IndyCar finale sees Hunter-Reay victorious, Conway absent

In the age-old argument between NASCAR and open-wheel racing, one of the main points of contention has been oval track versus road course. IndyCar happens to be at the cross-section of this debate, with one-third of its fifteen races run on oval tracks, including the season finale at Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway).

Going into the race, Will Power carried a 17-point lead in the overall standings. The championship was his to lose, and lose it he did. While running in 12th place, Power "caught a seam," which sent the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car into a barrier, and seemingly out of the race. The championship was now in the hands of Ryan Hunter-Reay, who needed to finish in sixth in order to claim the championship by just one point. The crash left Power helpless; the driver could only watch the race from his team's transporter and hope that Hunter-Reay would finish worse than sixth.

Ahead of Hunter-Reay was Tony Kanaan, who crashed on lap 241, resulting in a red flag. Upon the lap 244 restart, the 31-year-old Floridian was running in third, and lost two positions in those final laps. However, a crash by Takuma Sato ensured a 4th place finish for Hunter-Reay, and a three point lead in the final season standings. In winning Hunter-Reay became the first American to win the IndyCar Championship since Sam Hornish, Jr. in 2006.