Tag: Portlad International Raceway

Power Outage Ends

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There was a race at Portland, but all the talk centers on two things- Team Penske ‘s first win of the season after a 15-race winless streak, and Alex Palou’s fourth series title. before I give my thougths on the race, let’s talk about Power and Palou,

Will Power won for the second straight year at Portland, his first win since that 2024 Portland race. It has been a difficult year for Team Penske as a whole, and today provided some balm for their wounds.

Questions still surround power’s status with the team for 2026 despite Power having the team’s only victory, being the only Penske driver in the top 10, and having the most top five finishes on the team.

Of the three current drivers, based on this year’s results, Power is the one who most deserves to return.

Alex Palou is once again the IndyCar season champion, retaining his title he has held since 2023. Palou finished third today. His closest competitor, Pato O’Ward, had a power issue just after his first pit stop. O’Ward rejoined the race, but was 10 laps down.

Palou remains unflappable, even with his big off track excursion near the end of the race. He joins Ted Horn (1946-48) and Dario Franchitti (2009-2011) as three in a row champions.

Palou is a generational talent. He also won the Indianapolis 500 this year, along with seven other races. He still has a chance to join A. J. Foyt abd Al Unser, Sr. as winners of 10 races in a season.

The Race

Some quick thoughts on the race.

Power took command early when the leaders pitted during the third caution period on lap 16. He held the lead except for pit cycles the rest of the day, building a lead that sometimes grew to more than five seconds.

Christian Lundgaard and Alex Palou made the last stint exciting as the top three cars were together on track. Lapped traffic kept Lundgaard and Palou close to Power.

Three early cautions, the last of which ended on lap19, dulled what had been some good action between yellows. Cars began to get strung out, but there were still some passing in the back.

Great Drives

Graham Rahal finished fourth, led 10 laps, and stayed close to the front after starting 22nd.

Callum Ilott grabbed another sixth place for PREMA, coning from 24th on the grid.

Alexander Rossi earned his first top five with ECR.

Race Control

Christian Rasmussen had no action taken for punting Conor Daly hard into the wall, yet Scott Dixon received a drive through for lightly tapping and spinning Josef Newgarden on lap 85. If Dixon deserved a drive through, what should have been the penalty for Rasmussen? This was Rasmussen’s first incident this season.

After Newgarden’s spin, he sat facing oncoming traffic in turn1 for several seconds, with no yellow. He waited until Power passed him to restart his car. I will grant that Newgarden was off the racing line, but with all the craziness that turn causes, maybe Race Control should err on the side of safety?

That will do it for me today. Thanks for following along this weekend. I will have more on Power and Palou Tuesday. Tomorrow is a long travel day.

Race Day at Portland

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Good morning from Portland International Raceway.

Today’s Schedule: Times Pacific.

10:06 am- Indy NXT Race 35 laps or 55 minutes FS1

11:30 am Driver Introductions

12:22 am Green flag- Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland 110 laps FOX

Weather- 85 degrees at green flag, climbing to 92 degrees by the end of the race. Track temperature should be around 117 degrees at the start of the race and climb.

Only seven drivers will start on the alternate tires, including the first three starters. All team Penske cars are starting on alternates, and Andretti starts two of their drivers, Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson, on the red tires.

My initial pick of Christian Lundgaard still seems pretty solid despite his grid penalty, but I am going to hedge a bit and make Felix Rosenqvist my co choice to win.

Crowning a Champion?

Alex Palou’s chances of clinching the series championship depend on where Pato O’Ward finishes. O’Ward can get a maximum of 53 points today. Plaou needs to end the day with a lead of 108 points. If O’Ward gets max points, Palou needs to finish second. Pato needs to outscore Palou by 14 points to keep the title alive for two more weeks.

Milwaukee Under Water

Heavy rains in Milwaukee have flooded Wisconsin State Fair Park, home of the Milwaukee Mile where IndyCar will race in two weeks. The park is closed today.

I hope everyone in Milwaukee stays safe, and the waters recede safely.

I will be back after the race.

Herta Leads Practice; Newgarden Loses Engine; Qualifying Groups

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Colton Herta had the fastest lap in this morning’s practice session ahead of qualifying for the Bitnile Grand Prix of Portland. Josef Newgarden lost an engine during practice and will receive a six place grid penalty. With qualifying just 90 minutes after practice, the team is scrambling to replace his powerplant.

New engine waiting installation.

Results

Times continue to be tight with only 0.27 seconds between forst and tenth. Any small mistake in qualifying could cost a driver several spots.

Qualifying Groups

Portland Qualifying Day-A Busy Morning

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Today’s Schedule- Times Pacific

9 am -IndyCar Practice 2 FS1

11:35 IndyCar Qualifying FS1

1:30 pm Indy NXT Practice 2 FS 1

4:30 pm IndyCar Final Practice FS 1

5:30 pm Indy NXT Qualifications FS 2

Today’s program also includes four races on The Road to Indy. There are two races for USF Juniors, the first at 2:30 pm and the second at 6:30 pm.

USF Pro 2000 races at 10;20 ad, and USF 2000 gets the green flag at 3:25 pm.

Christian Lundgaard said the week off helped his team.

“It’s been really nice for everybody to have a nice little weekend off. Regroup, recharge. We all needed that week off,” he said.

“If we can execute this weekend and carry this momentum, then we can have a good end to the season.”

Seven teams placed cars in the top ten in Friday’s practice, and they were separated by just three tenths of a second.

Temperatures today are expected to climb to 87 degrees, but the morning practice will run in 64 degree weather. For qualifying, the temperature should be in the low 70s. Final practice will run in conditions similar to green flag conditions tomorrow at around 85 degrees.

Notes

It was hard to gauge attendance yesterday, but it seemed about average for Friday at Portland.

I hope we see merchandise for this Felix Rosenqvist livery soon. I would be grateful.

I will be back after practice with results and qualifying groups.

If you are coming to the track, remember to hydrate and wear sunscreen.

Welcome to Portland; Spotters’ Guide

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Today’s Schedule:

Times Pacific

1:00 pm Indy NXT Practice 1 FS 1

2:30 pm IndyCar Practice 1 FS 2

The Road to Indy will be on track all weekend as well, making for constant track activity.

Weekend weather:

The temperature is currently 58 degrees and should be about 75 degrees by the time IndyCar takes to the track this afternoon.

I noticed some paths and driveways have been paved at Portland, and the parking area seems more organized.

Java House continues its West Coast activation with another large area near the footbridge on the frontstretch.

Schedule news: From what I am hearing, the schedule is not quite done, and some fans may be disappointed with the final result. That is all I can share right now.

If seeing David Malukas in the Gallagher livery isn’t a big hint about where he will drive next year, I don’t know what is. The Gallagher livery has been in regular rotation of Team Penske liveries. Malukas has been carrying the colors of an associate Penske sponsor, Clarience, but now with a more regular Penske scheme on the number four, I think we can all see where this is going.

Where does Will Power end up min 2026 if Malukas does make the switch?

Spotters’ Guide

I will be back with a report around midday and then after practice.

Portland Preview: Beyond the Title

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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: