By Steve Wittich

The five-way battle for the Astor Cup and two-way fight for Rookie of The Year grabbed most of the attention during the Firestone Grand Prix Of Monterey weekend; at the same time, the struggle for an under-the-radar but uber-important award was also coming down to the wire.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES partner Firestone generously offers a $150,000 prize split between the three crews that spend the least time on pit road during the season. The crew that spends the least time on pit road wins $75,000, while the next pair of fastest crews receive $50,000 and $25,000.

After the Grand Prix of Portland, Scott McLaughlin’s No. 3 Team Penske crew held a slim eight-point lead over a charging No. 12 Team Penske group and their driver Will Power.

Also with an outside chance was the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing crew and Scott Dixon, who had been the quickest on pit road at four events headed to the finale.

On Sunday, Power and the No. 12 crew, which includes Trevor Lacasse (crew chief and outside front), Trey Williams (inside front), Adam Janus (outside rear), Doug Snyder (inside rear), Blaine Hardy (air jack), Eric Crabtree (fueler) and Andy Greer (tear off) got the job done, spending the least time on pit road for the third straight race and fourth time in 2022.

“They’ve been solid all season,” said Power when TSO asked him about the No. 12 group giving him confidence going into the finale. “(Trevor) is a great crew chief, and it’s just a really positive group on the car. I’ve been fortunate to have these guys; we are a tight-knit group.

“They’ve been super consistent. The outside rear guy (Adam Janus) is in his first year, and he’s been pretty methodical about the way he does stuff and slowly picking up his pace. I tell them you don’t need to do anything special, just get us out. Do what you know.”

Power is the first Indy car champion in the last 25 years to take home the crown with only one win, making the little things like pit stops and the positions that can be gained a crucial part of the title. Power finished 29 spots ahead of where he qualified and won the championship by only 16 points. You do the math on that.

Final Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award standings (note that the Indianapolis 500 is not included)

RANK	CREW	POINTS
1	No. 12 – Team Penske	544
2	No. 3 – Team Penske	522
3	No. 9 – Chip Ganassi Racing	487
4	No. 2 – Team Penske	456
5	No. 10 – Chip Ganassi Racing	426
6	No. 21 – Ed Carpenter Racing	338
7	No. 5 – Arrow McLaren SP	335
8	No. 8 – Chip Ganassi Racing	324
9	No. 26 – Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian	309
10	No. 15 – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	306
11	No. 60 – Meyer Shank Racing	304
12	No. 28 – Andretti Autosport	279
13	No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP	277
14	No. 30 – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	243
15	No. 29 – Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport	236
16	No. 51- Dale Coyne Racing w/RWR	231
17	No. 27 – Andretti Autosport	231
18	No. 45 – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	227
19	No. 06 – Meyer Shank Racing	212
20	No. 48 – Chip Ganassi Racing	203
21	No. 20 – Ed Carpenter Racing	192
22	No. 77 – Juncos Hollinger Racing	181
23	No. 18 – Dale Coyne Racing with HMD	181
24	No. 4 – A.J. Foyt Racing	129
25	No. 14 – A.J. Foyt Racing	125
26	No. 11 – A.J. Foyt Racing	78
27	No. 33 – Ed Carpenter Racing	38
28	No. 06 – Arrow McLaren SP	18

After winning his second championship, Power singled out crew chief Lacasse, who started his Team Penske career as a mechanic on the Aussie’s car in 2010, as a positive force during the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

“Yeah, I’ve had a few different crew chiefs, but I would say that he is the most positive, lighthearted guy I’ve had and very nurturing just with the guys,” said Power about Lacasse after the final race of the season. “I think everyone is happy on the crew.

“I’ve had crew chiefs that were really tough on the guys. They demand everyone to really do their job properly. But Trev is just — he’s a great guy, a great human, and very good at his job, and he keeps everyone calm, including me. He just says, just do what you do, man; nothing special. I’ve been saying that, too, on the radio. We come in for a stop, nothing special, boys, just do what you know.”

Power’s crew was one of eight that was the quickest during a race, winning that title at the Iowa Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway, Portland International Raceway, and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Scott Dixon’s No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing crew also topped the competition four times.

A hearty great job goes out to the No. 21 crew of Ed Carpenter Racing, who was one of only three crews to best Team Penske or Chip Ganassi Racing with the least time spent on pit road at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was good to other crews as well, with the No. 7 crew of Felix Rosenqvist the quickest group at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, helping propel the Swede to a fourth-place finish in the Indianapolis 500. Also, the No. 26 – Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian spent the least time on pit road during Colton Herta’s GMR Grand Prix victory.

