Today’s question: The Philadelphia Eagles are trying to prevent a Super Bowl three-peat by the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday (live on FOX). What drivers are most likely this season to prevent an Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge three-peat by Josef Newgarden and an NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship three-peat by Alex Palou?

Curt Cavin: What if Palou and Newgarden stopped each other’s three-peats? Look, given that Newgarden has won a pair of series championships (2017, 2019) and is employed by the organization with the most series titles – Team Penske has 17 – it’s not out of the question. Remember, Newgarden finished second in the standings in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and he might have been in contention last year, too, without losing the points for his season-opening dominance of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding (he led 92 of 100 laps). As for Indy, Palou has led the most combined laps over the past four “500s” and, along with Pato O’Ward, has been the best performer of the non-winners. It took the great Helio Castroneves to beat Palou in 2021, an untimely caution pushed him to the back of the field in 2022, and Rinus VeeKay knocked him into the pit exit wall in 2023. Despite all that, he has an average finish of 5.0 over the past four years. Palou figures to have his likeness on the Borg-Warner Trophy at some point, so why not in 2025?

Eric Smith: The easy answer is no one. Wresting the Borg-Warner Trophy and Astor Challenge Cup from Josef Newgarden and Alex Palou, respectively, is no small feat. However, there’s a reason the hat trick hasn’t occurred in the 108-year history of the “500,” and Ted Horn (1946-48), Sebastien Bourdais (2004-07) and Dario Franchitti (2009-11) are the only drivers to win three straight championships. So, I’ll take New Zealand power to halt both streaks. Give me Scott McLaughlin to win the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 and Scott Dixon to win his record-tying seventh championship. McLaughlin won NTT P1 Award honors for last year’s “500,” and once the hybrid unit debuted in July, McLaughlin was one of the best performing drivers on ovals with two wins (Iowa 1 and Milwaukee 2), a runner-up (World Wide Technology Raceway), third (Iowa 2), fifth (Nashville Superspeedway) and eighth (Milwaukee 1) in six starts. For the championship, Dixon is due for a bounce-back season after just the second time since 2006 he finished worse than fourth in points. He still won twice a season ago and is showing no signs of slowing down. Dixon began his career winning titles every five seasons (2003, 2008, 2013). His last championship came … five seasons ago.

Paul Kelly: Curt and Eric’s scenarios are more than plausible. But I’ll take Eric’s idea and stretch it further: Scott Dixon will be the first driver since Dario Franchitti in 2010 to win the Indianapolis 500 and INDYCAR SERIES championship in the same season. It boggles my mind to think Dixon could end his legendary career in a few years with just one “500” win, in 2008. He has led more laps (677) than any driver in Indianapolis 500 history and is beyond overdue to win again. Just look at his laps led total the last five Indy 500s: 111 (2020), seven (2021), 95 (2022), none (2023) and 12 (2024). Dixon’s total of 225 laps led since just 2020 would place him 26th all time on the “500” lap leaders list, ahead of the entire career totals of every active “500” driver except for four-time winner Helio Castroneves. As Eric pointed out, Dixon never has gone more than five seasons during his career without winning a championship. We’re entering year five since he last hoisted the Astor Cup in 2020. There aren’t many grains of sand left in Dixon’s INDYCAR SERIES career hourglass, so now is the time for him to pull off the first “500”-title sweep in 15 years.