This coming weekend, the IndyCar Drivers' Championship will be decided during the season finale at the Nashville Superspeedway, but there’s another important battle unfolding behind the scenes. In the back of the pack, there is fierce competition for the shared prize money of the Leader Circle. It’s particularly exciting, with three main contenders separated by just three points. However, one of these contenders will inevitably miss out.

What are Entrant Points?

Entrant Points are the points earned by a specific car entered in the series. Essentially, it’s a type of team championship where each car entered forms a separate team. For example, McLaren has three entrants: the cars with numbers 5, 6, and 7. The car with number 6 has been driven this year by Callum Ilott, Théo Pourchaire, and Nolan Siegel. These drivers scored points for their individual positions in the drivers’ championship but also earned points for the #6 Arrow McLaren in the Entrant Points Championship.

Why is the Entrant Points Championship so important?

Entrant Points often play only a minor role. For the top teams, it’s something they rarely have to deal with. For them, this championship only matters during oval race qualifications, where the qualifying order is determined based on reverse entrant points — the car with the fewest points must qualify first. If a qualifying session is canceled, the grid is set based on entrant points.

For less successful teams, Entrant Points are much more important because they determine who receives a share of the annual prize money distributed by IndyCar, approximately $1 million (€915,000). Through the Leader Circle program, the top 22 in the Entrant Points Championship receive a portion of the prize pool. A maximum of three cars per team can claim the prize money, so of the five cars Ganassi fields, only three will be eligible for the Leader Circle.

The Current Standings in the Entrant Points Championship

With just one race to go, it’s incredibly tight to see who will receive a share of the Leader Circle prize money and who won’t. Of the two Ganassi cars that are ineligible for the program, one is within the top 22, meaning that 23rd place in the Entrant Points Championship will be the lowest position that still yields prize money.

For a long time, #78 Juncos Hollinger Racing and #66 were embroiled in this battle, but thanks to strong performances by Conor Daly and David Malukas, these two drivers now seem safe, sitting 15 and 13 points clear of the undesirable 24th place, respectively.

The battle will mainly be between #30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (Pietro Fittipaldi), #41 AJ Foyt Racing (Sting Ray Robb), and #20 Ed Carpenter Racing (Christian Rasmussen). Fittipaldi currently leads this trio with 177 points, followed by Robb with 175 points and Rasmussen with 174 points. Rasmussen’s #20 car is currently in the undesirable 24th position, but if he finishes, for example, two places ahead of Robb, it could have major consequences!

The team hoping for a miracle is Dale Coyne Racing. The small team from Plainfield, IL, seems set to miss out on the Leader Circle with both cars after a particularly challenging season. With 160 points and a 16-point deficit to 23rd place, the #51 car still has a chance at the Leader Circle money, but it would need to finish in the top ten — something that hasn’t happened this year. The driver for this car has yet to be confirmed, although Katherine Legge drove in previous oval races.

Current Standings in the Entrant Points Championship with one race to go:
1. #10 Chip Ganassi Racing - 525
2. #12 Team Penske - 492
3. #3 Team Penske - 475
4. #26 Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian - 462
5. #9 Chip Ganassi Racing - 443
6. #5 Arrow McLaren - 419
7. #27 Andretti Global - 384
8. #7 Arrow McLaren - 366
9. #2 Team Penske - 365
10. #14 A. J. Foyt Enterprises - 339
11. #45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing - 301
12. #60 Meyer Shank Racing - 301
13. #28 Andretti Global - 292
14. #21 Ed Carpenter Racing - 282
15. #11 Chip Ganassi Racing - 272
16. #8 Chip Ganassi Racing - 255
17. #77 Juncos Hollinger Racing - 246
18. #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing - 244
19. #6 Arrow McLaren - 239
20. #78 Juncos Hollinger Racing - 189
21. #66 Meyer Shank Racing - 187
22. #30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing - 177
23. #41 A. J. Foyt Enterprises – 175
====== Leader Circle Cut-Off ======
24. #20 Ed Carpenter Racing - 174
25. #4 Chip Ganassi Racing - 174
26. #51 Dale Coyne Racing with RWR - 160
27. #18 Dale Coyne Racing - 137
28. #75 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing - 30
29. #24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing - Cusick Motorsports - 21
30. #17 Arrow McLaren / Rick Hendrick - 21
31. #33 Ed Carpenter Racing - 18
32. #6 Meyer Shank Racing - 10
33. #23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing - Cusick Motorsports - 6
34. #98 Andretti Herta w/ Marco & Curb-Agajanian - 5