Indecisive.

That was the consensus on the title battle in last weekend's Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline at Gateway Motorsports Park after the three main contenders in the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series championship fight also ended the night in the top three.

Leaving St. Louis, Scott Dixon holds a narrow 26-point lead over Alexander Rossi. Gateway race winner Will Power is 68 points back. Power's Team Penske teammate, Josef Newgarden, is also in the mix, 78 points out.

With a maximum 158 markers up for grabs in the final two races, including the double-points season finale on Sept. 16 at Sonoma Raceway, the title is far from decided. Before Sonoma, the series returns to Portland for the first time in 11 seasons.

With the past two races seeing the three drivers at the top of the standings also finish on the podium, another indecisive result in the Grand Prix of Portland certainly benefits leader Dixon more than his rivals.

“It's really hard to close a gap at this point of the season because, as you can see, the same guys are finishing in the top five every week, and they're all the guys you're racing,” said Power. “I need those guys (ahead in points) to have a bad day and for me to win a race.”

It's important to note that Power was 77 points out of top spot in the standings going into the two races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May. That’s when he scored back-to-back victories in the INDYCAR Grand Prix and the 102nd Indianapolis 500 to take the points lead.

After winning at Gateway by stepping on the throttle while some of his rivals went into fuel-saving mode, Power may simply put his head down in the final two races, go all out to win and hope it's enough to deliver a second title.

“I've got nothing to lose,” the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion said.

“It will all depend on where the guys we're racing are — Rossi and Dixon are the main guys, and Josef. If they're at the front, yes, I mean, we have to take risks.”

With a tighter gap between himself and Dixon, Rossi may take a more conservative approach into the Grand Prix of Portland as he tries to set up a championship showdown at the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Sonoma.

“The goal right now is just to hopefully get within 20 points going into Sonoma, and then it can really be about who beats the other person type of thing,” Rossi said.

“That's where our focus is. Portland is a very unknown challenge for us all, so it'll be interesting to get on track there. I have complete faith that Andretti Autosport as a whole will build great race cars and we'll be able to be competitive.”

Then again, Rossi added that his preference is “going down swinging” as he moves into the final two races. So, he may not be content with settling for a good result.

Rossi may also draw inspiration in his battle with four-time champion Dixon from his accomplished rival.

“I'm the one who hasn't won any championships and he's got four, so I should probably take a page out of his book and see what he's done in the past,” Rossi said.

“Obviously, you want to win the race, but the goal really is to beat Scott.”

One thing is for certain: The title battle will only get more intense as the last two races unfold, where drivers trying to prevent Dixon from scoring a fifth Verizon IndyCar Series title will do everything they can to snatch the crown.

“It's always tough when it comes down to the wire,” Dixon said. “You do everything you can to try and get one race win.”