VeeKay’s crew, led by Jeff Frederick, ended the season in sixth place, the best non-Penske or Ganassi crew.

Side note: Rinus VeeKay was sporting a bushy mustache at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in honor of the character Rooster from Top Gun: Maverick. The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio was VeeKay and his crews best performance of the year, maybe the mustache needs to come back.

Fastest driver and crew at each 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES race this year

EVENT	BEST DRIVER/CREW
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg	No. 3 – Team Penske
XPEL 375	No. 2 – Team Penske
Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach	No. 9 – Chip Ganassi Racing
Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama	No. 3 – Team Penske
GMR Grand Prix	No. 26 – Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian
106th Indianapolis 500 Presented By Gainbridge	No. 7 – Arrow McLaren SP
Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix	No. 2 – Team Penske
Sonsio Grand Prix At Road America	No. 9 – Chip Ganassi Racing
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio	No. 21 – Ed Carpenter Racing
Honda Indy Toronto	No. 9 – Chip Ganassi Racing
Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash	No. 12 – Team Penske
Hy-Vee Salute To Farmers 300 presented by Google	No. 9 – Chip Ganassi Racing
Gallagher Grand Prix	No. 2 – Team Penske
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix	No. 10 – Chip Ganassi Racing
Bommarito Automotive Group 500	No. 12 – Team Penske
Grand Prix of Portland	No. 12 – Team Penske
Firestone Grand Prix Of Monterey	No. 12 – Team Penske

The quickest crew doesn’t always win the race, but it certainly helps to have one of the five fastest. Eleven of the 17 winners had their crew finish in the top five quickest of the race, and every winner’s over-the-wall group was in the top half of that race’s competition. As a result, the average finishing position of the race winner in the Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award standings was precisely five.

Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award winning crews (includes the Indianapolis 500)

RANK	ENTRY	WIN
1	No. 9 – Chip Ganassi Racing	4
2	No. 12 – Team Penske	4
3	No. 2 – Team Penske	3
4	No. 3 – Team Penske	2
5	No. 26 – Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian	1
6	No. 21 – Ed Carpenter Racing	1
7	No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP	1
8	No. 10 – Chip Ganassi Racing	1

Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award top five crew finishes (includes the Indianapolis 500)

RANK	ENTRY	TOP 5s
1	No. 3 – Team Penske	12
2	No. 12 – Team Penske	11
3	No. 9 – Chip Ganassi Racing	9
4	No. 2 – Team Penske	8
5	No. 10 – Chip Ganassi Racing	7
6	No. 21 – Ed Carpenter Racing	6
7	No. 5 – Arrow McLaren SP	5
8	No. 15 – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	4
9	No. 60 – Meyer Shank Racing	4
10	No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP	4
11	No. 26 – Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian	3
12	No. 8 – Chip Ganassi Racing	2
13	No. 28 – Andretti Autosport	2
14	No. 30 – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	2
15	No. 20 – Ed Carpenter Racing	1
16	No. 77 – Juncos Hollinger Racing	1
17	No. 48 – Chip Ganassi Racing	1
18	No. 23 – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	1
19	No. 33 – Ed Carpenter Racing	1
20	No. 29 – Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport	1

Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award top ten crew finishes (includes the Indianapolis 500)

RANK	ENTRY	TOP 10s
1	No. 12 – Team Penske	14
2	No. 3 – Team Penske	14
3	No. 9 – Chip Ganassi Racing	12
4	No. 8 – Chip Ganassi Racing	11
5	No. 5 – Arrow McLaren SP	11
6	No. 10 – Chip Ganassi Racing	11
7	No. 2 – Team Penske	10
8	No. 60 – Meyer Shank Racing	9
9	No. 15 – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	9
10	No. 26 – Andretti Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian	8
11	No. 21 – Ed Carpenter Racing	8
12	No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP	8
13	No. 28 – Andretti Autosport	7
14	No. 51- Dale Coyne Racing w/RWR	5
15	No. 48 – Chip Ganassi Racing	4
16	No. 06 – Meyer Shank Racing	4
17	No. 27 – Andretti Autosport	4
18	No. 29 – Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport	4
19	No. 45 – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	3
20	No. 30 – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	3
21	No. 20 – Ed Carpenter Racing	2
22	No. 77 – Juncos Hollinger Racing	2
23	No. 14 – A.J. Foyt Racing	2
24	No. 18 – Dale Coyne Racing with HMD	1
25	No. 23 – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	1
26	No. 33 – Ed Carpenter Racing	1
27	No. 06 – Juan Montoya	1
28	No. 4 – A.J. Foyt Racing	1