The first week of June might seem a little early, but no matter how you measure it, the Verizon IndyCar Series has reached the halfway point.
Eight races out of 16 have been run, and Team Penske's Simon Pagenaud holds a commanding 80-point lead over four-time series champion Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing.
Excluding bonus points (for poles, laps led and Indianapolis 500 qualifying), there were 450 points available from the season opener at St. Petersburg to Race 2 of the Detroit doubleheader, and Pagenaud racked up an impressive tally of 357 thanks to three wins and three second places out of eight starts.