Alex Palou – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Joe Skibinski

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

Mercurial Alex Palou updated his place in INDYCAR history by clinching his fourth NTT IndyCar Series championship Sunday at Portland International Raceway, where the Chip Ganassi Racing ace shared an emotional spotlight with veteran Will Power of Team Penske.

Alex Palou – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Chris Owens

Power staked his claim for another contract with team-owner Roger Penske by winning the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI. And Palou hoisted his third consecutive Astor Challenge Cup trophy after a third-place finish in Race No. 15 of a season quickly running out of superlatives.

“It’s the best. The way I’ve been feeling this year, incredible,” said Palou, a native of Spain. “Like every single weekend it’s been getting better and better. Like, we’ve won so many races (eight of 15). We won the (Indianapolis) 500. The feeling you get after winning that race, an explosion of amazing feelings. People keep reminding you about that every single day when you wake up, which makes it feel even more special.

Will Power – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Chris Jones

“Today to win my fourth INDYCAR championship, and to bring one more to Chip Ganassi Racing, to be able to clinch it early, it feels amazing. It’s the best. It just keeps getting better. It’s not that you can compare this one to 2021 or last year. This is by far the happiest and the best I’ve ever felt in my life.”

Palou has opened an insurmountable 151-point gap over runnerup Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren with two races remaining.

Palou previously won the championship in 2021, 2023 and 2024 in cars fielded by “The Chipster.” At 28 years and 131-days-old, Palou is the youngest driver to win four championships in INDYCAR history. Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais (28 and 235-days-old) and Houston native A.J. Foyt Jr. (29 and 254-days- old) are the only other drivers to win four championships in their 20s.

Alex Palou – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Joe Skibinski

His third consecutive championship allowed Palou to join Ted Horn (1946-48), Bourdais (2004-07) and Dario Franchitti of Scotland (2009-11) as the only drivers to achieve a three-peat. Palou’s fourth Astor Challenge Cup in the last five seasons also tied him with Mario Andretti, Bourdais and Franchitti for third on the all-time championship list, trailing only Foyt (seven) and native New Zealander Scott Dixon (six).

It also was the 17th series championship for Chip Ganassi Racing, tying the organization with Team Penske for most titles in INDYCAR history. Chip Ganassi Racing has won 12 championships since the unification of domestic open-wheel racing in 2008. Additionally, Palou strategist Barry Wanser clinched his 16th championship with CGR while Ricky Davis earned his seventh title as a crew chief, and 17th with the team.

Alex Palou – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Joe Skibinski

“It’s unbelievable; it’s crazy,” said Palou, driver of the No. 10 DHL Honda. “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.”

With an average championship finish of 1.8 since 2021, Palou has compiled the third-best, five-year run in INDYCAR history, trailing only Foyt (1960-64/1.2) and Bourdais (2003-07/1.6), the latter during his time in the Champ Car World Series. Palou has done so in one of the most equal eras in INDYCAR history.

Will Power – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by James Black

Power, meanwhile, celebrated his first victory of 2025 and first this season for Team Penske _ allowing the legendary organization to avoid its first winless campaign since 1999. Power, who does not have a contract with “The Captain” for next season, finished 1.5388-seconds ahead of NTT P1 Award-winner Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. It was the 45th victory of Power’s stellar INDYCAR career, which includes two championships and victory in the 2018 Indianapolis 500.

“I think it’s just a big win for the whole team,” said Power, a 44-year-old native of Australia and driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. “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.

Will Power – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Joe Skibinski

“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.”

INDYCAR was racing in the Great Northwest this weekend and the shadow of Mount Hood after a weekend off. Lundgaard reiterated Arrow McLaren’s three-car contingent arrived totally rejuvenated.

“Obviously, we got the pole (Saturday), but with the engine change penalty, I got pushed back to start P7,” said Lundgaard, a 24-year-old native of Denmark. “I knew the pace was in the car, and I think if we started further up the result could have been a little different. We gave it everything we had. It’s been a team effort all weekend, all season long. To have two P2’s in a row is nice but also really annoying because that means we were the first loser back-to-back.”

