diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 4d657cc..90bd708 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -31,3 +31,8 @@ CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=""
 # Must match the CRON_SECRET repo secret in Forgejo.
 # Generate with: openssl rand -hex 32
 CRON_SECRET=""
+
+# OC Blacktop motorsport API — used to sync IndyCar championship standings
+# (fresher than ESPN's aggregate). Free tier at https://ocblacktop.com/api.
+# If unset, IndyCar standings fall back to ESPN.
+OCBLACKTOP_API_KEY=""
diff --git a/app/services/standings-sync/__tests__/sync.test.ts b/app/services/standings-sync/__tests__/sync.test.ts
index 67ad095..48ebafa 100644
--- a/app/services/standings-sync/__tests__/sync.test.ts
+++ b/app/services/standings-sync/__tests__/sync.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
-import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, afterEach } from "vitest";
 import { findMatchingTeamName } from "~/lib/normalize-team-name";
+import { OcBlacktopIndyCarStandingsAdapter } from "../f1";
+import type { FetchedStandingsRecord, StandingsSyncAdapter } from "../types";
 
 // Pure unit tests for the name-matching logic used by syncStandings.
 // The full orchestrator requires DB context; those are covered by integration tests.
@@ -46,3 +48,143 @@ describe("findMatchingTeamName (sync name-matching logic)", () => {
     expect(findMatchingTeamName("  Boston  Celtics  ", participants)).toBe("Boston Celtics");
   });
 });
+
+describe("OcBlacktopIndyCarStandingsAdapter", () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.restoreAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  // A fallback that records whether it was invoked and returns a sentinel result.
+  function makeFallback(): StandingsSyncAdapter & { called: boolean } {
+    const stub = {
+      called: false,
+      async fetchStandings(): Promise<FetchedStandingsRecord[]> {
+        stub.called = true;
+        return [
+          {
+            teamName: "ESPN Fallback Driver",
+            externalTeamId: "espn-1",
+            wins: 0,
+            losses: 0,
+            winPct: 0,
+            gamesPlayed: 0,
+            leagueRank: 1,
+            currentPoints: 1,
+          },
+        ];
+      },
+    };
+    return stub;
+  }
+
+  it("maps OC Blacktop driver standings to FetchedStandingsRecord", async () => {
+    vi.spyOn(globalThis, "fetch").mockResolvedValue(
+      new Response(
+        JSON.stringify([
+          { id: "ocb-palou", position: 1, points: "409.00", firstName: "Alex", lastName: "Palou" },
+          { id: "ocb-kirkwood", position: 2, points: "348.00", firstName: "Kyle", lastName: "Kirkwood" },
+        ]),
+        { status: 200, headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" } }
+      )
+    );
+
+    const fallback = makeFallback();
+    const adapter = new OcBlacktopIndyCarStandingsAdapter("test-key", fallback);
+    const records = await adapter.fetchStandings();
+
+    expect(fallback.called).toBe(false);
+    expect(records).toEqual([
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        teamName: "Alex Palou",
+        externalTeamId: "ocb-palou",
+        leagueRank: 1,
+        currentPoints: 409,
+      }),
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        teamName: "Kyle Kirkwood",
+        externalTeamId: "ocb-kirkwood",
+        leagueRank: 2,
+        currentPoints: 348,
+      }),
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to ESPN when the API responds non-OK", async () => {
+    vi.spyOn(globalThis, "fetch").mockResolvedValue(
+      new Response("nope", { status: 500, statusText: "Internal Server Error" })
+    );
+
+    const fallback = makeFallback();
+    const adapter = new OcBlacktopIndyCarStandingsAdapter("test-key", fallback);
+    const records = await adapter.fetchStandings();
+
+    expect(fallback.called).toBe(true);
+    expect(records[0].teamName).toBe("ESPN Fallback Driver");
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to ESPN when the payload is empty", async () => {
+    vi.spyOn(globalThis, "fetch").mockResolvedValue(
+      new Response("[]", { status: 200, headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" } })
+    );
+
+    const fallback = makeFallback();
+    const adapter = new OcBlacktopIndyCarStandingsAdapter("test-key", fallback);
+    await adapter.fetchStandings();
+
+    expect(fallback.called).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to ESPN when the payload is missing expected fields (schema drift)", async () => {
+    // Non-empty array, but `points` was renamed upstream — must fail over, not
+    // silently sync zeros over real standings.
