In this episode of The Inside Line, IndyStar motorsports reporter Nathan Brown and co-host Joey Barnes kick-off their post-Laguna Seca episode taking a look at the historical implications of Alex Palou snagging his eighth win of 2025, where that stands in history and where he could end up once the season ends. The pair also explain how Palou can go about clinching his 4th title in 5 years at IndyCar’s next round at Portland and how Pato O’Ward can stay alive, too. Brown and Barnes discuss an analyze the much-talked-about perceived miscues from race control involving a pair of on-track incidents that didn’t see yellow flags for 90 seconds during Sunday’s race, and then they dive into the Silly Season topics of the moment: whether Will Power will (or should) be replaced at Team Penske by David Malukas for 2026 and what Colton Herta’s chances are to secure a super license and give decisionmakers at Cadillac F1 a choice on whether to hand him a ride for the team’s debut season in 2026.