Chip Ganassi and Alex Palou – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Joe Skibinski

Palou is the 30th driver to win both the Indy 500 and the INDYCAR championship in a single season. In addition, Alex’s third-place result allowed Honda to clinch the INDYCAR manufacturers’ championship over corporate rival Chevrolet with two races remaining _both on oval tracks. Next up is the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Sunday, Aug. 24, in West Allis, Wis., (2 p.m. EDT on FOX Sports) followed by the season-finale at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., on Aug. 31.

Palou and the No. 10 team are two victories away from tying INDYCAR’s all-time single-season wins record of 10, a mark that hasn’t been reached in 55 years. That record is shared by Foyt _ aka “Super-Tex” (1964) and Al Unser (1970).

2025 Champion Alex Palou – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Chris Owens

“Yeah, we have two more to try and win,” Palou said. “Still hopefully we can get 10. Honestly, super- happy. I still cannot believe that I’m a four-time INDYCAR champion. I’m going to enjoy every single second of it.”

Ganassi, himself a former series driver, has employed an all-world lineup of open-wheel talent since founding his team in 1990 including Dixon, Franchitti, Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia, Alex Zanardi of Italy and Jimmy Vasser. Palou, he said, has absolutely “spoiled” him.

“Well, it certainly makes it more difficult to hire other drivers, I can tell you that,” said Ganassi, 67, who introduced himself to INDYCAR in May 1982 as fastest rookie qualifier for the Indy 500. “When you have a year like we’ve had, you talk to these other drivers that they’ve had one or two wins in their career, I feel so bad.

Christian Lundgaard, Will Power and Alex Palou – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by James Black

“There are good drivers that come and talk to us about ‘possibilities.’ I feel so bad when I’m spoiled with Palou and Dixon and Franchitti. It spoils me. Yes, it spoils me.

“I’ve never seen a guy work so quietly and diligently at his craft as this guy (Palou). I said in the beginning of the year that we’re just scratching the surface of his talent. I still think he’s got more in his gas tank, his tank, for this season, and he’s got more in his tank for coming seasons. You saw his desire in what he spoke about prior to the Indianapolis 500, going into that race, what the goals were, what the goals were when we left that place. Even though we had the win, he didn’t lose sight of the big picture, for the championship.

Alex Palou – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Joe Skibinski

“I couldn’t be more pleased. I obviously want to thank Alex, everybody that works for us. I want to thank everybody that ever had a hand on any of those other 16 championships. A lot of people aren’t here or aren’t with us anymore. They had fingerprints on these titles. But today we’re celebrating the 17th. Couldn’t be happier.”

To that point, Palou was asked during his post-race presser what keeps him motivated to improve.

“The love for the sport. I love the sport,” Palou said. “I love working with my team, my mechanics, my engineers, everybody that is involved in racing to go through race weekends and try and be better than everybody else. We keep on trying to improve, whether it’s the car, driving, whatever we can, try and just be a little bit better than we were before.

“That’s what drives us. It’s not really the championships and numbers. Obviously, that’s a big part and we love that. It’s kind of a reward that you get. But what we love is coming to every single weekend at the track and competing.”

Graham Rahal – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Chris Jones

SEE: Race Results

Graham Rahal finished a season-best fourth in the No. 15 Hendrickson International Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, while Alexander Rossi completed the top-five also with a season-best result in the No. 20 Java House Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet.

A race of divergent tire strategies in the first half converged into a squabble among Power, Lundgaard and Palou over the last 30 laps after all three drivers made their final pit stops.

Power started the 110-lap/216.04-mile race from P3 on Firestone Firehawk alternate tires, while pole- winner Lundgaard began in seventh _ on Firestone primary tires _ due to his six-grid spot penalty for an unapproved engine change. Palou also started on the harder, more durable Firestone primary rubber from fifth.

Will Power – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Chris Owens

Power and Team Penske opted to use the softer, more grippy but less-durable Firestone alternate tires for his first two fuel stints in a bid to run away from the 27-car field and hide before needing to run the primary tire _ as required by series rules _ and a used set of alternate tires to finish the race.