+    vi.spyOn(globalThis, "fetch").mockResolvedValue(
+      new Response(
+        JSON.stringify([
+          { id: "ocb-palou", position: 1, championshipPoints: "409.00", firstName: "Alex", lastName: "Palou" },
+        ]),
+        { status: 200, headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" } }
+      )
+    );
+
+    const fallback = makeFallback();
+    const adapter = new OcBlacktopIndyCarStandingsAdapter("test-key", fallback);
+    const records = await adapter.fetchStandings();
+
+    expect(fallback.called).toBe(true);
+    expect(records[0].teamName).toBe("ESPN Fallback Driver");
+  });
+
+  it("keeps legitimate zero-point drivers (0 points is valid, not a failure)", async () => {
+    vi.spyOn(globalThis, "fetch").mockResolvedValue(
+      new Response(
+        JSON.stringify([
+          { id: "ocb-1", position: 1, points: "409.00", firstName: "Alex", lastName: "Palou" },
+          { id: "ocb-2", position: 33, points: "0.00", firstName: "Rookie", lastName: "Driver" },
+        ]),
+        { status: 200, headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" } }
+      )
+    );
+
+    const fallback = makeFallback();
+    const adapter = new OcBlacktopIndyCarStandingsAdapter("test-key", fallback);
+    const records = await adapter.fetchStandings();
+
+    expect(fallback.called).toBe(false);
+    expect(records[1]).toEqual(
+      expect.objectContaining({ teamName: "Rookie Driver", leagueRank: 33, currentPoints: 0 })
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to ESPN when no API key is configured", async () => {
+    const fetchSpy = vi.spyOn(globalThis, "fetch");
+
+    const fallback = makeFallback();
+    // Empty string is falsy but (unlike undefined) does not trigger the env default.
+    const adapter = new OcBlacktopIndyCarStandingsAdapter("", fallback);
+    const records = await adapter.fetchStandings();
+
+    expect(fetchSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(fallback.called).toBe(true);
+    expect(records[0].teamName).toBe("ESPN Fallback Driver");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/app/services/standings-sync/f1.ts b/app/services/standings-sync/f1.ts
index 4bdc2e8..e25b6d2 100644
--- a/app/services/standings-sync/f1.ts
+++ b/app/services/standings-sync/f1.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import type { FetchedStandingsRecord, StandingsSyncAdapter } from "./types";
 import { statsMap, type EspnStat } from "./espn";
+import { logger } from "~/lib/logger";
 
 // Jolpica is the maintained successor to the deprecated Ergast API — same JSON shape, no key needed.
 const JOLPICA_DRIVER_STANDINGS_URL = "https://api.jolpi.ca/ergast/f1/current/driverStandings.json";
@@ -8,6 +9,11 @@ const JOLPICA_DRIVER_STANDINGS_URL = "https://api.jolpi.ca/ergast/f1/current/dri
 const ESPN_INDYCAR_STANDINGS_URL =
   "https://site.api.espn.com/apis/v2/sports/racing/irl/standings";
 
+// OC Blacktop IndyCar driver standings — updates within hours of a race finishing,
+// unlike ESPN's aggregate which can lag most of a day. Requires an API key.
+const OCBLACKTOP_INDYCAR_STANDINGS_URL =
+  "https://api.ocblacktop.com/v1/indycar/standings/drivers";
+
 interface JolpicaDriverStanding {
   position: string;
   points: string;
@@ -137,3 +143,92 @@ export class IndyCarStandingsAdapter implements StandingsSyncAdapter {
     });
   }
 }
+
+// OC Blacktop returns a flat array of driver standings. Fields are typed as
+// optional because this is untrusted external JSON — fetchFromOcBlacktop validates
+// them at runtime before use.
