Photo by Kyle McInnes

All of a sudden Indycar oval racing is good again. The gloom and doom following the Iowa doubleheader has vanished like gossamer on windy day.

WWTR had a good race, and this evening’s race also produced a good show. The race ended with Will Power chasing down winner Pato O’Ward. Races always seem more fun when Pato wins. Itb was certainly a poular victory with the fans.

O’Ward, the most popular driver in Indycar and Mexico, dominated the race ince he took the lead, staying at the front for 133 laps. Any other winner would have been overshadowed by third place finisher Conor Daly, who started 25th and gave. Juncos Hollinger Racing their first podium..

O’Ward first took the lead on lap 68, led again from lapo 119-185, and took the lead for good on lap 195. He managed traffic beautifully, keeping Will Power at bay to win by just under two seconds. It was one of O’Ward’s more convincing wins.

Daly- From 25th to 3rd

Juncos Hollinger Racing hired Conor Daly to replace Agustin Canapino for one reason- to get into the Leaders’ Circle. Based on tonight’s result, it looks as if they made the right choice. The 78 is now 21st in entrant point -above the cut line.iiDaly does well on ovals, but tonight was arguably one of the best drives of his career, He started 25th in a car that had not shown except for a few solid qualifying efforts and brought home the team’s first Indycar podium.

Daly admitted in the post race press conference that finances may keep him from keeping htis ride in 2025. JHR would be well served to find a way for Daly to stay. The team has shown improvement this season, and I think Daly could help take another step forward.

Notes

Katherine Legge recovered from a spin and earned a top 20 finish.

Why did the last caution, for debris, require 16 laps?

Power cut Alex Palou’s lead to 43 points as Palou managed a fifth place result. Power shave 11 points from the advantage. Even he cuts 11 points in each of the final two races, Palou still takes his third title.

Power noted in the press conference that Indycar, not NASCAR, should be racing in Mexico.

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