Christian Lundgaard – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Chris Jones

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard momentarily upstaged championship leader Alex Palou during Friday’s opening practice for the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI.

With Palou poised to clinch his fourth NTT IndyCar Series title, Lundgaard toured the 1.964-mile/12-turn Portland (Ore.) International Raceway in 58.5320-seconds/119.627 mph in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Palou placed second in the 80-minute session divided into groups with a best lap of 58.5381- seconds/119.614 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda _ a gap of just 0.0061-seconds.

SEE: Practice Results

INDYCAR is racing in the Great Northwest this weekend and the shadow of Mount Hood after a weekend off. Three races remain in the 2025 season, all taking place over the next four weekends.

“It was a good start here in Portland,” said Lundgaard, a 24-year-old native of Denmark. “Obviously there were some big changes compared to last year. We found some overall pace, although it still seems the No. 10 car is strong, so we still need to work hard and see if we can find some more for Saturday and Sunday. Ultimately it’s a good starting point.”

Lundgaard, fifth in the driver standings, completed 20 laps Friday. “We need to continue that momentum,” Lundgaard said. “It’s been really nice for everybody to have a nice little weekend off. Regroup, recharge. We all needed that week off. If we can execute this weekend and carry this momentum, then we can have a good end to the season.”

A 28-yearold native of Spain, Palou kept pace on a weekend in which he can clinch his third series championship in a row and fourth in the last five years. Palou _ winner of eight of 14 races this season _ leads Arrow McLaren ace Pato O’Ward by 121 points in the standings. Palou needs an advantage of 108 points after Sunday’s 110-lap/216.04-mile race to hoist another Astor Challenge Cup.

“I’m excited. I’m very excited,” said Palou, a two-time winner at PIR. “I mean, I think there’s loads of reasons to be excited but first of all, it’s a place that I love, that we’ve done really well in the past. It just feels like with such a magical season, we can still finish even better. Our car feels…it’s been feeling amazing this year everywhere we’ve been, especially road-courses. Yeah, I’m excited.”

Broadcast coverage on Sunday will begin at 3 p.m. (EDT) on FOX, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Green flag is set for 3:22 p.m.

Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist produced a strong start to his weekend, placing third at 58.6589-seconds/119.368 mph in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian sporting a popular tie-dye Grateful Dead livery.

“Portland is a super-cool track, and I really want a win there after being close a couple of times,” said Rosenqvist, runnerup at PIR in 2019 and 2023. “It’s the last road-course of the year, so let’s make it a good one.”

Graham Rahal, pole-winner at PIR in 2023, was fourth at 58.6879-seconds/119.309 mph in the No. 15 Hendrickson International Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. “I feel like we’re competitive,” Rahal said. “I think we’re in the hunt. I wasn’t super-happy with the car to be honest; I was quite loose in a lot of places but I felt like the lap I put together was decent. Maybe I left a tenth (of a second) or two on the table in a couple of areas but I think we can put those together (Saturday).” 

Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden completed the top-five at 58.7126-seconds/119.259 mph in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet.

Native Chicagoan David Malukas led the two-car effort of Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing in sixth after a best lap of 58.7498-seconds/119.183 mph in the No. 4 Gallagher Insurance Chevrolet.

“The key to getting around Portland is all about rhythm. Making sure you’re on the right track from Turn 4 to Turn 7,” Malukas said. “It all feels as if it’s just one corner. You mess up Turn 4 and the rest will be out of sync.”

O’Ward, the only driver mathematically eligible for the title besides Palou, clocked in at ninth after 25 laps with his best time of 58.7981-seconds/119.085 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

“We’ve got some work to do for (Saturday),” said O’Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “I don’t think we’re in as bad as shape as last year but definitely not quite where we want to be yet. I think we can get there, though.

“Last year at Portland was a tough one, and it hasn’t been among our best tracks, but I feel we’re in a different place now. We’ve raced up-front consistently all year and that’s the expectation entering the weekend. The championship will be an uphill battle, but we’re going to give it everything we’ve got.”

Six-time INDYCAR champion Scott Dixon of New Zealand went off-track in Turn 11 early in the session in his No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, triggering the first of two red flags in the practice. Dixon was able to continue and ended up 11th overall.

Colton Herta, pole-winner at PIR in 2019, missed more than half of the session with a technical problem discovered during his out-lap in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Global. Herta was 13th out of 27 cars competing this weekend.

Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci placed 23^rd in Foyt Racing’s No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet at 59.2131-seconds/118.251 mph. “It’s super-old school,” said Ferrucci, describing PIR’s layout. “The pavement is old, there’s no run-off. It’s been around in INDYCAR for a long time. It’s a great track and it hasn’t really changed.

“It’s got a lot of high-speed entries, so it’s a lot of commitment and trust from the car. We had a really good setup last year and I was able to really drive the car into the apex. I think that was a big, big help for our speed.”

Recall that Ferrucci won his first career NTT P-1 Award last year at Portland, where he finished eighth. Ferrucci is 13th in the standings after missing the race in Toronto after a crash during the morning warm-up.

Saturday will be a busy day of on-track action. Up first is pre-qualifying practice at noon (EDT) followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2:30 p.m. and final practice at 7:30 p.m. FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network will broadcast all three sessions live.

INDYCAR has levied a six-position starting grid penalty on the No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing entry for avoidable contact involving driver Kyffin Simpson of the Cayman Islands during the Sunday, July 27, race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The penalty followed a post-race review of the Lap 1/Turn 6 incident with the No. 60 entry of Meyer Shank Racing wheeled by Felix Rosenqvist.

