Can Romain Grosjean win the 2021 IndyCar Rookie of the Year award?
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Jack NicoleSeptember 20, 2021
Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean stunned in the IndyCar race at Laguna Seca to take his third podium of the year. He’s clamoring to win Rookie of the Year — but can he stop him? Who can stop him?
Grosjean finishes third at Laguna Seca
Former Haas F1 driver Grosjean qualified 13th on his first visit to Laguna Seca, California.
He deployed another strategy for the French with Dale Coyne of Rick Ware Racing.
He used faster red Firestone tires for the final leg and made some bold moves on the corkscrew as he sprinted.
After he moved up to third, he started laps, sometimes nearly two seconds ahead of leader Colton Hertha.
Grosjean’s charge was paused when he charged up to NASCAR legend Jimmy Johnson.
Johnson’s teammate, championship leader Alex Palau, was second and their Chip Ganassi told Johnson to try and slow Grosjean.
On the corkscrew, however, Johnson defended Grosjean’s sprint – the pair luckily avoided serious injury after contact.
Although Grosjean was closing in on Palou, he was not strong enough to attempt any kind of overtaking.
He finished on the podium for the third time this season — the first time not at Indianapolis Road Course.
Grosjean finished third with 36 points.
In addition to 35 points for the position, he also scored a point for leading at least one lap – in an earlier pit stop loop.
With 266 points, he is 15th in the standings.
Although he’s out of the title race, Grosjean has something to win at IndyCar in 2021.
Romain Grosjean in contention for IndyCar Rookie of the Year award
As the name suggests, the Rookie of the Year award is given to the IndyCar rookie with the highest record in the championship.
Although rookies like Christian Lundgaard and Kevin Magnussen have already played in 2021, it’s only played in a single game.
There are three major rookies vying for the award this year — although rookie is a bit of a misnomer in this case.
They are 10-time F1 podium finisher Grosjean, seven-time NASCAR Cup winner Johnson and Scott McLaughlin – the triple Australian supercar champion.
Photo by Brian Loudermilk/Getty Images
McLaughlin was the only one of the trio to commit to a full season, with Grosjean and Johnson skipping the oval due to their lack of IndyCar experience.
That makes him an almost certain Rookie of the Year award, as he’s played in four more games than the other two.
Going into the season finale at Long Beach this weekend, McLaughlin had 286 points and Grosjean had 266.
Johnson struggled at times but looked good the past few games. He has 95 points.
What does Romain Grosjean have to do to win Rookie of the Year?
Simply put, Grosjean must be 20 points ahead of McLaughlin to pass the Kiwi.
At two street circuits this season, the pair have yet to make the top 10.
In St. Petersburg, the second race of the season, McLaughlin took his Penske 11th and Grosjean 13th.
Photo by Daniel Caliz/Getty Images
Grosjean was 16th in the inaugural Nashville race.
McLaughlin was defeated by teammate Will Ball and finished 22nd.
All season, Grosjean made the top 10 six times and McLaughlin five.
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Jack usually writes or reads anything related to motorsport – from Formula 1 to NASCAR to British truck racing. His work as a motorsport reporter has been published in prestigious media such as Autosport, Motorsport.com and Motorsport News. In addition to racing, he is an avid amateur astronomer, podcast listener, and enjoys walks in the park with his three dogs.
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