The strategy helped Power build a 20-second lead over Palou by Lap 51. But when Power pitted at the end of Lap 61 for the slower primary tires, the chase was on for Lundgaard and Palou. By Lap 74, Lundgaard had closed to within 1.1-seconds of Power. Palou was nine seconds back but fortified with nearly double the amount of Push to Pass overtake time as his two rivals up the track.

Christian Lundgaard – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Joe Skibinski

Lundgaard made his final stop at the end of Lap 79, taking on a fresh set of Firestone alternate tires. Power stopped for the last time a lap later, with used Firestone alternates fastened to his wheels. Palou made his final stop at the end of Lap 82, taking on fresh Firestone alternates like Lundgaard.

Rahal, operating on an alternate tire strategy, pitted from the lead at the end of Lap 84. That put Power, Lundgaard and Palou in the top-three spots. By Lap 96, just 0.851-seconds separated the top-three as cars on the tail end of the lead lap created speed-sapping turbulence for leader Power. Palou briefly passed Lundgaard for second on Lap 97, but the Dane fought back to regain the spot on the same lap.

David Malukas – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photot by Chris Owens

On Lap 107, Palou went off-course and into the grass surrounding the 1.964-mile/12-turn natural-terrain road-course while trying again to pass Lundgaard for second and perhaps make a run at Power. That dustup let Power pull away, and he led by 1.8018-seconds after Lap 108 and maintained a gap to the checkered flag.

David Malukas delivered Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing its best finish _ a disappointing 19^th, one lap down _ in the No. 4 Gallagher Insurance Chevrolet. “Really tough race for us,” said Malukas, a 23-year-old native of Chicago. “I think we may have picked up a little damage early on one of the restarts, tapped the wall and I think we had our toe out of play and just struggled from that point on.

“Tough race and it’s really unfortunate since it’s the last road-course of the season. I feel like our road- courses were something we really wanted to capitalize on and learn from and try to end it on a high note and unfortunately that didn’t come. We’ll go back and study the data to figure out what went wrong.”

Santino Ferrucci – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by James Black

Foyt Racing teammate Santino Ferrucci finished 27^th and last after a grinding crash. The race wasn’t two laps old when the yellow flew for Ferrucci, who lost control of the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet coming onto the front straight and spun, slamming the inside wall. The No. 14 sustained extensive damage but Ferrucci escaped uninjured.

“I’m mad at myself,” said Ferrucci, a 27-year-old resident of Dallas. “The team did a great job, the Sexton Foyt Chevy was awesome and we were going to move forward for sure in the race. Just another mistake on my part.”

Will Power – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by James Black

Power absolutely basked in the joy of returning to Victory Lane and reminding his paddock peers he’s more than good enough to merit a new contract from Mr. Penske _ or another series team.

“I won three races last year,” said Power, INDYCAR champion in 2014 and 2022. “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.

“Man, look, I’ll know what’s happening with my career in Nashville (season-ender) and whatever happens, you know, I’ve had a great time.”

Pato O’Ward – BITNILE.com Grand Prix Photo by Joe Skibinski

O’Ward was the only driver who could have delayed Palou’s coronation, entering this race 121 points behind the leader. O’Ward, who started from pole, needed to close the gap to at least 107 points to remain mathematically eligible. However, Pato’s chances ended on Lap 21 due to an electrical problem in his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet that prompted a lengthy repair in the pits.

“Yeah, I could see on one of the screens on the straight that the No. 5 was going super-slow,” Palou said. “Then (Barry) Wanser told me on the radio.

Pato O’Ward – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Chris Jones

“That’s not what you want a championship fight to go at. At the same time I thought that our mentality already going towards the race was try and win the race. It’s not like my mentality went from being defensive or trying to look for any other car. I was just with my eyes on Power, that No. 12 car, trying to get him. Although I knew at that point probably that meant that we’re going to win the championship, I knew that we had a race to win.”

O’Ward finished 25th, 10 laps down.

“It’s a shame we couldn’t make things a bit more interesting, but credit to Alex for an unbelievable season,” said O’Ward, a 26-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “I thought we had the car to challenge for the win today, so it’s just a bummer that we ran into that issue. But now, we want to win more races and secure second in the championship.”

Tony Kanaan, Team Principal, Arrow McLaren, said O’Ward’s problem was traced to the car’s Direct Injection box.

