Power Wins in Portland as Palou Clinches Fourth INDYCAR Title

Will Power delivered a season-saving victory for Team Penske while Alex Palou sealed his place among the sport’s greatest champions in a dramatic BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI at Portland International Raceway.

Power ended a year-long winless streak for Penske, taking the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet to victory by 1.5388 seconds over Christian Lundgaard. It was the 45th win of Power’s career and ensured Penske avoided its first winless season since 1999.

“I think it’s just a big win for the whole team,” Power said. “We’ve had a rough year, and it’s not really because we’ve been off the pace. It’s just been unfortunate circumstances. It was a good, hard-fought win. Stoked. I’ve had a great career with Verizon and Penske, so I’ve really, really enjoyed winning for the guys and everyone I’ve worked with for a long time. It’s awesome.”

The race also crowned a champion. Palou clinched his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES title in the last five seasons — and his third in a row — after rival Pato O’Ward’s challenge ended with an electrical failure just 22 laps in. O’Ward, the only driver who could mathematically catch Palou, started from pole but finished 25th, nine laps down.

“It’s unbelievable; it’s crazy,” Palou said. “I couldn’t be happier right now. This has been an amazing season, an amazing five years with CGR. I have no words to describe how grateful I am to everybody at CGR. I cannot wait for more.”

Palou’s latest crown ties him with Mario Andretti, Sebastien Bourdais and Dario Franchitti for third on the all-time championship list. Only A.J. Foyt (seven) and Scott Dixon (six) have more. He joins Ted Horn, Bourdais and Franchitti as the only drivers to win three consecutive titles.

The Chip Ganassi Racing star secured this year’s championship with two races to spare by winning five of the first six events, including his first Indianapolis 500. His season to date includes eight wins, five poles, 11 top-fives in 14 starts, 563 laps led and a 1.2 average finish.

Palou made it clear that the title did not temper his race-day ambitions. “We’re here to win. That’s why we’re here. We’ve said it many times. When we come here, although we have that big goal of winning the championship, our priority is always to win races and win every single weekend,” he said. “Even though could have been OK to stay third, we wanted to win.”

Team owner Chip Ganassi backed his driver’s aggressive approach, even after Palou went off course during a late battle with Lundgaard. “It depends on the situation, the driver. Like Alex said, we go into this race with that 10 car team, every race, we want to win the race, OK? That’s how we got to this point,” Ganassi said. “We didn’t change anything today. You can’t play God. I got to say my heart skipped a beat when he went off there, but other than that I was all for it.”

The race itself became a tactical fight in the final 30 laps. Power started third on alternate tyres and built a 20-second lead by Lap 51. Lundgaard and Palou closed the gap after Power switched to the slower primary compound, setting up a tense chase. All three made their final stops between Laps 79 and 82, with Lundgaard and Palou taking fresh alternates and Power opting for used ones.

By Lap 96, less than a second covered the trio, but Palou’s bid for second ended when he ran wide on Lap 107, allowing Power to edge clear.

Graham Rahal finished a season-best fourth, with Alexander Rossi fifth. Honda also secured the manufacturers’ championship.

For Power, who turns 45 this year and does not yet have a contract for 2026, the win was a timely reminder of his value. “I won three races last year,” he said. “If you’re a team, if you’re waiting on me to know if I’m good enough, I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

The series now heads to the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on August 24, where Palou can chase history with a chance to equal the single-season win record of 10 held by Foyt and Al Unser.

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow us on Microsoft Start.