Tag: Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Porrtland

As this somewhat unusual season winds down, IndyCar is still in search of its fifth winner of the year, and the points leader could be on is way to tie or better two of the sport’s all time greats.

Portland International Raceway has seen some classic finishes but lately has been known for its not so classic starts in turn1, where chaos has reigned in five of the last six races.

Alex Palou may have the Astor Cup all but clinched, but There are still some things to be decided as the IndyCar series enters its final three races of the 2025 campaign.

Palou is very likely to clinch the title with two races to go on Sunday; He doesn’t have to win this weekend in order to leave Portland as a four time series champion. Palou has won eight times in 2025; one more win will tie him with Marion Andretti, who had 9 wins in 1969. Two more victories and he joins A. J. Foyt and Al Unser, Sr., who had 10 wins in 1964 and 1970 respectively.

Although first place is virtually wrapped up, second is still not settled. Pato O’Ward currently is the runner-up, but he leads Scott Dixon by77 points, and Kyle Kirkwood by 112. Should Dixon and Kirkwood tie, Kirkwood has the tie breaker with 3 wins to Dixon’s single victory.

Rookie of the Year

Louis Foster and Robert Shwartzman are locke3d in a tight battle for top rookie honors. Foster holds a four point lead over Shwartzman. Each driver has a pole.

Foster has become a consistent qualifier, and Shwartzman has had some good finishes.

I think Foster will end up with the rookie title after a good showing on Sunday.

For the race, it is hard not to pick Palou to win, but I am going with Christian Lundgaard.

Notes

IndyCar’s broadcast deal with FOX has been extended until 2030. I bele3ive this is a separate thing from the 33% purchase of Penske Entertainment stock announced earlier.

David Malukas will be in Gallagher livery this weekend, fueling more speculation that we will see him in the number 12 car in 2026. Gallagher has been a long time Penske sponsor which has been on Team Penske cars a few times each year.

A 2026 schedule was posted on X Wednesday afternoon. I t was from a parody account and is not accurate in any way. I hearthat6 a schedule is close, but not out yet.

Schedule change: On Saturday, IndyCar final practice (25minutes) has been moved to 7:32 Eastern time and will now be on FS1.

IndyNXT qualifying will follow at 8:30 Eastern on FS2.

The rest of the schedule remains the same for now.

Upfdated schedule:

From IndyCar. My preview will post tomorrow morning early.