+interface OcBlacktopDriverStanding {
+  id?: string;
+  position?: number;
+  points?: string; // e.g. "409.00"
+  firstName?: string;
+  lastName?: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * IndyCar standings from OC Blacktop, which posts updated championship points within
+ * hours of a race — far fresher than ESPN's aggregate, which can stay stale most of a
+ * day. Falls back to ESPN on any failure (missing key, network error, empty response)
+ * so a flaky third party never breaks the sync.
+ */
+export class OcBlacktopIndyCarStandingsAdapter implements StandingsSyncAdapter {
+  constructor(
+    private readonly apiKey = process.env.OCBLACKTOP_API_KEY,
+    private readonly fallback: StandingsSyncAdapter = new IndyCarStandingsAdapter()
+  ) {}
+
+  async fetchStandings(): Promise<FetchedStandingsRecord[]> {
+    try {
+      return await this.fetchFromOcBlacktop();
+    } catch (error) {
+      const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
+      logger.warn(
+        `OC Blacktop IndyCar standings unavailable (${message}); falling back to ESPN.`
+      );
+      return this.fallback.fetchStandings();
+    }
+  }
+
+  private async fetchFromOcBlacktop(): Promise<FetchedStandingsRecord[]> {
+    if (!this.apiKey) {
+      throw new Error(
+        "OCBLACKTOP_API_KEY is required to sync IndyCar standings from OC Blacktop."
+      );
+    }
+
+    const res = await fetch(OCBLACKTOP_INDYCAR_STANDINGS_URL, {
+      headers: { "x-api-key": this.apiKey },
+    });
+
+    if (!res.ok) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `OC Blacktop IndyCar standings API returned ${res.status}: ${res.statusText}`
+      );
+    }
+
+    const drivers = (await res.json()) as OcBlacktopDriverStanding[];
+
+    if (!Array.isArray(drivers) || drivers.length === 0) {
+      throw new Error(
+        "OC Blacktop IndyCar standings API returned no entries — season may not have started or response shape changed"
+      );
+    }
+
+    return drivers.map((d): FetchedStandingsRecord => {
+      // Validate the fields we depend on rather than coercing missing data into
+      // plausible-looking values. A field going missing/renamed upstream means the
+      // response shape drifted — throwing routes us to the ESPN fallback instead of
+      // silently overwriting real standings with zeros. (A 0-point backmarker is
+      // legitimate; an *unparseable* points value is not.)
+      const points = Number.parseFloat(d.points ?? "");
+      const position = Number(d.position);
+      const name = `${d.firstName ?? ""} ${d.lastName ?? ""}`.trim();
+      if (!d.id || !name || !Number.isFinite(position) || !Number.isFinite(points)) {
+        throw new Error(
+          `OC Blacktop IndyCar standings entry is missing expected fields (${JSON.stringify(d)}) — response shape may have changed`
+        );
+      }
+
+      return {
+        teamName: name,
+        externalTeamId: d.id,
+        leagueRank: position,
+        wins: 0,
+        losses: 0,
+        gamesPlayed: 0,
+        winPct: 0,
+        currentPoints: points,
+      };
+    });
+  }
+}
diff --git a/app/services/standings-sync/index.ts b/app/services/standings-sync/index.ts
index b692b56..9a9a61f 100644
--- a/app/services/standings-sync/index.ts
+++ b/app/services/standings-sync/index.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import { MlbStandingsAdapter } from "./mlb";
 import { WnbaStandingsAdapter } from "./wnba";
 import { EplStandingsAdapter } from "./epl";
 import { MlsStandingsAdapter } from "./mls";
-import { F1StandingsAdapter, IndyCarStandingsAdapter } from "./f1";
+import { F1StandingsAdapter, OcBlacktopIndyCarStandingsAdapter } from "./f1";
 import type { StandingsSyncAdapter, SyncResult, UnmatchedTeam } from "./types";
 
 function getAdapter(simulatorType: string): StandingsSyncAdapter {
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ function getAdapter(simulatorType: string): StandingsSyncAdapter {
     case "f1_standings":
       return new F1StandingsAdapter();
     case "indycar_standings":
-      return new IndyCarStandingsAdapter();
+      return new OcBlacktopIndyCarStandingsAdapter();
     default:
       throw new Error(
         `No standings sync adapter available for simulator type "${simulatorType}". ` +