edge in the three oval races, Lundgaard (photo, top, left) having the edge in the three road course races and Kirkwood having the edge in the two street races. It will be a terrific battle, but I don’t see any of them catching Palou.

Eric Smith: The metrics say David Malukas. With three oval races, three natural road courses and two street races remaining, his results on those track types have been impressive: fourth, second and second on road courses, along with third, second and seventh on ovals. Street courses have been his weakness, but the same could be said for Alex Palou and Christian Lundgaard on ovals this season. That said, if anyone is going to catch Palou, it's probably going to require multiple victories. That's why I lean toward Christian Lundgaard. Malukas seeks his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES win after 71 starts. Lundgaard has two victories this season and until proven otherwise, I could see him winning any of the three remaining road-course races. Palou's average finish on ovals this season is 16th. If Lundgaard can collect a couple more road-course wins, score top-five finishes on the inaugural street circuits and Palou continues to struggle on ovals, we could have a championship fight. Malukas may be best positioned statistically, but is it fair to expect a driver still seeking his first win to capture at least two or three wins over the final eight events?

Arni Sribhen: Of the three guys chasing Alex Palou, David Malukas is the most likely to mount a strong challenge to the Spaniard right now. Malukas gets my edge over Kyle Kirkwood or Christian Lundgaard because the remaining races on the calendar might just work out in his favor. There are three oval races in the final eight races this season, and Malukas has been one of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ top drivers on ovals this season. Because the chances for big point swings on ovals can be the best bet to make up ground on Palou, that’s three shots to eat away at the lead. Away from ovals, Chef Dave has been cooking up consistency and collecting top finishes similar to Palou’s low-error M.O. If Malukas can keep up or even improve his “Penske Perfect” performance, he can challenge Palou for the championship and even take home the Astor Challenge Cup.

Alex Palou

Paul Kelly: Sorry to be Danny Downer, but the answer is none of them. It will take a significant run of victories for Malukas, Kirkwood or Lundgaard to catch or even challenge Palou (photo, above), and none of those three has shown any signs of that this season or during their respective careers. Malukas is winless in his career, although it sure feels like it’s just a matter of time until he breaks through with a victory for Team Penske. Malukas also is the leading scorer in the series since the Sonsio Grand Prix in early May, compiling three more points than Palou in that five-race span. Still, he probably will need to win at least two to three races to catch Palou, and I don’t see that happening. Kirkwood has led just five laps in the last seven races, as Eric wrote in his Power Rankings feature this week. That’s not going to get it done. Lundgaard has momentum with his stirring victory at Road America, and he has scored just three points less than Palou since the Sonsio Grand Prix. But he’s 16th in oval points this season (Palou is 14th), and there are three oval races left. Lundgaard is the top scorer this season on road courses, and there are three of those races left. But Palou is crushing the field on street-circuit points, and Markham and D.C. loom in that category. I would have a different answer – Lundgaard – if this trio didn’t need to make up more than a race’s worth of points to Palou over the last eight races. But they do, so it’s time to call the engraver to prepare to put Palou’s name on the Astor Challenge Cup for a fifth time.