Race weekend: Friday, Aug. 8-Sunday, Aug. 10 Track: Portland International Raceway, a 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course in Portland, Oregon Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI 110 laps / 216.04 miles | INDY NXT by Firestone: INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland 35 laps / 68.74 miles / 55 minutes Media links: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Entry List (PDF) | INDY NXT by Firestone Entry List (PDF) | Trackside Media Guide (Interactive PDF) Push to Pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation. | INDY NXT by Firestone: A maximum of 50 activations total or 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation. Hybrid energy deployment parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Unlimited activation with a maximum deployment of 350 kilojoules (kj) per lap Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Five sets primary, five sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams must use one set of primary and one new set of alternate tires unless wet conditions are declared. One additional set is available for the weekend’s first session to teams fielding a rookie driver. | INDY NXT by Firestone: Three new sets to be used during the event weekend. Two carryover sets from the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca event may be used during pre-qualifying practice sessions on Friday and Saturday. X: @Race_Portland, @IndyCar, #PortlandGP, #INDYCAR Instagram: @Race_Portland, @IndyCar, #PortlandGP, #INDYCARThreads: @IndyCar, #PortlandGP, #INDYCAR Facebook: @PortlandGP, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR TikTok: @INDYCAR, #INDYCARYouTube: @INDYCAR Event website: www.raceportland.com INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com 2024 race winners: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) INDY NXT by FirestoneJacob Abel (No. 51 Abel Motorsports) 2024 NTT P1 Award winner: Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 Phoenix Investors Chevrolet), 58.2046 seconds, 121.475 mph 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winner: Louis Foster (No. 26 Andretti Global), 1 minute, 2.1396 seconds, 113.783 mph Qualifying records: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Will Power, 57.2143 seconds, 123.577 mph, Sept. 1, 2018 (Set in Round 1 of knockout qualifying) INDY NXT by Firestone Louis Foster, 1 minute, 2.1396 seconds, 113.783 mph, Aug. 24, 2024 FOX Sports telecasts: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Practice 1, 5:30 p.m. ET Friday, FS2 (live); Practice 2, noon ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Qualifying, 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Final practice, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI, 3 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX (live). Will Buxton is the play-by-play announcer for FOX’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters.  INDY NXT by Firestone: Practice 1, 4 p.m. ET Friday, FS1 (live); Practice 2, 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS1; Qualifying, 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Race, 1 p.m. ET Sunday, FS1 (live). Kevin Lee is the play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports’ coverage of INDY NXT by Firestone alongside analyst Jack Harvey. Georgia Henneberry is the pit reporter. INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Michael Young and Nick Yeoman are the turn announcers. Jake Query, Ryan Myrehn and DJ Clark are the pit reporters. The BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI race (2:30 p.m. ET Sunday) can be heard live on network affiliates nationwide. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES race, INDY NXT by Firestone race (12:55 p.m. ET Sunday), NTT P1 Award Qualifying (2:30 p.m. ET Saturday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices also air live on SiriusXM 218, www.indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. At-track schedule (all times local): Friday, Aug. 8 1:05-1:50 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 1, FS1 (live) 2:35-3:55 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1, FS2 (live) Saturday, Aug. 9 9-10 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (45 minutes green flag or 1 hour total), FS1 (live) 11:35 a.m. – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI NTT P1 Award qualifying (three rounds of knockout qualifying), FS1 (live) 1:30-2:15 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 2, FS1 (live) 4:32-4:57 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, FS1 (live) 5:30 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone qualifying (two groups/12 minutes each), FS2 (live) Sunday, Aug. 10 10:01 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland “Drivers, start your engines” 10:06 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland (35 laps / 68.74 miles / 55 minutes), FS1 (live) Noon – FOX on air 12:15 p.m. – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI “Drivers, start your engines” 12:22 p.m. – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI (110 laps/216.04 miles), FOX (live)  NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship facts: Alex Palou leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with three races to go for the third time in his INDYCAR SERIES career. Palou also led with three races to go in both 2023 and 2024 when he won the series title. Palou has led the point standings since the start of the season.There are two drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward. If O’Ward trails Palou by 108 points or more following Sunday’s race, Palou will clinch the series title. Palou leads by 121 points entering this event.Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway, the winning driver has won the INDYCAR SERIES championship in the same season 12 times: Bobby Rahal (1987), Danny Sullivan (1988), Emerson Fittipaldi (1989), Michael Andretti (1991), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1998), Gil de Ferran (2000), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Sebastien Bourdais (2004, 2007) and Alex Palou (2021, 2023). Honda is on the verge of wrapping up the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers Championship after winning 12 of the first 14 events. Honda needs to maintain its 224-point advantage this weekend to clinch its seventh manufacturers’ title and first since 2021.   Point differential: The 121 points separating Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward are the largest margin with three races remaining since 2008. During that span, the average lead with three races remaining is 39.1 points. Key championship point statistic: Since 2008, the driver who has led the championship with three races to go has won the championship 11 times – Scott Dixon in 2008, 2018 and 2020, Dario Franchitti in 2011, Will Power in 2014 and 2022, Simon Pagenaud in 2016, Josef Newgarden in 2017 and 2019 and Alex Palou in 2023 and 2024. Race notes:The BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI will be the 31st INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland International Raceway and the seventh since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned in 2018. Al Unser Jr. won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Portland in 1984, while Will Power won last season. Alex Palou, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power are the only former winners entered in this year’s race. ACTIVE RACE WINNER WINS SEASONS Alex Palou 2 2021, 2023 Will Power 2 2019, 2024 Scott McLaughlin 1 2022 Eight INDYCAR SERIES drivers have won at Portland International Raceway from the pole – Danny Sullivan (1988), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1996), Max Papis (2001), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Sebastien Bourdais (2004), Alex Palou (2021) and Scott McLaughlin (2022). ACTIVE POLE WINNER POLES SEASONS Santino Ferrucci 1 2024 Graham Rahal 1 2023 Scott McLaughlin 1 2022 Alex Palou 1 2021 Colton Herta 1 2019 Will Power 1 2018 Team Penske has won eight times at Portland International Raceway, tied with Newman/Haas Racing for most at the track. Penske’s winning INDYCAR SERIES drivers are Danny Sullivan (1988), Emerson Fittipaldi (1993), Al Unser Jr. (1994, 1995), Gil de Ferran (2000), Will Power (2019, 2025) and Scott McLaughlin (2022). Chip Ganassi Racing has four wins at Portland with Alex Zanardi in 1996 and 1998 and Alex Palou in 2021 and 2023. Twenty-four drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Portland International Raceway. Scott Dixon and Will Power each have eight starts, most among the entered drivers. Fourteen entered drivers have led laps at the track (Power 169, Scott McLaughlin 109, Alex Palou 101, Graham Rahal 59, Colton Herta 40, Alexander Rossi 32, Dixon 30, Pato O’Ward 28, Josef Newgarden 9, Felix Rosenqvist 6, David Malukas 2, Marcus Armstrong 1, Marcus Ericsson 1 and Christian Lundgaard 1). Six drivers have won INDY NXT by Firestone races at Portland before moving up to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Pato O’Ward won both races at Portland in 2018 on his way to the INDY NXT by Firestone championship. Rinus VeeKay won one of the doubleheader races in 2019, and Kyle Kirkwood and David Malukas split the doubleheader races in 2021. NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookies Louis Foster and Jacob Abel won in 2023 and 2024, respectively … Graham Rahal scored the first win of his professional racing career at Portland, winning the Star Mazda (now USF Pro 2000 championship) race in 2005. Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 354th consecutive start, extending his INDYCAR SERIES record streak…Graham Rahal will attempt to make his 254th consecutive start, the third-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Josef Newgarden will attempt to make his 217th consecutive start, the sixth-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Dixon passed Mario Andretti for the INDYCAR SERIES record for starts with his 408th start May 25 at Indianapolis and will extend his record to 417 with a start Sunday…Dixon’s win July 6 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – his 59th INDYCAR SERIES win – extended two ongoing INDYCAR SERIES records he holds: seasons with a win (23) and consecutive seasons with a win (21). Dixon’s second-place finish July 13 at Iowa Speedway extended two additional ongoing INDYCAR SERIES records he holds: podium finishes (145) and top-five finishes (215). INDY NXT by Firestone notes:The season-long INDY NXT by Firestone title fight between Andretti Global’s Dennis Hauger and Lochie Hughes saw a new contender enter the fray as HMD Motorsports’ Caio Collet swept the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader July 26-27 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Sega. Hauger, who has a season-best five wins, leads Collet by 42 points headed into the final road course race of the season at Portland. Hughes, Myles Rowe and Portland native Josh Pierson are just behind, looking to make it a five-man sprint to the finish. The ultra-competitive 2025 season has seen four winners in 11 races and nine different drivers finish on the podium.The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland will be the series’ 24th race at Portland International Raceway. Previous Indy NXT by Firestone winners at Portland include Paul Tracy, Andre Ribeiro, Greg Moore, Pato O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay, David Malukas, Kyle Kirkwood, Louis Foster and Jacob Abel.Dennis Hauger could clinch the INDY NXT by Firestone Dallara Rookie of the Year Award if he can gain 19 points on Lochie Hughes in this weekend’s event. The award is given to the top-finishing rookie in the point standings.