Simpson was determined in violation of:

Rule 9.3.3. Avoidable Contact _ The primary responsibility for avoiding contact with a Competitor resides with the overtaking Competitor and the secondary responsibility resides with the Competitor(s) being overtaken. A Competitor who fails to demonstrate responsibility and initiates a maneuver that results in contact with another Competitor may be penalized.

According to the rulebook, a penalty can be applied at the next INDYCAR race if the penalty cannot be served at the event where the infraction took place.

Consistent with an Unapproved Engine Change-Out penalty in the INDYCAR rulebook, the Avoidable Contact grid penalty is six positions on road and street-course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at Sunday’s BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI at Portland International Raceway.

Chip Ganassi Racing is supporting flood relief efforts in Kerr County, Texas, through the months of August and September with sales of its trading cards.

Proceeds from purchases of card packs will support the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, created and managed locally by the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country in response to the devastating floods on July 4th.

Fans can purchase card packs or make a one-time donation at chipganassiracing.com/cgrcards.

The second wave of CGR Trading Cards is for sale, featuring key moments from the team’s illustrious 35-year history. The limited-time packs include Alex Palou and the No. 10 DHL Honda team’s victory last May at the 109th Indianapolis 500.

Money donated to the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund will support urgent relief and long-term rebuilding efforts in the region, especially in Kerrville, Texas. The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country directly distributes funds to vetted local organizations providing relief, recovery services and flood assistance. These funds support individuals and families, local businesses, first responders and crisis response efforts as the region recovers.

Dennis Hauger – Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Chris Owens

Rookie sensation Dennis Hauger appears ready to return to his successful early-season form.

Hauger led Friday’s opening practice for the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland with a top lap of 1-minute, 2.8638-seconds/111.384 mph in the No. 28 Nammo car fielded by Andretti Global. That lap was more than six-tenths of a second quicker than his closest pursuer, fellow-rookie teammate Lochie Hughes of Australia at 1:03.5003-seconds/110.267 mph in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine.

SEE: Practice Results

“Good session,” said Hauger, a 22-year-old native of Norway. “A few things to work on but a good start to the weekend.”

Hauger won four of the first five races of the season in INDYCAR’s developmental series and appeared to be on cruise control to the championship. But he has won only once in the last six races, with veteran Caio Collet of Brazil capturing three of those and jumping into second in the standings, 42 points behind Hauger.

Three races remain on the schedule, starting with this event at 1 p.m. (EDT) Sunday on Portland International Raceway’s 1.964-mile/12-turn road-course. Broadcast coverage will be provided by FS1, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Portland native Josh Pierson fared well on his home track, placing third at 1:03.5927-seconds/110.107 mph in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports car.

Callum Hedge of New Zealand was fourth at 1:03.6196-seconds/110.060 mph in the No. 17 Abel Motorsports machine. “Excited to get out on-track in Portland, really cool area and a fast track so working hard to produce another result,” Hedge said. “I had a rough weekend here in 2024 but with the momentum and confidence we have from our podium at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, we can keep chasing the podiums that we know we can achieve.”

Michael d’Orlando was another bright spot during the 45-minute session, ending up fifth at 1:03.6454-seconds/110.016 mph in the No. 3 Priority/Rising Stars car of Andretti/Cape Motorsport. This event marks d’Orlando’s first start in the series since the season-finale last September at Nashville Superspeedway.

“It feels great to be back,” said d’Orlando, a 23-year-old native of Hartsdale, N.Y.. “There’s been a smile on my face non-stop. Going down the backstraight, I was just laughing. It’s really great to be back. I wish I had the whole season. Coming from the couch to what was P1 for a time and ending the session P5, I think we’re in a good place to start the weekend.”

Collet ended up sixth at 1:03.7455-seconds/109.843 mph in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car despite missing part of the session with a broken roll bar.

Up next is pre-qualifying practice at 4:30 p.m. (EDT) Saturday on FS1, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Qualifying is booked for 8:30 p.m. (EDT) on FS2, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 590; 2, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 469; 3, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 392; 4, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 377; 5, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 357; 6, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 315; 7, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, 313; 8, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 307; 9, Will Power, Team Penske, 289; 10, David Malukas, A.J. Foyt Racing, 276;

11, Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne Racing, 259; 12, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 259; 13, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 248; 14, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 239; 15, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 232; 16, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 231; 17, Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 215; 18, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 214; 19, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 213; 20, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 200;

21, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 181; 22, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 172; 23, Robert Shwartzman, PREMA Racing, 168; 24, Callum Ilott, PREMA Racing, 163; 25, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 144; 26, Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 133; 27, Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing, 100; 28, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 36; 29, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing, 20; 30, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 16;

31, Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, 12; 32, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, 10; 33, Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren with Henrick Motorsports, 6; 34, Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta with Marco & Curb-Agajanian, 5.

FOX SPORTS’ 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST COVERAGE SCHEDULE

Sunday, March 2 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, March 23 _The Thermal Club, Thermal, Calif.  (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, April 13 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif. (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, May 4 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, May 10 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, May 25 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, June 1 _ Streets of Detroit (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, June 15 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill. (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)

Sunday, June 22 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, July 6 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington (Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Saturday, July 12 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 1 (Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren)

Sunday, July 13 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 2 (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, July 20 _ Streets of Toronto, Canada (Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren)

Sunday, July 27 _ WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)

Sunday, Aug. 10 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (FOX, 3 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 24 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (FOX, 2 p.m.)

Sunday, Aug. 31 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn. (2:30 p.m.)

NOTE _ All times Eastern. Dates and times subject to change.