“The DI box is one of the electronic boxes that go through to make everything work,” said Kanaan, a 50-year-old native of Brazil who was series champion in 2004. “A connector that had little bit more of a vibration _ that we don’t know why _ vibrated a little too hard and actually shorted the whole box. It’s one of those things that you don’t have an explanation for. Really, nobody’s fault. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck to be able to survive those situations. But we put up a fight.

“Obviously, the kid (O’Ward) is awesome. He’s a fighter. He’s one of the bright stars, but we couldn’t really put up a fight today. We’ve got stronger every week and we’ve been building this thing up and all we can do is keep trying, and we’ll keep pushing. Thanks to Chevy and all the sponsors behind us. But yeah, it wasn’t our day.”

Indeed, Sunday was basically all-about Alex, courtesy of an analogy supplied by longtime CGR Managing Director Mike Hull.

“My thoughts are basically in football you have to have an elite quarterback, not a quarterback,” Hull said. “That’s what we have in Alex. We have an elite athlete who drives a race car. You have to have people on the offensive and defensive line. That’s what we have in the building and that’s what we have, as we saw today, in all three pit boxes today.

“That’s what it takes. Alex represents all of us. He represents the past, the present and the future of Chip Ganassi Racing. We’re really proud to be part of having a driver like Alex be with us hopefully for a long period of time. Hopefully, he never gets tired of what he does.”

Rookie sensation Dennis Hauger created a bit of breathing room in the chase for the INDY NXT by Firestone championship Sunday, winning the Grand Prix of Portland over rival Caio Collet at Portland International Raceway.

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

Hauger expanded his lead in INDYCAR’s developmental series to 54 points _ essentially one race _ over Collet with two races remaining, both on ovals at The Milwaukee Mile (Aug. 24) and Nashville Superspeedway (Aug. 31). Hauger drove his No. 28 Nammo car fielded by Andretti Global to victory over the No. 76 HMD Motorsports machine of Collet by 0.9353-seconds.

SEE: Race Results

It was Hauger’s sixth win of the season but just his second since early June after starting the year by winning four of the first five races. Hauger clinched the series Rookie of the Year title with the victory, but his eyes are fixed on a bigger prize.

Caio Collet, Dennis Hauger and Myles Rowe – Grand Prix of Portland – Photo by Chris Owens

“It’s a great day for the championship,” said Hauger, a 22-year-old native of Norway. “An awesome day, back on top. Hopefully we can have a good weekend in Milwaukee and clinch the title there, as well.”

Myles Rowe finished third in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy entry, his fifth podium of the season. Teammate Callum Hedge of New Zealand placed fourth in the No. 17 Abel Motorsports machine. Salvador de Alba of Mexico completed the top-five in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car of Andretti Global as the Andretti and Abel teams both welcomed two drivers into the top-five.

As usual on the 1.964-mile/12-turn circuit, the tricky Turn 1-2 complex played a pivotal role in deciding the outcome. Pole-sitter Collet led the field to the start, with fellow front-row starter Rowe threatening on the outside heading into Turn 1. Collet eased to the left to parry Rowe’s move, leaving an opening to the inside.

Hauger, who started third, pounced on that gap and was helped when both Collet and Rowe braked a bit too deeply into Turn 1 and ran wide. Hauger drove around Collet in Turn 2 for a lead he never would surrender, pacing all 35 laps.

“I was looking at Myles, and I think we both ended up a little bit deep (in Turn 1),” said Collet, a 23-year-old native of Brazil. “I didn’t see Dennis coming on the outside. I just misjudged it and gave Dennis the opportunity for a great move. I did a mistake at the most crucial part of the championship, so very frustrating for myself. But we’ll keep pushing.”

Hauger managed the gap for the rest of the race under sunny Pacific Northwest skies, keeping Collet at bay ranging from one-half to nine-tenths of a second. Hauger also deftly used his Push to Pass power boost system to resist every charge by Collet.

Hauger and Collet remain the only drivers eligible to win the season championship. Next race _ the penultimate event of the season _ is INDY NXT by Firestone at The Milwaukee Mile on Sunday, Aug. 24.

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 (Will Power, Team Penske)

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.