Times are Eastern. Portland is in the Pacific Time Zone

Friday, August 8

4 pm-FS1-NXT practice

5:30 pm-FS2-INDYCAR practice

Saturday, AUGUST 9

12-FS1-INDYCAR practice

2:35 pm-FS1-INDYCAR qualifying

4:30 pmS1-NXT practice

7:30pm-FS1-NXT qualifying

8:30 pm-FS2-INDYCAR warmup

Sunday, August 10

1:06 pm-FS2-IFS1-NXT race 35 laps

3 pm-FOX on air-Prerace

3:22 pm-FOX-Green flag INDYCAR race 110 laps

Today’s Schedule:

9:30 AM		Gates Open
10:20 AM – 11:15 AM	INDY NXT	Race (35 Laps or 55 mins)
11:40 AM	NTT INDYCAR SERIES	Driver Introductions
12:30 PM	BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland – NTT INDYCAR SERIES	Race (110 Laps)

The Indycar race is on USA Network. Indy NXT and Indycar races are on Peacock.

Good morning from Portland. Today is expected to be the best weather day of the weekend, with a temperature of 70 degrees at the green flag and about 75 degrees when when checkered flag waves.

If Will Power beats Santino Ferrucci to turn 1, he should come away with the win. If not, mit could be anybody’s race. Several fast cars are startiing in the second half of the grid, including Alexander Rossi, Scott McLaughlin, and Pato O’Ward.

Alex Palou attempts to at least maintain his current 59 point lead from third. Power is the only contender starting ahead of him, and he is 66 points behind.in fourth place. The top six are separated by just 98 points, but it would take two bad races by Palou for him to be in trouble. I think Race 1 at Iowa was his bad race for the year.

The official lineup, with penalty assessments, and the starting tire for each driver:

I’ll be back after the race with a quick wrapup.

Photo b y Kyle McInnes

From Indycar:

McLaughlin will start 20th tomorrow.

INDYCAR Announces Portland International Raceway Grid Penalties

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024) – INDYCAR officials have announced a six-position starting grid penalty for the entries of No. 3 Team Penske and No. 4 Chip Ganassi Racing for unapproved engine changes following qualifying at Portland International Raceway.The teams were in violation of:Rule 16.1.2.3.2. A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out.According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2., the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, which is the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland Sunday, Aug. 25 at PIR.