Entering the race weekend, the battle for the championship had been reduced to only two drivers: Simon Pagenaud and Will Power.

[1] The start of the race saw Simon Pagenaud jump ahead of Hélio Castroneves, while Will Power was able to pass Juan Pablo Montoya to move into third place.

While Pagenaud easily held his lead, Power was able to leapfrog Castroneves during the sequence, putting him second place on the track.

On lap 36, the most dramatic moment of the race came when Power's car suddenly ground to a halt on the course just before the pit entrance.

A malfunctioning clutch control unit prevented Power from shifting gears and eventually forced him into neutral, causing his car to grind to a halt.

After pit stops were done, the running order was Pagenaud, Castroneves, Charlie Kimball, and Graham Rahal.

The race would not automatically go to Pagenaud after Castroneves' stop, though, as Graham Rahal began to close the gap.

While Rahal would make another attempt at catching him, Pagenaud's pace combined with his saved up push-to-pass presses proved too much.

Pagenaud held on to win his fifth race of the season and, more importantly, the IndyCar Series championship title.

[3][4] Pagenaud's dominant performance secured his first IndyCar Series title in his second year of driving for Team Penske.

His chief rival, Conor Daly, was one of two drivers who failed to finish the races after mechanical issues struck his car.