The busy month of August wraps up with not one, but two races at the World Wide Technology Raceway this weekend near St. Louis. With two races at Mid-Ohio next month and coming off of a double points event in Indy last weekend mixed with two races now on the 1.25-mile Illinois race track this weekend, the championship will be on everyone’s minds in the paddock.

See, normally when we leave Indy, it goes into championship mode. Typically, the ‘500 is run in the Month of May and early in the schedule. So, the first few races are just learning the season with the action in May all about winning the Indy 500. It’s too early then to be thinking championship. That’s why when the victory banquet checks are given the next day after the ‘500, is when championship mode usually starts.

Well, with a weird year we’ve had, championship mode is already underway. Plus, there’s only three race weekend’s left, including this one, so championship conversations are already taking place. Now, factor in two races in as many days and you can get some tense action this weekend at the World Wide Technology Raceway.

We’re exactly halfway through the season at this point. But, this is also Scott Dixon’s championship to lose too. He boasts an 84 point lead over defending series champion Josef Newgarden. Third place is Pato O’Ward but he’s a wide 117 points out. Graham Rahal and Simon Pagenaud are 121 and 123 points out respectively.

To me, that’s way too much ground to make up on him. While it’s great that we have four different teams represented in the top four of the championship standings at the midway point, I just struggle to think anyone is going to top Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Next up is Gateway (Saturday-Sunday) where Dixon has two podiums in his last three years on the St. Louis area race track. He has five top two finishes in seven races this season. With two races on tap on the 1.25-mile track, it will be tough to stop him.

Then, all that’s left are doubleheaders at Mid-Ohio (hopefully in September) and on the Indy road course (October) and the season finale at St. Pete. Dixon, has won six times at Mid-Ohio and won the most recent race there last year. He also just won the most recent race on the IMS road course and has four straight top two finishes on the 2.439-mile circuit. He could be unreachable by time we even get to St. Pete which is a track to where he’s had two podiums in his last three tries there and four straight top seven finishes at.